Developer’s Life – Every Developer is Like Transformers

Transformers may not be superheroes – they don’t wear capes, they don’t have amazing powers outside of their size and folding ability, they’re not even human (technically). Part of their enduring popularity is that while we are enjoying over-the-top movies, we are learning about good leadership and strong personal skills.

There have been four Transformers movies, and before that a long-running children’s cartoon. For now, though, let’s focus on the most recent installment – Transformers: Age of Extinction. What can this action-packed movie teach us about developers?

So how are developers like Transformers?

Well, read on my list of reasons.

Best Use of Resources

Work with what you have. At the beginning of this movie the main character, Cade Yeager, finds what looks like an old, beat-up semi truck. He is just trying to make a little cash for his family, but this semi truck ends up being the leader of the transformers, Optimus Prime. Developers may not have a powerful robot hidden inside themselves, but developing the skills to be the best at your job is often like finding buried treasure.

Be a Leader

Be a leader. In the third movie, Optimus Prime appeared to die, and the rest of the Transformers were lost without him. In this movie, set years later, Optimus Prime returns and his loyal brethren return to fight beside him, no questions asked. Now that’s leadership! Developers often work behind the scenes for companies, but it is important to take leadership where necessary.

Don’t Underestimate Anyone

Don’t underestimate yourself or others. The climax of this move rests on the bad guys underestimating the hero, calling him a “nobody.” He proves them wrong by releasing the Transformers on them. In the work place, it is easy to feel daunted by a task, or to bite off more than you can chew because you feel like the only person capable of accomplishing the task. It is important to remember that everybody working together can accomplish much!

Take Action

You have to take action. A lot of the emotional core of this movie rests on one man who feels out of his league. He’s not sure what he has gotten himself into, and he’s not sure he can succeed – but even with these doubts, he forges ahead and does end up victorious. We may face problems in our lives that seem insurmountable. The important thing to remember is, doing nothing and failing is far worth than trying and failing.

Can’t Please Everyone

You can’t please everyone all of the time. At the beginning of this movie, the world viewed the Autobots as the bad guys, but they rescued humanity from the Decepticons yet again. In the real world, the director of this movie (Michael Bay) was openly mocked for “beating a dead horse” with this sequel. However, it is one of the highest grossing movies of the summer, raking in over $200 million so far. Developers will also face this kind of challenge. They might not be the most popular individuals at a company, and they often make unpopular, difficult decisions. But these are the kind of choices that have to be made, and at the end of the day, they have to go home knowing they did the right thing (just without the $200 million).

Reference: Pinal Dave (https://blog.sqlauthority.com)