The power of motivation

I had a conversation with a developer not so long ago; I asked her why they did what they did. She responded that nothing drove her to be a software developer other than the money in fact, she would sooner do another type of job if it paid as well.

What she said preyed on my mind. To be truthful, this made me a little sad. I was sad that a person who'd chosen a particular career path that required higher education and a relatively extended period as a journeywoman did a job purely for the money.

Extrinsic drivers

I realize many people have to take what work they can in order make ends meet. We often have external drivers, which means enjoying our work comes second to the pressures of being the provider for a family or repaying a mortgage or both. Sometimes we compensate by offsetting our lack of fulfillment at work with a trip we have planned or a new toy we intend to purchase.

Salary, bonuses, health care—especially for those that don't live in countries that have public...