Dev Sessions: Day in the life of a developer
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5:30. I’m awake and getting ready for the day. I skip breakfast and go for an immediate run. I run 5 km daily, sometimes in cooler weather as a Canicross run with my labrador in the forest, and in warmer weather, on my own two legs, I run my standard 6.7km loop through little roads in the Suffolk countryside.
6:30. I shower, feed the dogs, have coffee, and have a healthy breakfast. I finally fully wake up and am ready to start my day. I read the news while I eat and sprawl on YouTube for programming, AI, or running videos—the three categories of my interest.
8:00. and the Suffolk skies are the colour of slightly damp wallpaper. I’ve just settled into my home office, coffee in hand, with my eyes only half open – even after coffee and a run.
I have a silent laptop, a to-do list that looks like a tick-free zone, and a brain still trying to wake up. But this is just another day in the life of a developer. This career path feels more like a coffee-fueled obstacle course than a leisurely stroll in a digital park.
In contrast to what some might believe, my job isn’t cranking out code until my fingers seize up. Sure, I’ll be wrangling HTML, SCSS, PHP, Timber Twig, and ES6 JavaScript at some point.
But first, I need to check that no one’s website has wandered into the 404 wilderness overnight. Once satisfied that no fires are smouldering, I glance at my inbox, a collection of bug reports, client queries, and the occasional fun feature request that often feels like the digital equivalent of winning the lottery.
The quiet moments before the 11 a.m. team meeting are my time to clear my head and set my daily priorities. I use Todoist to clarify my tasks; overlapping tasks get tackled before 11 a.m., and new tasks roll over into the afternoon and the next day.
Daily Stand-ups
11:00. The beginning of our daily stand-up meeting. Picture a virtual gathering of caffeine-dependent code enthusiasts, myself included, discussing our plans for the day, identifying who needs assistance, and sharing the latest quirks we’ve encountered.
The conversation is quick and to the point, helping me determine where to focus my mental energy.
Once that’s done, I refresh my coffee and tackle the big tasks first. You’d be amazed by how quickly you can build momentum by addressing the challenging issues before moving on to the easier ones.
As I dive into the code, I occasionally encounter a snag—a function that doesn’t return the expected outcome or a layout that seems to be auditioning for Cirque du Soleil. But each time I overcome these challenges, I feel a surge of accomplishment, knowing I’m one step closer to a solution.
Mid-Day run
12:00. I go for another run – the standard 6.7km loop again. If I’m feeling stronger, I’ll make it up to 10km, but that only leaves 6 minutes for leeway time, often leaving me to skip lunch.
The afternoon
13:00. At times like these, I rely on years of hard work, trial and error, and the memories of countless late-night coding experiments. Quickly integrating back into my workflow is an essential skill that has allowed me to efficiently work on multiple tasks simultaneously.
But it’s not just about me. The collective hive mind of problem solvers, including junior and senior developers and one colleague who always knows which plugin to use, is invaluable. Often, one of us casually mentions a solution that clears the fog. That’s teamwork, something that requires clear communication and well-rounded character.
Let’s be clear: web development can be learned. It doesn’t require an impossible IQ. When I started, I was just a guy with a curious mind and some spare time learning in (UK) year 7 outside of school, experimenting with mini-projects, and discovering that the only difference between a developer and a non-developer is persistence, patience, and a willingness to look a bit silly when making mistakes. It’s a journey that requires getting comfortable with discomfort. One moment, you’re celebrating a feature that works; the next, you’re rewriting and relearning because your layout refuses to cooperate. But with persistence, patience, and humour, you can overcome these challenges and become a successful developer.
Then there’s scoping upcoming projects, which can feel tricky. The experience would make it easy, but each project has quirks. Sometimes, the timeline is tighter than you’d like, or a client requests something that defies known physics. So, we break it down, discuss it, and remember that planning for the unexpected is half the battle. It resembles a puzzle but with more existential dread thrown in.
15:00. I take a break after a few hours of coding, debugging, and battling occasional self-doubt. I’ll chat with a junior developer grappling with a tricky conditional statement. Instead of simply giving them the answer, I’ll ask what they expect as input, their desired output, and how they plan to achieve it. Initially, they might look at me as if I’m speaking Martian. Still, soon, they realize they’re learning to think critically rather than just copy and paste. It’s a slow process, but it’s how we grow as a team.
15:10. By late afternoon, I might explore something more experimental—maybe a new framework causing a buzz or a side project allowing me to tinker with Laravel or ReactJS – just for fun. This creative exploration is akin to taking a stroll off the beaten path. When I return to my main projects, I come back with fresh eyes and new tricks.
As the day approaches, I reflect on what I have accomplished and consider tomorrow’s challenges. The occasional victory might go uncelebrated, but that’s part of the process. Becoming a better developer is like building a cathedral from toothpicks. You make minor, careful daily improvements until you look up and realize how far you’ve come. And that’s what keeps me motivated. Well, that and the coffee.
16:30. So there you have it – a glimpse into daily life as a web developer. It’s not just lines of code and mechanical efficiency; it involves meetings, organizing emails, problem-solving, and celebrating small wins. It’s a career where learning never stops, where feeling stuck is just an invitation to think differently, and where actual growth often comes from getting lost. Believe me, it’s one incredible journey, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.