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Scrolling through our feeds and getting our daily dose of laughs may feel effortless, but the behind-the-scenes work that makes it all possible definitely isn’t.
All the thinking, coding, and developing that keeps our devices and the web running—the stuff we never see—is what holds everything together. It’s what ensures our memes reach our friends and our food arrives at our doorstep with just a tap.
Naturally, programmers need their own way to cope with all that stress. So to give them a little relief, we’ve gathered some of the funniest posts from the Programmer Humor subreddit. Scroll down and enjoy.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Wearehumanstoo
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Look, sure, there are plenty of stressful jobs out there, and burnout isn’t unique to tech. Many of us have felt overwhelmed at work at some point.
But for reference: the average burnout rate among full-time workers in the US sits at around 51%. Among software developers, that jumps to 83%, according to research cited by Haystack.
That’s… a lot. Painfully a lot. And definitely not something anyone would wish on a colleague, let alone themselves. So why is coding pushing people this far?
#3
Poorusers
It turns out there are several things about the nature of software development that add a lot of pressure.
For one, the job is often deeply project-based and deadline-driven, notes Runn. Projects change, timelines move, requirements expand, and suddenly the workload that was manageable last week becomes something no sane person could finish before Friday.
When deadlines slip or expectations balloon, developers are often the ones absorbing the stress behind the scenes.
#5
Ifyoudidntknow
#6
Itgoesbothwaysdumbass
Strahd Ivarius 1 month ago
Management (and especially upper management) is the only real use case for LLM.
#7
Removingram
There’s also the issue of unrealistic expectations, both from within the company and from clients who may not understand the complexity of what they’re asking for.
As Runn points out, developers frequently end up trying to explain why something “simple” is actually weeks of work. When that explanation isn’t heard, frustration builds. So on top of the existing workload, there’s the feeling of being unheard when your challenges aren’t really acknowledged.
#8
Justonemoreyearicanfeelit
#9
Itshardoutthere
Mel in Georgia 1 month ago
My daughter recently graduated with a CS degree and was desperately trying to find an entry level job in her field. It took a few months, but she finally found one and is reasonably happy with the job. Thank goodness - it's really tough out there for what was once a sure-fire way to have a good career!
#10
Itsdamntrue
Then there’s the constant pressure to be available. Bugs don’t care about evenings, weekends, sleep schedules, or family gatherings.
As Samuel Burri, VP of Engineering at the DFINITY Foundation, explained to Finextra, when critical issues are discovered after a product goes live, it’s the developers who are responsible for fixing them.
Being inundated with calls, bug reports, and alerts during those moments can leave them feeling powerless, and that sense of being constantly “on call” is a major contributor to burnout.
#11
Uhohoursourceisnext
Ryan Mercer 1 month ago
The tech giants think we should just relinquish our IP rights. Does that mean the AI they create with it will be a public good available to everyone? No. They want to privatize it and don't you dare steal their IP.
On top of that, many developers are juggling too much at once. They have to jump between multiple projects, platforms, and codebases in a single day. According to Runn, this “context switching” drains mental energy fast.
And yet, ironically, the opposite—being stuck on the same repetitive task for too long—can also lead to burnout by numbing motivation. There is no perfect balance, only the ongoing attempt to find one.
#15
Trustmebroascriptwillbefaster
#16
Reinventthewheel
Technical debt is another big contributor to burnout. It happens when code is written quickly to meet a deadline, instead of being built in a clean, sustainable way. Those shortcuts might work for the moment, but over time, they turn the system into something harder and harder to manage.
As Samuel Burri explained, when these older quick fixes pile up, developers end up running into problems that shouldn’t still exist. Instead of focusing on new features or meaningful work, they’re forced to go back and sort through past shortcuts. It’s draining and demoralizing.
#17
Therapybutmakeitpython
#19
LOL
And while burnout impacts the person first and foremost, it also has real consequences for companies. Burnout makes developers more tired and more prone to mistakes, as JetBrains’ data indicates.
That leads to bugs, rework, missed deadlines, and eventually, people quitting jobs they once cared about. Replacing a developer isn’t cheap either: the Work Institute estimates it can cost about 33% of their salary.
#20
Startuppingintensifies
#21
Truehappinesss
iseefractals 1 month ago
Family business was programming, specifically modifying and supporting a piece of corporate software my uncle had built, Inventory, shipping, logistics, accounting type of deal, the backbone of keeping companies running, which was built with Visual FoxPro. Very expansive, very capable, but required training to use effectively. I had just moved down to Texas, was 20 years old, and maybe 2 months into learning programming, and the system had just been sold to a new client, who asked for tooltips to be added to.....everything. This wasn't something built into the system, nor was it something that VFP even allowed to integrate directly. They said they needed these tooltips to be implemented in a month, name the price they'll pay it. My uncle said $50,000, they said get it done. I don't know why exactly, but my uncle got it in his head that Dreamweaver was the way to tie these tooltips in, except none of us had ever used it....and we beat our heads against it for like 3 weeks..continued
#22
Mondayfeelsdifferent
BossyCloud 1 month ago
Lol me at work today. But now my css is scss and full of helpful (probably useless and redundant) variables! 😍
But experts agree on one thing: you can’t just “push through” burnout. And telling someone to “take a vacation” isn’t a magical cure either.
The solution has to go deeper than temporary fixes. Workplaces need long-term systems that prevent constant overload, where workloads are actually manageable and people aren’t stretched to their limits every single day.
So, ultimately, companies that want to keep their people healthy (and, honestly, keep their people period) need to create a work environment where communication is open and people feel safe speaking up.
That means treating developers like humans. Give them reasonable availability expectations and make sure their workload allows for actual breathing room. When work feels manageable and purposeful, developers stay. And companies benefit from teams that are more engaged and willing to do good work.
#27
Ittakestwominstoopen
#28
Ripfirefox
#29
Firstdayofweek
#30
Regexmustbedestroyed
#31
Imeanitsnotwrong
#34
Pleaseapprovemypr
#36
Multigenerationaltechdebt
#38
Justchooseonegoddamn
UnclePanda 1 month ago
This is me now. After decades, I'm effectively language free and think directly in code, so it's 'just' a matter of winnowing through all possible formats. String functions seem especially prone to variation between languages.
#42
Packetloss
#44
Theystartingtogetit
#50
Seriously
#58
Aftertryinglike10languages
#61
Developedthisalgorithmbackwheniworkedforblizzard
#68
Imgladtheysortedthistheymusthavebeenpayingmillionsforthosevscodeliscences
#74
Transitioningishard
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What do you think ?
Rick Murray 1 month ago
Probably tried to be trendy and use em spaces but BP's back the was like "nope!".
Load More Replies...
Jackie Lulu 1 month ago
I used to love my job. And, then: "On top of that, many developers are juggling too much at once. They have to jump between multiple projects, platforms, and codebases in a single day. According to Runn, this “context switching” drains mental energy fast. And yet, ironically, the opposite—being stuck on the same repetitive task for too long—can also lead to burnout by numbing motivation. There is no perfect balance, only the ongoing attempt to find one.
Dan St John 1 month ago
People will know when AI has become intelligent. It will get rid of the least required people in the company, the CEO and board of directors.
Rick Murray 1 month ago
Probably tried to be trendy and use em spaces but BP's back the was like "nope!".
Load More Replies... Jackie Lulu 1 month ago
I used to love my job. And, then: "On top of that, many developers are juggling too much at once. They have to jump between multiple projects, platforms, and codebases in a single day. According to Runn, this “context switching” drains mental energy fast. And yet, ironically, the opposite—being stuck on the same repetitive task for too long—can also lead to burnout by numbing motivation. There is no perfect balance, only the ongoing attempt to find one.
Dan St John 1 month ago
People will know when AI has become intelligent. It will get rid of the least required people in the company, the CEO and board of directors.
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