Discussion and Comment of the Week - v21
Tags: bestofdev
Published: 2022-10-21 13:55:36

This weekly roundup highlights what we believe to be the most thoughtful and/or interesting discussion of the week. We're also be highlighting one particularly cool comment in each installment. 🙌

The DEV Community is particularly special because of the kind and thoughtful discussions happening between community members. As such, we want to encourage folks to participate in discussions and reward those who are initiating or taking part in conversations across the community. After all, a community is made possible by the people interacting inside it.

## Discussion of the Week

For this week's discussion of the week, I'd like to highlight 2 different interesting discussions that are ongoing... 

@xcoderx's [Will a break from job affect my career?](https://dev.to/xcoderx/will-a-break-from-job-affect-my-career-15c4): 

{% embed https://dev.to/xcoderx/will-a-break-from-job-affect-my-career-15c4 %}

... and @viktoriabors' [Work - Life - Side Project triangle. Can be balanced ?](https://dev.to/viktoriabors/work-life-side-project-triangle-can-be-balanced--18bi)

{% embed https://dev.to/viktoriabors/work-life-side-project-triangle-can-be-balanced--18bi %}

Both of these discussions are worthy of attention (and perhaps a comment if you haven't already left one 😉).

I could definitely relate to @xcoderx's desire to take a sabbatical in an effort to stamp out burnout. And there were so many helpful responses though of course with contradicting guidance as you'd expect... after all, there is no _right_ answer here, but it's helpful to hear from other's experiences nonetheless.

@viktoriabors' post is also really relatable! Lots of us know the chaotic feeling of taking on a bunch of projects at once and getting pulled into a million different directions. While I'm not a dev, I personally face this struggle quite often with my own list of todos. Also similar to the previous discussion we highlighted, folks hopped into this discussion with some really helpful pointers around the importance of pacing yourself, eliminating distractions in your work environment, and defining a finishing point for your projects. All great advice! 🙌

## Comment of the Week

As for our comment of the week, @jmfayard's thoughtful response to @devsyedmohsin's [What is Success](https://dev.to/devsyedmohsin/what-is-success-52i8) takes the cake!

{% embed https://dev.to/jmfayard/comment/22bn9 %}

Noting that success if often defined differently depending on the culture you're in, Jean-Michel's comment helps pull back the curtain and reveal the environmental factors that play a role in defining success. It was interesting hearing Max Weber's take and some of the historical/sociological reasons for the United States defining success the way they have. Also, in contrast, seeing the Venn diagram visualization of the Japanese concept Ikigai, was super interesting and relatable. Being aware of the cultural pressures that play a role in defining success allows us to more easily see how these pressures have affected our own definition of success; in some instances, we may find that our definitions line up well with the culture we're in, or perhaps we may realize that what society has dictated as success is a far cry from our own feelings of accomplishment and sense of worth.

## What are your picks?

There's loads of great discussions and comments floating about in this community. These are just a few we chose to highlight. 🙂

I urge you all to share your favorite comment and/or discussion of the past week below in the comments. And if you're up for it, give the author an @mention — it'll probably make 'em feel good. 💚