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WeAreDevelopers LIVE • Dec 16, 2024

The Cult of Done: My Journey to Becoming a Maker

Leo Riviera

Leah Vera argues a developer's worth exists independently of their output. Discover five principles from the Cult of Done to overcome perfectionism and finish your side projects.

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#1 about 6 min

Overcoming existential dread and burnout in software engineering

Questioning the purpose of repetitive coding tasks leads to finding fulfillment through building tangible projects.

#2 about 3 min

Defining the maker mindset for technical professionals

Embracing the definition of making helps technologists convert feelings of overwhelm into an actionable desire to create.

#3 about 4 min

Breaking down project complexities into manageable action states

Acknowledging the natural phases of not knowing, action, and completion provides a structured approach for continuous discovery.

#4 about 2 min

Scrapping completed items to focus on iterative learning

Relinquishing attachment to finished products allows creators to value iterative learning over an abstract notion of perfection.

#5 about 6 min

Accepting failure and mistakes as natural project conclusions

Treating failure as an acceptable stopping point reduces performance anxiety and removes guilt associated with abandoning unworkable ideas.

#6 about 4 min

Shielding the creative process from premature outside opinions

Finishing a raw prototype independently prevents unsolicited feedback from derailing personal motivation and ownership.

#7 about 1 min

Using completed work as momentum for future projects

Completing smaller tasks successfully creates a compounding foundation of knowledge that accelerates ongoing technical growth.

#8 about 3 min

Reclaiming personal identity beyond professional and creative output

Separating individual self-worth from digital production restores intrinsic motivation and fosters a healthier relationship to external exploration.

Matching moments

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Breaking the exhausting cycle of perfectionism

Sabine Wojcieszak Sabine Wojcieszak · Europe 2026 Virtual

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Transitioning into the technology industry as a creator

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Navigating and mitigating the impacts of broken engineering cultures

Oskar Kruschitz Oskar Kruschitz · Europe 2026 Virtual

5:42 min

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Anastasia Zemskova Anastasia Zemskova +3 · World Congress 2025

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Upcoming sessions on this topic

Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

September 24, 2026 · 16:10–16:40

Outdoor Stage

When Humans Stop Writing Code: Rethinking Languages, Compilers, and Responsibility

Simon Auer

Organizer of flutter vienna meetup and CEO of marqably

Simon Auer
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

September 25, 2026 · 11:40–12:10

Stage 3

Culture Doesn't Scale Itself: Leading Engineering Teams Through Hypergrowth and the AI Transition

Thanos Baskous

VP of Engineering and Co-founder of Cogent Security

Thanos Baskous
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

September 25, 2026 · 14:10–14:40

Outdoor Stage

Who Did the Work?

Beth Rudden

Runs Bast AI. Still writes the code.

Beth Rudden
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

September 25, 2026 · 11:00–11:30

Stage 1

The Agentic Engineering Loop

Kevin Lin

Member of Technical Staff at OpenAI

Kevin Lin
Open session

World Congress 2026 North America

September 25, 2026 · 12:55–13:25

Stage 7

The spectrum of agentic coding: From vibe coding to high-quality software engineering

YK Sugi

Developer Experience Manager at Eventual

YK Sugi
Open session

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September 24, 2026 · 15:30–16:00

Mainstage

Our Brains in the AI Era

Cassidy Williams

Senior Director of Developer Advocacy, GitHub

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