Steve Jobs gave an excellent commencement speech where he said something that made an impression on me:

I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Is there any better barometer of when it’s time to change?

Even though when I look in the mirror, I do not say “No” too often, I know that I will not be a programmer all of my life. One reason is due to the commoditization of developers, the other is the desire to have more than IBM (or any company) can offer even the best of developers.

I am not sure if the reason why I do not say “No” more often is due to knowing that I am working towards my long-term goals via MBA school, or if I know that I need to enjoy this stage of my life as a programmer since it will not last forever.