In development, client focused development in particular, it’s easy to get discouraged by requirements.
- You must use a certain CMS.
- You must fit everything within an outdated framework.
- You must use an outdated version of jQuery.
- You must support unreasonable legacy browsers (IE6 I’m looking at you)
- You must run every change through x levels of client approval.
The discouragement doesn’t come from the requirements themselves, but the fact that they prevent you from producing the quality work that you would be proud of.
There’s nothing wrong with this discouragement, but don’t let it make you resentful. Those requirements are forcing you to learn and think about solutions in new ways.
Often we look at a set of requirements and then dread working until the project is over. Whether we like it or not, that’s reflected in the quality of work produced. Even if you aren’t able to write the code you want for a project, it should be the best code you can write given the situation.
Write the best you can with what you’ve been given.