My idea isn't "good enough"
Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
181–190 of 316 posts
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#182Because I’m having an existential crisis thinking how incapable I am and have been winging it all along. Keep stressing over how long would it be before they find out and kick me out.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#183I am paid to solve problems, programming is one part of that, thinking about the problem and the code is a prerequisite to programming. Sometimes one needs to step back and let things sink in rather than continuous action (programming)... while doing that you can even play games, I'll admit some activities are better than others for the purpose of de-focusing your subconscious - but sometimes you also just need a sho…
Came here to say this. Coding is one part of the job but mostly what I get paid to do is solve problems. I've worked on projects that were more process oriented and produced zero code whatsoever and still had the sort of outcomes good software does. The vast majority of my job, outside of writing efficient and secure code, is learning about other systems and domains. Software Engineers can be employed in anything fro…
I’d love to hear about a project that produced zero code. I can’t even imagine it outside of compliance or regulation maybe.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#184I am paid to solve problems, programming is one part of that, thinking about the problem and the code is a prerequisite to programming. Sometimes one needs to step back and let things sink in rather than continuous action (programming)... while doing that you can even play games, I'll admit some activities are better than others for the purpose of de-focusing your subconscious - but sometimes you also just need a sho…
> For the same reason our job's don't stop when we go home (or turn off slack) either, we are essentially paid to think and our brains do not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5.
Speak for yourself. Some of us have been there, burnt out and had to rebuild our relationship with work in a healthy manner. I think no matter what you do, if it is thought work and you don't find a wat to turn it off, you are doing yourself a diservice.
I loved what I did for 10 years, then all of a sudden I didn't. It was like my brain had cottoned on to the fact that software was where all my stress came from and I felt ill even thinking about sitting at a computer. I have rebuilt my relationship with software into a more healthy one since then, but it bares mentioning time again. The software industry will burn your wick at both ends and then toss you asside when you're no longer young and stupid enough to work more than a normal work week.
Sorry to be so cynical, just be careful is all.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#185Because Coding is not Working. Coding is not Planning. Coding is not Being Efficient. Coding is not Accomplishing Goals. Coding is not Saving Money. Coding is not Gaining Customers. I am getting paid to get things done in a good manner. If I wanted to have a house built for me, I would not expect to pay somebody and immediately have them start laying bricks without them looking at the land, taking soil samples, sketc…
> I am getting paid to get things done in a good manner. If I wanted to have a house built for me, I would not expect to pay somebody and immediately have them start laying bricks without them looking at the land, taking soil samples, sketching up drafts of what the house should look like within the constraints available, and then plan the foundation of which to start building. In the software world most of those wou…
I dunno, if one of my team members was constantly coding up non viable prototypes instead of communicating with people, writing up proposed solutions and alternatives, and seeking a bit of consensus first, that would strike me as a much worse waste of time.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#186I was asked to document old code, which someone else had taken over before leaving and removed the framework standards while I was on another project. They renamed every file index.js,and now the cli tools don't work.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#187I am paid to solve problems, programming is one part of that, thinking about the problem and the code is a prerequisite to programming. Sometimes one needs to step back and let things sink in rather than continuous action (programming)... while doing that you can even play games, I'll admit some activities are better than others for the purpose of de-focusing your subconscious - but sometimes you also just need a sho…
> For the same reason our job's don't stop when we go home (or turn off slack) either, we are essentially paid to think and our brains do not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5. Speak for yourself. Some of us have been there, burnt out and had to rebuild our relationship with work in a healthy manner. I think no matter what you do, if it is thought work and you don't find a wat to turn it off, you are doi…
"The software industry will burn your wick at both ends and then toss you asside when you're no longer young and stupid enough to work more than a normal work week."
THIS.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#188Not late enough yet.
I only code productively between the hours of 10 pm and 4 am. If the baby sleeps.
Morning coding time is spent fighting with my inner manager about how to present last night’s work at standup.
Afternoon coding time is spent in a stupor wondering why the coffee has no effect anymore.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#189Because Coding is not Working. Coding is not Planning. Coding is not Being Efficient. Coding is not Accomplishing Goals. Coding is not Saving Money. Coding is not Gaining Customers. I am getting paid to get things done in a good manner. If I wanted to have a house built for me, I would not expect to pay somebody and immediately have them start laying bricks without them looking at the land, taking soil samples, sketc…
> I am getting paid to get things done in a good manner. If I wanted to have a house built for me, I would not expect to pay somebody and immediately have them start laying bricks without them looking at the land, taking soil samples, sketching up drafts of what the house should look like within the constraints available, and then plan the foundation of which to start building. In the software world most of those wou…
Thought travels faster than pen on paper travels faster than code ok editor.
Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?
#190Earlier quoted context omitted.
Good point, happened to me today. The UI requirements to my ticket didn't make sense. The changes the other dev wanted would have took us possible days. I was hesitant to start, so I asked another dev... He said something totally different, he kept referring to something the designer wanted, but it didn't make sense to me, either. I called the designer and she told me she never said that and we agreed on something el…
You are 100% correct. This is why Acceptance Criteria are a thing: so the person working on the ticket knows exactly what it means to be "Done". If they're unclear, they must be made clear (by questioning as you did). Often, unclear description or Acceptance Criteria means that the ticket hasn't been though out properly and needs to be clarified (or scrapped).
Many of the process improvements we have made where I am over the last ten years boil down to "ok, stop, does this still make sense?" at each hand off. It helps that we make data driven decisions so the stakeholders know what they need rather than "yeah, can you make me a button that doubles or revenue?"