I joined a team because of the eagerness to adopt a modern devops workflow. Having a nice environment to work in as a Dev almost makes working on shit you don't care about worthwhile. I'd much rather be working in clean energy, education, or healthcare. I tell myself I'll get to those industries when I have more experience...
Ask HN: Do you care about the product you are building?
21–30 of 32 posts
Re: Ask HN: Do you care about the product you are building?
#22Let me ask you one question though - Can you think of any steps during the hiring process where the interest in a product from a candidate is highlighted? Besides the usual 15 minute monologue from recruiters trying to do keywords matching, briefly talking about the company (you can google most of it). I can't remember anyone asking me about my vision regarding any products I worked on during the interview process. A…
I've been rejected from a (startup) job because I did not, they claim, appear to be sufficiently enthusiastic about the product.
At the time, I found it doubly strange, since it was one of the most interesting and useful products I'd seen, and because everybody I met at that company had the energy of a Steven Wright monologue drowning in molasses.
Since then, the company appears to have pivoted pretty severely (new business plan, new logo, new offices, etc) so I'm not sure any of it would have mattered at all. Hiring in software is completely broken.
Re: Ask HN: Do you care about the product you are building?
#23Yes, I wouldn't want to work on something that in the end just tries to sell more widgets, or serve more effective ads. I currently work in water management software.
The obvious follow-up is: did you have to compromise on other aspects of the job (like tooling, salary, or location) to be able to work on a meaningful project?
Re: Ask HN: Do you care about the product you are building?
#24It’s one thing to not really care about the product you’re building, and another to feel uncomfortable with what you’re building. I’m in the latter boat at the moment, and after losing some sleep about it I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to get out. I’m looking for new opportunities but I have a family and can’t just walk. In the meantime I’m trying not to let my feelings effect the quality of my work or my relationships with my coworkers. It’s challenging.
Re: Ask HN: Do you care about the product you are building?
#25Most developers I have worked with have cared more about the product they are building than the tools, but they still care a lot about the tools because they often improve the product.
Re: Ask HN: Do you care about the product you are building?
#26So many good comments in this thread, there are several I agree strongly with (these are the highlights, but I agree with these comments entirely):
> Any company that offers me better compensation with the same work-life balance is one I'd jump ship for immediately.
> Oh, I don't have "passion" for the product? Who gives a shit? I have passion for doing the best work I possibly can if I hire on to your company.
> After that 1st phone call it's not about the product or the company anymore, it's all about testing you
> Hiring in software is completely broken.
> I currently work in water management software.
My own take: imagine I wrote all of those interesting tidbits, and eventually I see myself going back to slinging code for physics labs somewhere in the country, which is how I started. My first web dev project was a CRUD lab management application that went on to be used for years after they had bought a solution. That project really mattered and I hope to one day feel that kind of fulfillment from my code again.
Re: Ask HN: Do you care about the product you are building?
#27Yes, I wouldn't want to work on something that in the end just tries to sell more widgets, or serve more effective ads. I currently work in water management software.
The obvious follow-up is: did you have to compromise on other aspects of the job (like tooling, salary, or location) to be able to work on a meaningful project?
I'm not the author of the comment above, but I did. I didn't compromise too much, but I could have done much better I believe, have I prioritized salary/tech/opportunities.
But I get to build a thing that is meaningful to me
Re: Ask HN: Do you care about the product you are building?
#28This question took me by surprise because since I'm not a developer but a "business/marketing/product guy" the only reason I go into a project is because I do care about the product. Is so strange reading the answers.
I do appreciate it though, I have a new found respect for my developers that have shown again and again that they do care what we are building.
Re: Ask HN: Do you care about the product you are building?
#29Yes, I wouldn't want to work on something that in the end just tries to sell more widgets, or serve more effective ads. I currently work in water management software.
The obvious follow-up is: did you have to compromise on other aspects of the job (like tooling, salary, or location) to be able to work on a meaningful project?
Growth prospects perhaps, it's a pretty small company.
And I tried some different things in the past (computer vision research for agrotech and food, software development at a medical startup) and recruiter types find it hard to put me into a neat box. So when I'm looking to switch it can be hard to find jobs that I like and then to convince them that I'm a good fit for them. But luckily I'm very happy where I am right now.
Re: Ask HN: Do you care about the product you are building?
#30I don't get easily excited so if I were to set the bar there I would struggle a lot with finding jobs.