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Ask HN: I got duped into working on legacy code, should I leave?

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Re: Ask HN: I got duped into working on legacy code, should I leave?

#61

Post by sauronlord »

throwawaysbdi wrote: post #55
sauronlord wrote: post #40

"..hope I don't get fired for underperforming?..." What kind of passive language and thinking is that? Everything is legacy once it is written. Imagine you, the trailblazer, only having to write new code and not having to maintain the crap you wrote. The actual problem here is your attitude and way of seeing things. Legacy? Sucks? Fucking write a better version and show some initiative instead of just hoping of being…

I wasn't hired to work with old junk. if I would have known I never would have taken the job. I also don't have enough money to walk away or risk standing up to management. The code isn't just old, it's very badly written and has zero documentation.

"The code isn't just old, it's very badly written and has zero documentation"

- Says everyone

Now you learned 2 valuable lessons:

- There's a lot of shitty code that you sometimes have to deal with

- Never put yourself into a state of dependency on a single income source, unless you wish to have the emotions you are feeling now

Re: Ask HN: I got duped into working on legacy code, should I leave?

#62

Post by mod »

dkarapetyan wrote: post #38
draw_down wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, no.

No, no what? Do you have counterexamples where established businesses don't have to deal or interface with legacy code? If so I want to work at this magical enterprise. According to OP this company has been around for 10+ years. It'd be a miracle if they didn't have legacy code.

Agency work, for one.

Re: Ask HN: I got duped into working on legacy code, should I leave?

#63

Post by AstralStorm »

throwawaysbdi wrote: post #60
realPubkey wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Thats what the college-lecturer tells you. But in the real world you should not stay longer than necessary in a company which lied so hard into your face.

It was a lie of omission but I'm not sure if that makes it any better. I was hired to work on a new project but it wasn't disclosed that the project hadn't been started yet and has already been delayed for years

Sounds like said project will never be started. Your employer is probably coasting on a thing they have done once and were successful with.

Re: Ask HN: I got duped into working on legacy code, should I leave?

#64

Post by dkarapetyan »

mod wrote: post #62
dkarapetyan wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, no what? Do you have counterexamples where established businesses don't have to deal or interface with legacy code? If so I want to work at this magical enterprise. According to OP this company has been around for 10+ years. It'd be a miracle if they didn't have legacy code.

Agency work, for one.

Really? Which agency is that?

Re: Ask HN: I got duped into working on legacy code, should I leave?

#65

Post by gherig4 »

throwawaysbdi wrote: post #28
gherig4 wrote: post #26

Look for a new job while pulling in your current paycheck. You were lied to from the start and you owe them nothing. Most of the new places will no have a problem with "job hopping" if you are honest and say you aren't working on what you were hired for. Relevant xkcd https://xkcd.com/1768/

Damn that's relevant

You're getting some really angry and personal responses in this thread telling you to suck it up and clean up the code yourself as if thats the path all programmers have to take. Thats not true at all, many companies provide good opportunities for employees to grow within their role in a more positive manner. Cleaning up the codebase would make you a sucker. They lied to you and as you describe it continuing to work there sounds like career suicide. Don't do them a favor by putting in the extra hours and effort into cleaning up their mess (its not YOUR mess). Your time is valuable! By lying to you they are literally wasting your LIFE. Think about it that way and any guilt/obligations you have towards management goes away.

You make a mistake by taking the job but what is done is done. Now you know what questions to ask in interviews to make sure this never happens again. So, if you are unhappy put in the hours you are paid for and start looking. Thats the only way to get another job and change your situation. When you find an offer you like put in your notice and say thank you for the opportunity and keep it professional. Don't tell your boss that you're going to quit ahead of time, thats a great way to get fired because they wont want to train you anymore.

Re: Ask HN: I got duped into working on legacy code, should I leave?

#66

Post by taylodl »

sauronlord wrote: post #61
throwawaysbdi wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wasn't hired to work with old junk. if I would have known I never would have taken the job. I also don't have enough money to walk away or risk standing up to management. The code isn't just old, it's very badly written and has zero documentation.

"The code isn't just old, it's very badly written and has zero documentation" - Says everyone Now you learned 2 valuable lessons: - There's a lot of shitty code that you sometimes have to deal with - Never put yourself into a state of dependency on a single income source, unless you wish to have the emotions you are feeling now

And I'll add: strive to never create such code yourself. You are 100% correct that everyone says old code is badly written and has zero documentation. So is the code we're writing today. Once you realize that you'll have become enlightened and will be a better programmer for the rest of your years.

Re: Ask HN: I got duped into working on legacy code, should I leave?

#67

Post by mrjay42 »

"You got duped"

If this is how you feel, that would be a deal breaker for me. But you mentioned in other comments that you can't leave your job right now. So...:

A solution could be: Talk about it to your manager. Tell him/her that this is not what you expected, and how he justifies that. Also tell him/her that you'd like to change project as soon as possible. Try to get the discussion in a written form: email or something...So that you can always quote it later whenever needed :) Basically: be honest, be transparent

Another solution: Look for a new job, while you are working on this project.

Re: Ask HN: I got duped into working on legacy code, should I leave?

#68

Post by oxide »

philovivero wrote: post #34
throwawaysbdi wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Relo isn't a problem and I definitely want to stay in this town. I can't really mark it as time off because I already did that a while back, I don't want to end up with a lot of gaps :) I was thinking I could just apply to other places and be honest with them... But some may also frown upon me saying bad things about my current employer

I'm looking for a React guy. Remote work is fine as long as you're on USA timezone.

How about someone with no accredited skills or accomplishments?

I'll transcribe your voicemail, I'll answer emails, whatever.

I won't let you down.

Re: Ask HN: I got duped into working on legacy code, should I leave?

#69

Post by awinder »

dkarapetyan wrote: post #25

All code is legacy code. Use it as a proving ground for learning how to deal with legacy code. Otherwise you will always be bitter and upset no matter where you go. The only way to work on greenfield projects is to start something from scratch on your own.

1. There's shades of legacy code, 20 years of rot is way different than 5 years. There's also different states of legacy code, and it sounds like this is not in the good state. So being sold on one universe where the real universe is so far off, that's a special case of embitterment that's maybe more justified than lesser lies.

2. I don't necessarily agree with the premise, he's not looking for a greenfields project, he's looking to use the toolset he was sold on during the interview process. There's plenty of established companies that have moved from xyz -> React in the past year or so.

This seems a classic case of being either deceptive or self-deluded from the interviewing side, with classic results. Its foolish, it rarely results in good things, and it's a huge waste of time for everyone when interviewers are not straightforward with candidates. Don't do it, and I would not feel bad for a second leaving a place that pulled that.

Re: Ask HN: I got duped into working on legacy code, should I leave?

#70

Post by wilsynet »

Find a new job ASAP. If an employer lies to you, then you probably can't trust them. Life and career are too short to continue navel gazing on this one.

In the meantime, go learn the new old stack and be productive. They're paying you, so while they're paying you, you do owe them your time.

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