Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#741

Post by JohnFen » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 4:45 PM UTC

systematical wrote: post #322

rjplatte wrote: post #100

I'm the sole developer working on my current project, which is overhauling a massive DOS era application, as well as overhauling an early 2000s era CRM/business management tool, that almost all of our work happens through. Did I mention that the DOS application is a HIPAA billing application that must meet all HIPAA guidelines as well as write EDI X12 billing files? I'm very junior, been coding for ~5 years, 3 profes…

I worked for a "CTO" who didn't allow us to use version control either. This was from 2007-2010. I am surprised there is a company TODAY that does this, but I guess I shouldn't be. The reasoning behind not using VC was that it "caused more problems than it solved." His solution? Code directly on the production server. Yep. You heard me right. Let me say that one more time. Code directly on the production server. We e…

> Code directly on the production server. Yep. You heard me right. Let me say that one more time. Code directly on the production server.

What a coincidence! We have a customer that is having a strange, hard-to-nail-down problem with our software. We asked if we could provide a diagnostic build to them that they could run in their test environment to gather additional information about what was happening.

Their reply was that they didn't have a test environment. They just install any software they get directly to their production machines.

Complete insanity.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#742

Post by Dumblydorr » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 4:46 PM UTC

ta2661dc3 wrote: post #516

I work remotely for a company in the Bay Area, doing mostly web development. - Compensation is great. - Few calls, very little micro-management. - People I work with are great. - They don't care about where I'm working from as long as the timezone isn't too far off. Somehow I feel miserable. I can't quite explain it. I think it's because the work I do is boring and I've been doing it for a long time. I've been workin…

Yes, I feel like I cant get myself to work more unless I have pressing need from meeting team members. If they are on vacation or too busy, that's when I really struggle to focus and self-start as I just dont fundamentally care about the work itself.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#743

Post by karussell » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 4:47 PM UTC

6 or 7 years ago I did some freelancing to fund my open source project (some nice algorithms and stuff). After two or three clients I had the idea to build some parts around it to make it a real product and invested 2 months into this, which meant no money in that time. After that I urgently needed a new client as money on my bank account ran out. I did not plan this properly.

Unfortunately it took weeks to find a new offer and so I accepted the first that came in and it was a completely crazy contract that required me to do parts I never did before (e.g. database and mobile related) in a very short time. Additionally it was a few weeks before X-mas where I should have planned with some holidays.

The other ugly downside of this task was the contact person behind this. He was unfriendly and put huge pressure on me, insisting on the contract deadlines and adding requirements (I know now this is not uncommon, but I hadn't this with my few older clients). Additionally or logically I got ill a few days before X-mas, which made the already crazy project now impossible. The client called me one day after X-mas about the progress (was still ill) and I got crazy and didn't know what to do. Luckily my wife earned money too! Still I needed to find a solution of how to end this and still get a bit money for the done tasks. After my health got back I discussed with the client of how to define the next milestone and I tried hard to avoid to state that I cannot fulfill the contract although in retrospect no one could have done this. This process took 2 weeks and I was able to remove many requirements from the contract and somehow was able to deliver this and got some money.

A few months after this I got a shock when I got another Email from this company and thought now they'll sue me, but luckily the original contact person left the person and they just wanted to know how a few things work. So finally I was really able (with 2 other founders) to rescue my plan to make the open source project a product, which is now a smoothly running, small company.

Lessons learned:

* as a newbie define smaller milestones, include holidays in your plans, include at least monthly payouts

* never give your clients your private phone number and let them know when you are available (e.g. not on weekends)

* do freelancing with enough money in the bank or enough clients

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#744

Post by bonestamp2 » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 4:57 PM UTC

frenchy wrote: post #656

throwarayes wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have had a vasectomy (which my urologist knows, cause his office did it). I'd be curious why you say that. Is there a link?

Unfortunately, age is probably the most obvious link.

In addition to age, most of us have been sitting most of the day for all of that time. That probably doesn't help either.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#745

Post by ariel_h » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 5:01 PM UTC

Today was really close to it. I'm a team leader and I texted my boss in the morning that I'm sick today, he called me 10 minutes later asking me how I feel, and also telling me there is an alert in production, asking me if I saw it, and asking if I talked to my team members to check this. My throat hurts and I have fever, so no, I didn't do it.. I feel that I need to hold his hand with anything and if I'm sick he can't handle anything alone. 2 hours later he called me again, just wanting to ask a "small question" that a sales guy had, regarding the product. My boss is the VP of engineering.. I really don't understand how he got this job, he can't handle anything alone and don't have empathy for his employees when they are sick.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#746

Post by hathawsh » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 5:11 PM UTC

throwaway58129 wrote: post #64

I didn't know this format was a thing and am so very excited to discover it. I hope you folks enjoy reading horror stories. I got a job as a Software Engineer in my current company 4.5 years ago; friend-of-a-friend sort of thing. The company had an apparently disastrous piece of software that was their main LOB. They had gone through pretty much every local consulting agency - at least once, on a few occasions they h…

What a story. The part that surprised me the most was "Legal has never heard of HIPAA." HIPAA is major legislation (almost as influential as a Constitutional amendment) and has tentacles in every field, so how is it possible that an attorney (even an incompetent one) has never heard of it? I would never trust legal advice from an attorney who hasn't heard of HIPAA.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#747

Post by abledon » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 5:18 PM UTC

smilesnd wrote: post #214

I have work at a bank long enough to hear stories about people having mental breakdowns. Everything from just walking out of there office naked to people using the stairway as bathrooms to help deal with the stress and anxiety that some jobs at the bank can cause. At the first bank I worked at I never witness it myself, but when I got a new job at another one it started to become a normal. So a friend of mine got hir…

what country?

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#748

Post by abledon » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 5:23 PM UTC

JetezLeLogin wrote: post #323

perl4ever wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"they figured hey, what better way for him to find all the pain points and automate them" So, I'm not clear on why you haven't been able to do that? I got to where I hated the developer culture, and got a job that was outside of it, where I had access to nothing except MS Office, and had the epiphany that it's Turing complete, I can do anything!

In a nutshell I'm spending most or all of my time using the tools (keeping up with a queue) not working on them. To work on them I need either permission to fall behind in the queue (probably not an option) or someone else to cover for me. I'll probably pursue that latter option.

that's like something out of Kafka. It would be fitting to incorporate Kafka, the technology, into your solution .

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#749

Post by rjbwork » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 5:27 PM UTC

systematical wrote: post #610

rjbwork wrote: post #381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been working far less than that, but I always take some time between jobs. Currently at the beginning of month 3, and am doing interviews since last week. Take some time and get some sleep dude.

How did you know I am suffering from insomnia lately?

Because stress keeps you up, and chronic unhappiness and stress is a recipe for not sleeping. I've been there dude.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#750

Post by loxs » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 5:37 PM UTC

C1sc0cat wrote: post #527

loxs wrote: post #413

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of my goals in life is to never be susceptible to this kind of situation (been there some years ago). So far I manage to have as big a financial buffer as needed to be able to quit instantly in that situation without batting an eye. Indeed I never hide my ability to do so and I try to make very clear the things "I won't do" at any gig I take. Either before I start or very early in the process. At my current job i…

With out an IDE is a bit of a redflag - all developers need to be able to hack with just a cli, yes its not ideal but some times you have to do it. A very experienced dep/ops in extrimis should be able to hack code even if there is no installed editor - I have recovered a stuck systems by editing config files with awk.

Used to do this when I was young, not any more. It's not that I can't I just refuse work with "hackish" languages, tools and projects.