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What I gained, lost and learned while working for Microsoft

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Re: What I gained, lost and learned while working for Microsoft

#81

Post by cubano »

Waterluvian wrote: post #39
shshhdhs wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s great to hear! What changes did you make?

Found a job where I can work from home. Developed a healthy but firm relationship with my employer that I shall not be available outside office hours. Hacked away at slack to permanently disable notifications and never show the blue distraction dot. Developed an expectation among the team about my responsiveness via slack or email. Unlearned from my previous job: installing any work related software on my phone. Adop…

I'm 53yo and worked in tech (as corporate wage slave, consultant, 1099, and self-employed remote) for 30 years now, and I do believe you have found the true path to how to handle working in tech.

I consider myself lucky that during my formative years in tech in the 90's, I was also playing guitar in a semi-professional band touring Florida during the year. I feel that due to these experiences, I was always able to see what many of my colleagues couldn't.

That tying your emotional, social, and financial happiness to your tech job is a dangerous place to be.

Re: What I gained, lost and learned while working for Microsoft

#82

Post by codetrotter »

overgard wrote: post #68

> The people I worked with were extremely closed minded. Most of them with many years of experience working in a corporation, so even more closed minded, only caring about their manager’s approval. I was devastated. My team members were the most fake people I have met still to this day. I cannot even explain how terrible it was for me to have to help them, show interest and pretend that I support what they’re doing.…

I don’t know her, and I don’t anyone else from the story, but this part

> the most fake people I have met still to this day

followed immediately by

> I cannot even explain how terrible it was for me to have to help them, show interest and pretend that I support what they’re doing

Taken out of context at least, there is exactly one person that seems exceptionally more fake than anyone else...

I dunno, maybe I have just been lucky to have sufficiently many sincere people around me in my life, but if I perceive someone as being insincere I will avoid those people — not stay around them and pretend that I like them.

Of course, if you perceive everyone at a place to be fake then you can’t really avoid them.

I don’t know what to do in that situation really. But I agree that some introspection would probably be in order. Though personally I have in the past had the opposite problem — being overly harsh on myself and critical of myself.

Re: What I gained, lost and learned while working for Microsoft

#83

Post by thanatropism »

overgard wrote: post #68

> The people I worked with were extremely closed minded. Most of them with many years of experience working in a corporation, so even more closed minded, only caring about their manager’s approval. I was devastated. My team members were the most fake people I have met still to this day. I cannot even explain how terrible it was for me to have to help them, show interest and pretend that I support what they’re doing.…

I don’t know which post by “The Last Psychiatrist” I want to recommend, maybe you need to read his entire blog.

Re: What I gained, lost and learned while working for Microsoft

#84

Post by worik »

codetrotter wrote: post #82
overgard wrote: post #68

> The people I worked with were extremely closed minded. Most of them with many years of experience working in a corporation, so even more closed minded, only caring about their manager’s approval. I was devastated. My team members were the most fake people I have met still to this day. I cannot even explain how terrible it was for me to have to help them, show interest and pretend that I support what they’re doing.…

I don’t know her, and I don’t anyone else from the story, but this part > the most fake people I have met still to this day followed immediately by > I cannot even explain how terrible it was for me to have to help them, show interest and pretend that I support what they’re doing Taken out of context at least, there is exactly one person that seems exceptionally more fake than anyone else... I dunno, maybe I have jus…

Yuk. What a horrid pair of comments!

Re: What I gained, lost and learned while working for Microsoft

#85

Post by PorterDuff »

scarface74 wrote: post #49
kerng wrote: post #32

What I would recommend to everyone in their 20s is to get a mentor who has been in the workforce for 30-40+ years. You will learn and hear invaluable stories on how companies treat employees, how firing works, how being fired is and generally just meaningful information that will put your own present misery into perspective and prepare you for the things to come.

I’ve been in the workforce over 20 years, and I can barely relate to someone just starting out: - I have no idea what is expected from a junior developer starting out in the workplace. I was self taught before going to college and my first job I was the sole developer writing a decently complicated networked data entry system. What should I expect the typical junior developer to know? I’ve only worked at companies wh…

I can't say that I know anyone in the 30-40 year range (including myself) who caries much in the way of company loyalty. Maybe there's some super long term folks still out there buried at IBM, but there sure aren't many.

Heck, scarcely anywhere I've ever worked still exists. They either faded away or were merged/bought into oblivion.

I hear what you are saying about the leetcode interviews. No thanks. Also, I agree on the decent paying middle class career angle, it was also quite a lot rarer.

Re: What I gained, lost and learned while working for Microsoft

#86

Post by taneq »

yuy910616 wrote: post #43
devinmcafee wrote: post #11

I think many young people in tech learn this lesson the hard way. They get excited with all the free food, laundry services, and events that tech jobs offer. They end up spending all of their waking hours at work and work becomes an identity. Then one day something changes and they realize they spent the last N years of their life at work, not building real lasting relationships, pursuing hobbies, dating, etc. It tru…

I think a lot of people learn this the hard way, yes. But I kinda don't see what is wrong with this. Having work life balance is somewhat of a luxury, and it's a luxury to be able to say "money doesn't make me happy". It's a luxury to come to that conclusion. How do you arrive at that conclusion without going through the ringer first?

> Having work life balance is somewhat of a luxury, and it's a luxury to be able to say "money doesn't make me happy". It's a luxury to come to that conclusion.

Exactly. Any time anyone says "money doesn't make me happy" what they really mean is "I already have enough money that it's no longer the limiting factor in my happiness."

The vast majority of peoples' lives and happiness could be markedly improved by giving them more money.

Re: What I gained, lost and learned while working for Microsoft

#87

Post by alexashka »

Attractive women who know how to use their appeal are not shaken by awkward men and their attempts to display affection.

You may be living in a justice warrior bubble, while the rest of the world is living among men and women who use tinder, post pictures of their butt on instagram and watch The Kardashians.

What did the most famous Kardashian do to become famous again? That's not a problem at all, for most women who watch her show, but a guy saying he finds someone sexually attractive is clearly reprehensible. Please carry on with this consistent world view of men, women and sexuality.

Re: What I gained, lost and learned while working for Microsoft

#88

Post by prevedmedved »

worik wrote: post #84
codetrotter wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t know her, and I don’t anyone else from the story, but this part > the most fake people I have met still to this day followed immediately by > I cannot even explain how terrible it was for me to have to help them, show interest and pretend that I support what they’re doing Taken out of context at least, there is exactly one person that seems exceptionally more fake than anyone else... I dunno, maybe I have jus…

Yuk. What a horrid pair of comments!

I know, right?

Holding women accountable for their actions is, like, super misogynist.

Everybody knows it's some man's fault!

Re: What I gained, lost and learned while working for Microsoft

#89

Post by bitL »

overgard wrote: post #68

> The people I worked with were extremely closed minded. Most of them with many years of experience working in a corporation, so even more closed minded, only caring about their manager’s approval. I was devastated. My team members were the most fake people I have met still to this day. I cannot even explain how terrible it was for me to have to help them, show interest and pretend that I support what they’re doing.…

I'll just throw this one in:

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." - Marcus Aurelius

It seems like this was known in antiquity already.

Re: What I gained, lost and learned while working for Microsoft

#90

Post by RangerScience »

overgard wrote: post #68

> The people I worked with were extremely closed minded. Most of them with many years of experience working in a corporation, so even more closed minded, only caring about their manager’s approval. I was devastated. My team members were the most fake people I have met still to this day. I cannot even explain how terrible it was for me to have to help them, show interest and pretend that I support what they’re doing.…

> more likely

Both? A coworker at a former job comes to mind. He kept pointing out a problem that everyone else was ignoring, and they kept ignoring it. He gradually got minimized until he left on his own, and the problem remained.

He definitely rubbed people the wrong way. The problem definitely existed.

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