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Dead End Jobs: Are You Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

chadfowler.com

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Re: Dead End Jobs: Are You Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

#121

Post by vorg »

sudont wrote: post #62
edw519 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They forget how to actually program because their work involves very little development, and becomes all about knowing how the specific piece of software works (and the company's admin procedures) so that they can fight fires and make minor changes. Great point. Perceived value of a programmer at a start-up: Quality & quantity of software built and shipped. Perceived value of a programmer in a legacy enterprise IT de…

I think we need a new name for these type of jobs, then. They're not actual programming positions, since development tends to be about solving problems. Maintenance and production are two lexicographic options that somewhat relay the scope of the position: higher than data-entry, lower than engineering. Much in the same way that a front-end is not necessarily a web developer. Maintenance is what the current discussio…

In some countries, programmer time marked "Maintenance" is expensed while that marked "Production" is depreciated over x years for tax purposes, so companies want their programmers to log their activities as "maintenance". If the auditors come, it had better have been maintenance. Perhaps the only real way to develop production code is work for a startup, but the recruiters won't be impressed if you want to go back to a large company later on.

Re: Dead End Jobs: Are You Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

#122

Post by yuhong »

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #58
kenjackson wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

glassdoor.com is probably the most popular I know of. There's also vault.com.

Glassdoor weirds me out a bit from the other side. It's a little unsettling going there the day after a round of interviews and basically reading a description of what it was like to be interviewed by me. No names, but I can definitely identify myself and some other co-workers by the questions we asked candidates.

I once suggested adding an option to make a review non-anonymous an an optional feature. Optional of course because not all companies support it.

Re: Dead End Jobs: Are You Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

#123

Post by yuhong »

jimfl wrote: post #36

The modern corporate structure has evolved to exploit this dynamic, so it ought to come as no shock that most everyone here has experienced it. In fact, my guess is that more than half of HNers who think positively about their current position will eventually look back upon it with feelings of having been manipulated in this way. Even shops that style themselves as non-traditional will adopt this corporate body plan…

>Even shops that style themselves as non-traditional will adopt this corporate body plan as they grow, because the new directors and officers have had "best practices" ingrained in them.

Any idea how to solve this?

Re: Dead End Jobs: Are You Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

#125

Post by encoderer »

turar wrote: post #98
encoderer wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh yes, I recently escaped from a company like this. I'm not afraid to name names: ClickBooth.com, a Sarasota company in the affiliate marketing space. Myself and other programmers that once worked there all feel so grateful, we all get together on a regular basis and feel so lucky to have gotten out. Here's a funny anecodote. They were having a hard time finding new developers. About 9 months ago, if you look throug…

I wonder how the HR woman ended up seeing the HN post in the first place.

Actually, it's a very paranoid company. They do a lot of googling for the company name.

Re: Dead End Jobs: Are You Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

#126

Post by hysterix »

ecounysis wrote: post #80
hysterix wrote: post #68

I remember working at a very large, technically oriented company. After it was discovered I had actual development skills, I was asked to work on a project in my off time without any extra compensation for it. They pretty much wanted me to go home after a full days work, and put in more work to develop a system for them, totally unpaid. Later that month I gave my two weeks.

Why did you give two weeks as opposed to just boxing up your stuff and letting them know you were done? Would they have shown you the same courtesy?

No probably not. At the time though I thought I needed to use them as a reference.

I made good friends with my boss though, so I probably could have used him as a reference and quit without the two weeks.

Re: Dead End Jobs: Are You Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

#127

Post by [deleted] »

LiveTheDream wrote: post #89
throwaway_plat wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This assessment is spot on. I'm in this situation now. While I haven't forgotten how to program, my skills have plateaued and have been at this level for far longer than I'd like to admit. I eventually realized that I needed to get out. I've sent out my resume and interviewed, but have had little success. I really had no idea how bad off I was until I started interviewing at other companies. I can't overstate the val…

Practice interviews are definitely important because interviewing skills are not improved by work experience - they are improved by interviewing experience. Interesting side projects are also really valuable. They can demonstrate individual initiative, show competency in different technologies/practices/industries, and provide interesting talking points in your interviews.

[deleted]

Re: Dead End Jobs: Are You Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

#128

Post by nolest »

MrFoof wrote: post #9

I've been mindful of this since my teenage years, which is why I swore to myself a few things before I had even turned 16: * If I don't like a situation, I will leave it. After all, the easiest way to change your environment is to escape it. * Fear of failure is a great motivator. When you quit without having another opportunity already lined up, you have a lot of obvious motivation to find a new job since your incom…

Re:working in F1, it's all Brits, save a couple of teams. Basically, other than Ferrari and Sauber, no-one has managed a success outside of England. Of course, once you get there, it's not all brits, but you probably need to be local to pursue this.

blogs of use:

Craig Scarborough: https://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/ Joe Saward:https://joesaward.wordpress.com/

and this is a very handy reference: http://www.whoworksin.com/index-en.php

presume you've heard of Racecar Engineering magazine, and are a fan, but refs above aren't always known to everyone.

throwaway acct., hope this message doesn't vaporize.

Good luck!

Re: Dead End Jobs: Are You Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

#129

Post by nolest »

MrFoof wrote: post #9

I've been mindful of this since my teenage years, which is why I swore to myself a few things before I had even turned 16: * If I don't like a situation, I will leave it. After all, the easiest way to change your environment is to escape it. * Fear of failure is a great motivator. When you quit without having another opportunity already lined up, you have a lot of obvious motivation to find a new job since your incom…

Just for fun:

"It's difficult to describe my mindset about this, and being a ruthless, very self-critical perfectionist probably helps tremendously. I always joke that it's my mission in life to prove everyone else wrong."

Ha ha, isn't that a Managerial Qualification??!!

sounds more C-Suite or race team director than programmer to me :)

I don't mean that ironically, though i play for a laugh.

go for it

Re: Dead End Jobs: Are You Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

#130

Post by parfe »

pchristensen wrote: post #116
parfe wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was only ranting in what I thought was an appropriate thread, but thank you very much for replying. I appreciate the good will on HN. Keep in mind, I may just be declaring myself Parfe, King of Idiots but when I'm happy with my resume I'll definitely be in touch.

Acknowledging that you're an idiot is the first step :) It means that whether you're good or not, you know enough to know that you can never stop working at it, and that's a good trait to have. If you like, I can review your resume privately and let you know an idea of your chances, as well as make any recommendations to help make yourself more attractive to good tech employers.

Thank you.
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