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Don't Get Stuck

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Re: Don't Get Stuck

#51

Post by outtatime »

blitz_skull wrote: post #30

Fuck, man. I felt like I just read my own blog post. I've been contemplating leaving for a long time, but I feel like somehow I'm the problem—like I can do something to fix this. I've got this chronic resistance to believe it's anyone else's problem which USUALLY serves me well and keeps me honest. Sometimes though it just makes me stay longer than I should. I feel so stagnant. My company has been bug-fixing non-stop…

This goes against prevailing SV ideology, but man, it's just a job. Don't ruin your health or wellbeing for a company that would fire you in a heartbeat if it made economic or political sense.

Commit to your family, your friends, your hobbies, and charity. Don't commit so hard to a job, because ultimately it's a business transaction. Companies _will_ take advantage of your good will if you let them. Don't give them that opportunity. You owe them nothing beyond what you agreed to in your employment contract.

Re: Don't Get Stuck

#52

Post by Dork1234 »

It seems like people agree 3-4 year old tech isn't bad enough to leave your job over, but what is the limit for tech age before you think you should jump ship: 8 Years, 13 Years, 21 years or even more? If you are 60 years old that number might be higher, but if you have a long career ahead putting an extra few years in an older tech seems to hurt your career more than it might help you pay the bills.

Re: Don't Get Stuck

#53

Post by blitz_skull »

outtatime wrote: post #51
blitz_skull wrote: post #30

Fuck, man. I felt like I just read my own blog post. I've been contemplating leaving for a long time, but I feel like somehow I'm the problem—like I can do something to fix this. I've got this chronic resistance to believe it's anyone else's problem which USUALLY serves me well and keeps me honest. Sometimes though it just makes me stay longer than I should. I feel so stagnant. My company has been bug-fixing non-stop…

This goes against prevailing SV ideology, but man, it's just a job. Don't ruin your health or wellbeing for a company that would fire you in a heartbeat if it made economic or political sense. Commit to your family, your friends, your hobbies, and charity. Don't commit so hard to a job, because ultimately it's a business transaction. Companies _will_ take advantage of your good will if you let them. Don't give them t…

Yeah, you've got a good point. I've been trying to focus on stressing less recently especially over my job.

I'm just a super type-A, "wanna make an impact" kinda guy and I know this sounds dumb but I feel like I'm letting mental weakness "win" if I don't tough it out. Just writing it out, I know it sounds nonsensical.

I guess I just want to make sure things are good and thoroughly fucked before I bail, you know? ha

Re: Don't Get Stuck

#54

Post by blitz_skull »

brendt_gd wrote: post #38
blitz_skull wrote: post #30

Fuck, man. I felt like I just read my own blog post. I've been contemplating leaving for a long time, but I feel like somehow I'm the problem—like I can do something to fix this. I've got this chronic resistance to believe it's anyone else's problem which USUALLY serves me well and keeps me honest. Sometimes though it just makes me stay longer than I should. I feel so stagnant. My company has been bug-fixing non-stop…

Is it really a question of whose responsibility it is though? If you're feeling stuck, it's your right to find ways getting unstuck. If that means changing jobs, who can blame you? Unless you're a manager at your company it's not your responsibility to fix it.

No, it's not a question of whose responsibility it is—it's always leadership's responsibility. However, I have a tendency to think myself really smart and capable. Y'know——overconfident. And because of that, I try to offset it by refusing to believe it's anyone else's fault but mine. Like I mentioned, it helps keep me honest WITH MYSELF. Otherwise, I feel like I wouldn't have enough commitment to tackle hard tasks, I'd just chalk failure up to someone else, which is worse IMO.

Anyway, my habit of keeping myself honest sometimes backfires and when it does it manifests as running my head into a brick wall over and over until I'm REALLY sure that I can't fix it. But... I think I'm about there in this instance. Other devs are noticing the same thing I'm noticing, so I feel like I've got good evidence that it's a fundamental leadership issue here.

Re: Don't Get Stuck

#55

Post by blitz_skull »

sydneygarrett wrote: post #46
blitz_skull wrote: post #30

Fuck, man. I felt like I just read my own blog post. I've been contemplating leaving for a long time, but I feel like somehow I'm the problem—like I can do something to fix this. I've got this chronic resistance to believe it's anyone else's problem which USUALLY serves me well and keeps me honest. Sometimes though it just makes me stay longer than I should. I feel so stagnant. My company has been bug-fixing non-stop…

I see I'm not the only one in this special hell. I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse. I'm on my way out now, thankfully.

Heh, well it makes ME feel better that I'm not the only one!

What area of software do you work in? (I'm assuming software here, which may be false)

Re: Don't Get Stuck

#56

Post by tedmiston »

pknerd wrote: post #36
dentemple wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The company can provide educational reimbursements (and set aside some learning time each month) for their employees, as well as provide a stipend for them attend relevant conferences. A company does not necessarily need to keep pushing new tech to production to ensure that their employees stay up-to-date. They just need to actually invest in their employees.

Probably 1 in 100 companies offer such offers? Why depend on a company when you can learn on your own? I am self-taught programmer. I learnt Pascal and C back in Uni. After that I never tool formal education for learning new tech. Youtube rocks.

In my experience most companies will offer partial or full conference reimbursement if it's relevant to your job.

Re: Don't Get Stuck

#57

Post by alexbanks »

tedmiston wrote: post #56
pknerd wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably 1 in 100 companies offer such offers? Why depend on a company when you can learn on your own? I am self-taught programmer. I learnt Pascal and C back in Uni. After that I never tool formal education for learning new tech. Youtube rocks.

In my experience most companies will offer partial or full conference reimbursement if it's relevant to your job.

I would say, with respect, I don't think this experience is normal or standard. I've never been reimbursed for a conference even if it was exactly for the technology that company built their entire product with.

Re: Don't Get Stuck

#58

Post by tedmiston »

alexbanks wrote: post #57
tedmiston wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience most companies will offer partial or full conference reimbursement if it's relevant to your job.

I would say, with respect, I don't think this experience is normal or standard. I've never been reimbursed for a conference even if it was exactly for the technology that company built their entire product with.

That is interesting.

My personal experience as a software engineer has been getting reimbursed for one or more conferences per year at every job. I've never had a software engineering manager say no to a relevant conference requested framed in a way that benefits the business.

I wonder if there's an aggregate data source available to see how common / uncommon this is.

Have your companies offered a general professional development budget?

Re: Don't Get Stuck

#59

Post by alexbanks »

tedmiston wrote: post #58
alexbanks wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say, with respect, I don't think this experience is normal or standard. I've never been reimbursed for a conference even if it was exactly for the technology that company built their entire product with.

That is interesting. My personal experience as a software engineer has been getting reimbursed for one or more conferences per year at every job. I've never had a software engineering manager say no to a relevant conference requested framed in a way that benefits the business. I wonder if there's an aggregate data source available to see how common / uncommon this is. Have your companies offered a general professiona…

Literally none of them.

Re: Don't Get Stuck

#60

Post by jaden »

gumby wrote: post #45

Brings to mind a famous quote attributed to Thomas J Watson (the real creator of IBM): Watson: we should be investing in ongoing training in new skills for our staff. VP: But what if we train them and they leave? Watson: What if we don’t and they don’t?

Thanks for sharing the source of this quote. I've heard it numerous times but never knew it was from Thomas J. Watson.
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