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Tell HN: The loneliness of a pretty good developer

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Re: Tell HN: The loneliness of a pretty good developer

#111

Post by throwanem »

fightme wrote: post #98
throwanem wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More than that one guy we all had to work with one time and wished we didn't? The one who bigs himself up over how much he knows, insists on making himself a constant obstacle to gratify his fragile ego, and that's why nobody actually wants to work with him? Yeah, I don't know why it should come as a surprise that hiring managers don't especially like that guy. No one else does either.

Did you know it's possible to be a team player without having to worry about other peoples' career development? Sounds more like the manager is being an obstacle if the direct reports have to do that kind of legwork.

I was more thinking about the kind of guys I've known who've liked throwing around nonsense like "simps". But if it hasn't yet occurred to you that helping other people develop their careers is also a great way to develop your own, I don't suppose I'm all that likely to disabuse you of the oversight.

Re: Tell HN: The loneliness of a pretty good developer

#112

Post by e40 »

100011_100001 wrote: post #40
ctvo wrote: post #16

I think you're an above average developer working at a below average company. This could be the root of all your problems. Nothing is more frustrating than working with peers you know aren't carrying their weight. Do you want to be an engineering leader? This is what you are, regardless of your official title at your company. Engineering leaders are judged by how much better they make everyone else. You may hear the…

The pivot I have been debating is to become a Lead Development Manager with the express purpose of enabling everyone else, removing obstacles, creating better processes etc. My problem is that I love code much more than talking to people all day. I have been mentoring Jr Devs for a while now in an official capacity which helps. I like the idea of "make systemic changes to help your peers become more effective". So th…

Honestly, your impact will be greater if you become a development lead.

I know this because I've watched it happen many times, not because I'm one. I've had lead developers report to me and good ones can really have a great impact. The tooling, procedures, technical debt, etc. All will be positively impacted by someone like you.

Re: Tell HN: The loneliness of a pretty good developer

#113

Post by m463 »

> I worry that by not being challenged I will become complacent.

I'm reminded of the movie Bohemian Rhapsody about the band Queen.

Freddie Mercury had gone solo from the rest of the group, then realized they were his proper peers. So he was apologizing and asking for forgiveness...

  FREDDIE: What's it gonna take for you all to forgive me?

  Is that what you want, Freddie?
  I forgive you.
  Is that it?
  Can we go now?

  FREDDIE: No.
  I went to Munich.
  I hired a bunch of guys.
  I told them exactly
  what I wanted them to do...
  and the problem was...
  they did it.
  No pushback from Roger.
  None of your rewrites.
  None of his funny looks.
  I need you.
  And you need me.

Re: Tell HN: The loneliness of a pretty good developer

#114

Post by dang »

"10 x" is too linkbaity for an HN title so, in keeping with the site guidelines (no link, sorry - I'm on my phone) I've replaced it with one of the OP's other self-descriptions.

(Considering how linkbaity it was, the thread is surprisingly good. I guess sometimes people do read the article?)

Re: Tell HN: The loneliness of a pretty good developer

#115

Post by nrmitchi »

100011_100001 wrote: post #40
ctvo wrote: post #16

I think you're an above average developer working at a below average company. This could be the root of all your problems. Nothing is more frustrating than working with peers you know aren't carrying their weight. Do you want to be an engineering leader? This is what you are, regardless of your official title at your company. Engineering leaders are judged by how much better they make everyone else. You may hear the…

The pivot I have been debating is to become a Lead Development Manager with the express purpose of enabling everyone else, removing obstacles, creating better processes etc. My problem is that I love code much more than talking to people all day. I have been mentoring Jr Devs for a while now in an official capacity which helps. I like the idea of "make systemic changes to help your peers become more effective". So th…

This is also a common theme in a lot of "Platform Engineering" style roles (but not all of them, because it's an overloaded term). The output of your actual code is systems to empower others, and paving the "clean path". Support and education is also a very common piece of success.

Re: Tell HN: The loneliness of a pretty good developer

#116

Post by markmiro »

Change jobs, but not because of others moving slowly.

It's amazing that people trust you, but you're worried you'll let your team down. One of the biggest reasons why people leave jobs is because of a lack of growth opportunities, and the longer you stay in your position, the more likely it's going to beat the ambition out of others on the team.

And if most of the code is written by you, this doesn't make you bad for leaving. The easiest code to maintain is code that's written by one person. Sure, some people might get mad and try to shame you, for leaving them to maintain all your code. However, this might be a result of people not believing in themselves. They need encouragement, and some nurturing.

So I don't think the problem is whether you're a 10x developer or not. If you're good, it's like a white tablecloth at a restaurant. The cloth isn't bad just because it got stained. The problem is you're lonely, increasingly resentful, increasingly complacent, and it's not going to be good for those around you.

If you leave the company and it goes well for you, it's also motivating for others since they know the company won't try to sabotage them on their way up. If the company does sabotage you, then this is also good since it'll help you determine the difference between a team that has your back vs a team that wants to use you. Either way, it's important to appreciate them regardless.

So you got to your position because a you cared about others. It's important to not let your accomplishments blind you and overshadow just how much of your success comes from your care for others.

Re: Tell HN: The loneliness of a pretty good developer

#117

Post by pojzon »

Im at my nth company and I feel lonely because there was almost noone that could follow my speed of thinking.

Ive met ppl that could, but they are now either Lead Developers or moved abroad.

I dont want either. I want a good team where we build cool stuff and have fun doing that.

Finding few ppl that think likewise and actually have skill and capacity to do that seems extremely hard.

Now Im stuck in boring as hell disfunctional corpo with fat paycheck just so I can focus on my own things..

Re: Tell HN: The loneliness of a pretty good developer

#118

Post by fightme »

throwanem wrote: post #111
fightme wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you know it's possible to be a team player without having to worry about other peoples' career development? Sounds more like the manager is being an obstacle if the direct reports have to do that kind of legwork.

I was more thinking about the kind of guys I've known who've liked throwing around nonsense like "simps". But if it hasn't yet occurred to you that helping other people develop their careers is also a great way to develop your own, I don't suppose I'm all that likely to disabuse you of the oversight.

In my experience, it doesn't help at all. Move to SV and you'll understand.

Re: Tell HN: The loneliness of a pretty good developer

#119

Post by sam1r »

goldenchrome wrote: post #28

It sounds like you’re contributing too much. If you’re the backbone of your company’s technical org and you’re not the CTO or at least a director, you’re being undervalued which causes a lot of psychological distress over time. I recommend you figure out how to get to that position, which will probably involve training other developers to take over for you. If you don’t want to get into management, you could join a l…

OK but at that point, wouldn't it be better for someone this talented, to contract for themselves?

Any new position is still pretty high risk, to put the OP in not only the same position they are currently at, but possibly worse.

Re: Tell HN: The loneliness of a pretty good developer

#120

Post by notacoward »

One word: move.

I left one job, as it turns out pretty early in my career, because I felt I'd run out of headroom. I'd gotten pretty good at some things, and management very much wanted me to do more of those things. I really really liked the people I worked with, including said management. But I felt like I was always the question answerer. There was nobody I could go to for information or advice. I was stagnating. I went to another company where everyone was significantly senior to me - willingly choosing to be the n00b again. It was scary as hell, but it really helped me grow, and I've never regretted the choice. As it turns out, I worked with some of those people twice more at other companies, so I didn't even miss them for long.

BTW this has nothing to do with being "10X" or not. It has more to do with where you are in your own growth vs. what roles are available where you are. If you're in an RPG, but you're level 30 in a level 20 area, it might feel like you're 10X but you're really just in the wrong place. The "10X" idea might in fact be a significant impediment to doing what you need to do. Sometimes you need to go outside your comfort zone to grow.

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