Earnings fail, valuations go down and layoffs happen. This cycle of layoffs has been one of the most expected since I remember. And people in the software space still have so many options. There could be an event that will lead to a situation that won't be as good as we have it right now and I am fully aware of this. But, I don't see a reason to view the layoffs through the lens of this author.
An Introduction to Class Warfare for the Software Engineer
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Re: An Introduction to Class Warfare for the Software Engineer
#12This has to be satire.
Re: An Introduction to Class Warfare for the Software Engineer
#13Re: An Introduction to Class Warfare for the Software Engineer
#14My job as an engineer has been to make my current position unnecessary.
That's how I justify my pay increases, by becoming more efficient and making the organisation more efficient.
I look at where the organisation is going and solve problems.
Re: An Introduction to Class Warfare for the Software Engineer
#15Had me in the first half, lost me in the second. Why not try to create unions instead of "don't document anything because you're making yourself replaceable"?
I work hard to become replaceable. I want to move up, I can't be too important at my current level. If that means automating things, documentation and training juniors then I'm all for it.
Re: An Introduction to Class Warfare for the Software Engineer
#16Yes, I agree 100%. Do not help those who seek to devalue you. Extract as much value for as little work as possible. The people who run these companies are not your friends and they’re not your family, take advantage of them at every opportunity you can. Don’t care if the company fails, don’t pay any mind to burning bridges, don’t bother giving two weeks, and certainly don’t do anything more than the bare minimum.
All true thought work should be done on your own time for your own projects. CEOs don’t deserve your mind, so don’t give it to them.
Re: An Introduction to Class Warfare for the Software Engineer
#17I mean, apart from the highfalutin class warfare nonsense and generally bad advice, this is a pretty decent post. I completely agree that over the past 30-40 years, companies have been pushing down engineering salaries. It's not really as incendiary as the author might have you believe, though. Programming, as a profession, has simply become more commoditized. It used to be kind of like being a brain surgeon, and it's becoming more like being a plumber.
I haven't researched it, but I imagine railroad engineers probably went through a similar economic reality in the early 20th century. What the author doesn't really get, is that there's no putting the genie back in the bottle. The party is over. Salaries will never be as comparatively high as they were in the 80s and 90s, no matter how many code reviews you try to sabotage (weird "advice," by the way).
In the capitalist game, being an employee is never going to be a way to garner any real amount of wealth, so expecting to be a 1%'er while working for BigCo as engineer #23435 is an unrealistic expectation to have.
Re: An Introduction to Class Warfare for the Software Engineer
#18You might get away with this if you work for the DMV or something but behaving like this to any meaningful extent in a workplace where everyone else isn't already is a great way to be shown the door first.
Re: An Introduction to Class Warfare for the Software Engineer
#19Had me in the first half, lost me in the second. Why not try to create unions instead of "don't document anything because you're making yourself replaceable"?
This is exactly what the article says to do. I also paused at that section that listed all those crazy things, if you power through and get to the end you'll find this:
>If you’re a conscientious engineer, you are probably going to find the above suggestions somewhere between counterintuitive and horrifying. You should! They are horrifying! This is how deeply capital’s war on workers is scarring our profession.
>These people are actively trying to take your wealth away from you and keep it for themselves. You need to protect yourself.
>Oh, yeah, we should also have a union. Sure. Let’s get on that one of these days.
Re: An Introduction to Class Warfare for the Software Engineer
#20Is this some kind of twisted joke? If not, the author is mentally ill.