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Programming is a Terrible Job

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Re: Programming is a Terrible Job

#231

Post by mdup »

RogerL wrote: post #186
bigiain wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Solving problems is interesting. Repetition is terrible." Most "programming" is just "digital plumbing". No matter how flashy or utilitarian the taps or basin are, underneath the job is pretty much always the same - you hook up hot water to one tap, cold water to the other, and the sink drain to the drainpipe. You can do a great job or a shoddy job - so long as nothing leaks _too_ much, it doesn't make any differenc…

I don't exactly know the truth of your statements above, but I've spent my life doing all of that cool stuff. I've written code for flight computers, done machine vision for factory inspection, supported cancer research by doing stats and data analytics, written 3D viewers/playback for aircraft black boxes, worked on robots and UAV for several years, and now I'm doing some computer vision + AI work that I can't make…

Out of curiosity, would you say that big defense contractors or other big corporations that typically get this kind of "cool" projects, may sometimes seem buried in red tape or cumbersome processes? I feel like sometimes startups make things happen faster and with lighter administrative overhead, but I'd like to know if someone has experience with the opposite.

Re: Programming is a Terrible Job

#232

Post by g8oz »

pfortuny wrote: post #9
xinn wrote: post #3

I felt the same way. I quit. I'm still unemployed. I will admit the job I had wasn't nearly as dreary, but I was still plagued by the fact that what I was doing was utterly pointless and had zero value. In retrospect, I wish I had just grown the fuck up and accepted the simple fact that the chances of any person on this earth making his or her life meaningful outside of his or her own family are astronomically slim.…

As a matter of fact, giving one's own family its proper value (the most) is one of the problems of our society. And one of the problems with our 'leader-based' culture is that 'ordinary' people (those who are not leaders, who, by mere statistics must be the vast majority) find little support in it. So, I guess we all need to develop a 'family-centered' philosophy or life more than a 'work-centered'. I find this rathe…

No success can make up for failure in the home – Stephen Covey

Re: Programming is a Terrible Job

#233

Post by _sh »

acuozzo wrote: post #117
nicpottier wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You guys need to take responsibility for your unhappiness and go find a job where you aren't treated as a cog. I say that with complete sincerity. Find a better job.

> Find a better job. Sure! Can you provide for my family while I do?

Why can't you? It's not like you have to quit your current job to find a better one.

My advice to anyone who doesn't like their job: please don't come to work in a shitty mood all the time, bitch and moan, and spread your poison around. You don't have to love your job, but quit making excuses and being lazy and go get yourself one you will love.

Re: Programming is a Terrible Job

#234

Post by Dewie »

SonicSoul wrote: post #203
ianstallings wrote: post #94

I'm approaching 20 years of doing this and I would love to have 20 years more. What this really sounds like, and the message gets muted by the complaints, is that the author wants you to find a part of software that interests you and follow that path. I agree 100%. Some people love front-end Javascript websites and all that entails. I find it painful. I still do it when called for but my true love is in low level pro…

10 years here, and loving it too! the best part for me is, the more i learn the better it gets. And the longer i do it, the bigger the variety of solutions and ways to get things done. Sure, will get stuck on a crappy project from time to time, which could last for 1-12 months, and it may not be a blast, but i know it's temporary, and the more senior i get, the more say i have in making it suck less. It took me many…

It's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission? :)

Re: Programming is a Terrible Job

#235

Post by aryastark »

randomdata wrote: post #155
rapind wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apples and oranges. Only the top 1% of athletes, musicians, actors make a living off it. Compare them to the top 1% of programmers. Alternatively if you compare all aspiring athletes, musicians, and actors to all programmers, you may find that programming does pretty well.

A good point. When you look at the top richest people of the world, some of them are (were) programmers. None of them are sports or movie stars.

eh, I don't think that's the same. Bill Gates, Zuckerberg, they weren't top 1% programmers. They are simply people who knew programming (to some degree) and got rich from their business ideas. Whereas the athletes, like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, are incredibly talented.

The closest you can find in the programming world is probably John Carmack, who found a way to earn a large sum of money based directly on his programming talent.

Re: Programming is a Terrible Job

#236

Post by ngz »

This is my 2nd year as a web developer, and I'm honestly very grateful. I feel fortunate to have this opportunity as my peers are working in much harsher environments for less compensation.

I've been working all day from a bar in downtown Austin, TX. My CEO is a developer and is very understanding. Deadlines have to be met, but how or when you work is at your discretion.

I previously worked in a very harsh environment with a hostile CEO, and I can understand that it can be oppressive. However, I think that the status quo is changing.

/2c

Re: Programming is a Terrible Job

#237

Post by jhuni »

Does this person think that programming will suddenly be a breeze if it is done as a hobby rather then as a job? Even if you are programming in your own free time you will still have to deal with the perversions of internet exploder and other fatally flawed programming platforms. At least if you are doing it as a job you are getting paid for it!

Re: Programming is a Terrible Job

#238

Post by unknownian »

joebo wrote: post #12

It's not too different than other hobby turn professionals. Like to work on cars? You may want to become a mechanic. Replacing brakes for the hundredth time is not nearly as interesting or challenging as the first time. On the upside, you get to be around the environment you love and occasionally there may be some new problems to solve. As with any profession, there is always an opportunity to learn and improve even…

I think "mechanic" is a bad metaphor. We're talking about engineering here. I don't think I could doubt that a lot of programming jobs (webapps, etc) are not as interesting as a lot of electrical and mechanical engineering jobs. But I could be wrong.

Re: Programming is a Terrible Job

#239

Post by aaron695 »

TL;DR; OP works in programming jobs that are not ideal for him/her, thinks all programming jobs are like that.

With a little not realising if you actually take your hobbies seriously they too will have drudgery in them at times. Not dreaming about but actually finding Mersenne primes is a world of hell.

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