Get Shit Done: The Worst Startup Culture

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Nov 05, 2013, 3:16 PM UTC

api wrote: post #49

UK-AL wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like a Daily WTF, but it's also very common. Its seems most companies don't realise the easiest way to move fast, is a extensible, easy to change/understand code base. And not going through spaghetti code with a fine tooth comb. Odd they recommended research, they only care about one off prototypes. The problem is future employers assume your the problem. Btw, Proper scrum/agile encourages people to refactor a…

Luckily this engagement was so short, and followed after a period of independent consulting, that I was able to be only slightly dishonest and call it a short-term consulting gig. Thing that pissed me off the most was that I was proud of this code. It was elegant asynchronous java.nio-based stuff that used something like 1/100th the RAM and brought the product's response time down from a several hours "we'll get back…

Post by candybar » Tue, Nov 05, 2013, 9:40 PM UTC

api wrote: post #200

RyanZAG wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Going to go off the deep end here and say you really were at fault. You can't just rewrite whole systems as a new hire on your own decision with zero buy in from other colleagues or management. While the technology is important in a startup, you kind of tossed the team out of the window there and likely just replaced code that everyone else understood (however bad it was) with code that nobody except you understood.…

I wasn't clear in my OP: there was poor communication on both sides here. I was receiving mixed messages, with the company's VP basically claiming I wasn't able to deliver anything good enough and my immediate boss telling me to kind of punt on the thing. In retrospect I should have dug more deeply. Actually in retrospect I should have started looking for another job, since the VP line-jumping the team lead is a sign…

Post by Megatronic » Wed, Nov 06, 2013, 4:40 AM UTC

enko wrote: post #195

RyanZAG wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Major upvotes to you - ignore these other comments, you're entirely correct. A lot of these mundane jobs do need to be done, but a lot of people enjoy stable mundane jobs. Leave these kinds of jobs to them, they will actually thank you for it. If you're more interesting in accomplishing something, there are far more jobs that really need someone with some skill to come and do them - or, more realistically, find them.…

> A lot of these mundane jobs do need to be done, but a lot of people enjoy stable mundane jobs. It took me way too long to accept this. I always thought those people just did not know better, or something. I will never forget the QA department at a previous company and their ~200-step excel-based manual QA procedure. For me, that is basically a nightmare made reality. I tried to talk them into automating it, but the…

Post by Megatronic » Wed, Nov 06, 2013, 4:40 AM UTC

enko wrote: post #195

RyanZAG wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Major upvotes to you - ignore these other comments, you're entirely correct. A lot of these mundane jobs do need to be done, but a lot of people enjoy stable mundane jobs. Leave these kinds of jobs to them, they will actually thank you for it. If you're more interesting in accomplishing something, there are far more jobs that really need someone with some skill to come and do them - or, more realistically, find them.…

> A lot of these mundane jobs do need to be done, but a lot of people enjoy stable mundane jobs. It took me way too long to accept this. I always thought those people just did not know better, or something. I will never forget the QA department at a previous company and their ~200-step excel-based manual QA procedure. For me, that is basically a nightmare made reality. I tried to talk them into automating it, but the…

Post by AsymetricCom » Wed, Nov 06, 2013, 8:22 PM UTC

crucifiction wrote: post #181

AsymetricCom wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you but your conceptualization doesn't explain why people should put up with suffering just because they've seen suffering and are used to suffering. That's not logical. There's no reason to go in depth unless you can actually present an argument based on necessity or some kind of platform that would explain it other than "people put up with it".

Suffering? I don't think that word means what you think it means.