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Letters to Junior Developers

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Re: Letters to Junior Developers

#11

Post by djb_hackernews »

This is going to come off extremely cynical but this post intersects at 2 points that interest me. One being advice I would give to my former self, and the other is how I as a person fit into the business world.

The post makes a simple yet important observation:

> That business is measured by a very simple equation: revenues minus expenses equals profit.

For those of you starting out it may not be obvious to you that there are VERY well paid people whose sole job it is is to look at the expenses column and figure out ways to shrink it. With that in mind you should understand that if you work at a technology company YOU and your fellow developers are the biggest expense. Plan accordingly.

Re: Letters to Junior Developers

#12

Post by bejuizb123 »

onion2k wrote: post #9

I really don't agree with the final "Present a solution, not just a problem" point. Quite often a developer will be able to see a problem but won't have a clue what the solution is. Having a "Present a solution, not just a problem" approach means that developers won't want to inform you that the problem is there, and then it'll surprise you later at the worst possible time. If you have a solution, great. If you don't…

Agree with your point that quite often a dev might not have a solution. Seeking help should of course be encouraged, but one must also put in some thought for a solution. I think the author had extensive cases of trigger happy devs always coming to him with problems. As dev-s, you should be able to think with different perspectives and not simply go to your manager with the first instance of a problem.

Re: Letters to Junior Developers

#13

Post by greggyb »

onion2k wrote: post #9

I really don't agree with the final "Present a solution, not just a problem" point. Quite often a developer will be able to see a problem but won't have a clue what the solution is. Having a "Present a solution, not just a problem" approach means that developers won't want to inform you that the problem is there, and then it'll surprise you later at the worst possible time. If you have a solution, great. If you don't…

I am not disagreeing with your reading of the article, but adding on my own interpretation, as this general advice is tossed around on multiple teams I work with.

The way I see this is not as a diktat, but as an acknowledgement that if you find a problem, you have enough domain knowledge to be able to contribute to a solution, and the fact that you are the first to identify the problem lends evidence to support the fact that you understand (at least a portion of) the source of the problem better than your team.

Don't pass the buck by reporting the problem and assuming it will be fixed. Take the time to fix it to improve things for you and for your team.

Obviously there is a huge range of appropriate responses, but I think keeping this sort of understanding is important. A problem that you identify is a problem in something that at least touches your team's primary responsibility.

Re: Letters to Junior Developers

#14

Post by bejuizb123 »

Totally agree with the point about Learning to Communicate. Have seen the 'rock-star senior devs' think and speak so clearly with a variety of audience, and on the other hand 'just-the senior devs' who struggle explaining what they want to put across. Coding and communication should be complementing each other, as both have their roots in 'what you think'.

Re: Letters to Junior Developers

#15

Post by AtmaScout »

djb_hackernews wrote: post #11

This is going to come off extremely cynical but this post intersects at 2 points that interest me. One being advice I would give to my former self, and the other is how I as a person fit into the business world. The post makes a simple yet important observation: > That business is measured by a very simple equation: revenues minus expenses equals profit. For those of you starting out it may not be obvious to you that…

The developers at a software company are considered an expense but a required expense due to them creating the products that bring the revenue in. Shrinking the expenses by shrinking the developer count occurs but I would think that would have an impact later on the amount of revenue that could potentially be generated.

In a non-tech company I agree with your statement. Likely the revenue is brought in through some other avenue. A developer in that scenario is defiantly seen as more of an expense to reduce.

Do I have a skewed mindset around this?

Re: Letters to Junior Developers

#16

Post by ant6n »

djb_hackernews wrote: post #11

This is going to come off extremely cynical but this post intersects at 2 points that interest me. One being advice I would give to my former self, and the other is how I as a person fit into the business world. The post makes a simple yet important observation: > That business is measured by a very simple equation: revenues minus expenses equals profit. For those of you starting out it may not be obvious to you that…

I thought it's more like an investment.

Re: Letters to Junior Developers

#18

Post by vonmoltke »

gharial wrote: post #10

Nice writeup, with the exception that you should never, ever "love something so much you'd do it for free" in a professional setting. I get that the intention behind the statement isn't literal, but that kind of attitude is what makes hiring managers think that they can make junior developers sub-25k offers in places like Manhattan. I had the confidence to never allow myself to be low balled and quite enjoyed the lec…

In addition, it pushes company culture to use passion as a hiring signal, discriminating against developers who do not show sufficient levels because they are not "good". In my opinion, this leads to both the so-called "talent shortage" we have now and the underrepresentation of certain groups in the industry.

There are far more developer jobs than there are "passionate" developers. Many developer jobs that need doing are partially or totally a slog that no one would be expected to love.

Re: Letters to Junior Developers

#19

Post by forgottenpass »

AtmaScout wrote: post #15
djb_hackernews wrote: post #11

This is going to come off extremely cynical but this post intersects at 2 points that interest me. One being advice I would give to my former self, and the other is how I as a person fit into the business world. The post makes a simple yet important observation: > That business is measured by a very simple equation: revenues minus expenses equals profit. For those of you starting out it may not be obvious to you that…

The developers at a software company are considered an expense but a required expense due to them creating the products that bring the revenue in. Shrinking the expenses by shrinking the developer count occurs but I would think that would have an impact later on the amount of revenue that could potentially be generated. In a non-tech company I agree with your statement. Likely the revenue is brought in through some o…

Do I have a skewed mindset around this?

Every expense is a required expense. Every expense is looked at to be minimized. They're going to run with the fewest, cheapest developers as they think they can get away with to deliver what they want to deliver on the schedule they want to deliver it. It doesn't always work like that, over time bloat accumulates leading to restructuring/layoffs. This is so standard that exceptions are notable (20% time, skunkworks, etc...)

Re: Letters to Junior Developers

#20

Post by gharial »

vonmoltke wrote: post #18
gharial wrote: post #10

Nice writeup, with the exception that you should never, ever "love something so much you'd do it for free" in a professional setting. I get that the intention behind the statement isn't literal, but that kind of attitude is what makes hiring managers think that they can make junior developers sub-25k offers in places like Manhattan. I had the confidence to never allow myself to be low balled and quite enjoyed the lec…

In addition, it pushes company culture to use passion as a hiring signal, discriminating against developers who do not show sufficient levels because they are not "good". In my opinion, this leads to both the so-called "talent shortage" we have now and the underrepresentation of certain groups in the industry. There are far more developer jobs than there are "passionate" developers. Many developer jobs that need doin…

This is definitely true. I've been labeled on occasion as "not passionate" for not being willing to work myself into the ground at 60+ hours a week with a four hour round trip commute.

That's not to say that I won't work long hours at crunch time or I have a problem with going the extra mile. But if your "crunch time" is 52 weeks a year, it's no longer a matter of passion, it's just exploitative.

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