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Consider working on genomics

claymcleod.dev

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Re: Consider working on genomics

#31

Post by CoastalCoder »

pestatije wrote: post #15
dankle wrote: post #2

> There is a significant gap between how software is currently developed in this space versus how it should be developed. The vast majority of genomics-related software is not written with speed or reliability in mind. True, but working in academia is very VERY different working in a tech/product company.

> This state of affairs makes it difficult for anyone other than the original author to contribute to these code bases, further cementing the one-maintainer policy. Who wants to fix other peoples code mess? This is a no-no if you want to promote a job opening.

I've seen this also in several software systems that started life in a CS grad department. (Not all the same university.)

The original authors' quirks get enshrined in the code base, and its neigh impossible to fix until they leave the company that commercialized it.

Re: Consider working on genomics

#32

Post by jwilber »

chitowneats wrote: post #18
clmcleod wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think your phrase here sums up how many people feel: > why would I choose to work at an organization that respects my craft so little they haven't bothered to maintain their software for a decade This is changing in my experience, albeit slowly. And really, this is what I'm calling on us, as a community, to do better on. The reason you _would_ work at these organizations is because (1) the subject-matter is really…

Ever since the pandemic, many software engineers have become exactly the type of "I've got mine, Jack" people they typically deride.

Or, and hear me out here for a second, people go where they’re most valued. Why would someone volunteer to go work somewhere where they’ll get less money, have less flexibility, be treated as second-class employees, have less work perks, etc. when so many alternatives exist? Doubly so in this economy.

Maybe genetic companies should catch up in workplace etiquette instead of recommending that SWE’s lower their expectations.

Re: Consider working on genomics

#33

Post by Cupertino95014 »

amrx101 wrote: post #3

Would love to but I don’t think academia will want masters at least and years of industry experience will be discarded completely. I have 6 years experience in data intensive IoT applications and yet that would not be considered useful by academia

The bio & pharma & medical fields value academic credentials very, very highly. Too highly.

That's their whole life: "where did you do your PhD? Who did you do your postdoc under?"

Many world-class hackers would do pretty poorly on those questions.

Re: Consider working on genomics

#35

Post by clmcleod »

jwilber wrote: post #32
chitowneats wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ever since the pandemic, many software engineers have become exactly the type of "I've got mine, Jack" people they typically deride.

Or, and hear me out here for a second, people go where they’re most valued. Why would someone volunteer to go work somewhere where they’ll get less money, have less flexibility, be treated as second-class employees, have less work perks, etc. when so many alternatives exist? Doubly so in this economy. Maybe genetic companies should catch up in workplace etiquette instead of recommending that SWE’s lower their expecta…

I agree. With that said, I do think we are getting there. The pay is becoming more comparable, and I think software engineers are becoming more and more valued in these companies/organizations.

Re: Consider working on genomics

#36

Post by anonymous_bio »

The author completely neglects the downsides:

- The compensation absolutely do not match the workload and education required. - The sheer number of disreputable PIs and their unrealistic goals for software. - The data is likely questionable and often underpowered. - Institutional politics. everywhere. - Marketing ("Curing Cancer"). The role is actually just juggling various bioinformatics file formats.

Re: Consider working on genomics

#37

Post by zach_garwood »

jwilber wrote: post #32
chitowneats wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ever since the pandemic, many software engineers have become exactly the type of "I've got mine, Jack" people they typically deride.

Or, and hear me out here for a second, people go where they’re most valued. Why would someone volunteer to go work somewhere where they’ll get less money, have less flexibility, be treated as second-class employees, have less work perks, etc. when so many alternatives exist? Doubly so in this economy. Maybe genetic companies should catch up in workplace etiquette instead of recommending that SWE’s lower their expecta…

Haha, thanks! This is much kinder than my response was going to be.

Re: Consider working on genomics

#38

Post by zachthewf »

clmcleod wrote: post #12
zach_garwood wrote: post #5

Several of the job boards linked don't have any job listings, most don't provide a salary range, several require advanced degrees, and none specify whether remote work is possible. If I can get a better salary and working conditions at some crappy no-name startup, why would I choose to work at an organization that respects my craft so little they haven't bothered to maintain their software for a decade?

I think your phrase here sums up how many people feel: > why would I choose to work at an organization that respects my craft so little they haven't bothered to maintain their software for a decade This is changing in my experience, albeit slowly. And really, this is what I'm calling on us, as a community, to do better on. The reason you _would_ work at these organizations is because (1) the subject-matter is really…

How's the startup ecosystem?

Re: Consider working on genomics

#39

Post by jghn »

zach_garwood wrote: post #5

Several of the job boards linked don't have any job listings, most don't provide a salary range, several require advanced degrees, and none specify whether remote work is possible. If I can get a better salary and working conditions at some crappy no-name startup, why would I choose to work at an organization that respects my craft so little they haven't bothered to maintain their software for a decade?

In general salaries would be lower than what you can get in a standard software role. Some of the ones on that list allow remote work, others are more limited. The tradeoff is that you're working towards the betterment of humanity. Whether or not that's worth the tradeoff for you is a personal decision.

Re: Consider working on genomics

#40

Post by cjbgkagh »

clmcleod wrote: post #12
zach_garwood wrote: post #5

Several of the job boards linked don't have any job listings, most don't provide a salary range, several require advanced degrees, and none specify whether remote work is possible. If I can get a better salary and working conditions at some crappy no-name startup, why would I choose to work at an organization that respects my craft so little they haven't bothered to maintain their software for a decade?

I think your phrase here sums up how many people feel: > why would I choose to work at an organization that respects my craft so little they haven't bothered to maintain their software for a decade This is changing in my experience, albeit slowly. And really, this is what I'm calling on us, as a community, to do better on. The reason you _would_ work at these organizations is because (1) the subject-matter is really…

I charge a high rate not because I need the money but because I need to stop people from wasting my time. I’ve worked at these places before where they exploit your altruism and dedication to craft to extract more work out of you for less. Concretely one of the places refused to hire a frontend dev to help so I got stuck wasting time churning frontends. Charging more encourages them not to do that.
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