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What is the best part about being a Software Engineer?

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Re: What is the best part about being a Software Engineer?

#41

Post by djKianoosh »

dagw wrote: post #37
andywood wrote: post #6

Those are some rose-colored glasses. I could easily make a list of the best things about being in the hospital, too. I'd estimate that my 18 years in software development have been about 25% good, 25% tolerable, and 50% team/boss-induced inhumane mental torture. The one thing I can't argue with is the money. Everything else has been highly volatile.

Every time I read things like that I wonder if I've just been lucky or if there is something 'special' about the US. I've spent 10+ years working at companies of all shapes and sizes in Norway and Sweden, and with the exception of one 12 month stretch (working for an American ironically enough) all my bosses have been fine-to-great, and I've never had a real clash with any co-workers. And even that terrible American…

It says more about you than your bosses ;)

Re: What is the best part about being a Software Engineer?

#42

Post by mooreds »

dagw wrote: post #37
andywood wrote: post #6

Those are some rose-colored glasses. I could easily make a list of the best things about being in the hospital, too. I'd estimate that my 18 years in software development have been about 25% good, 25% tolerable, and 50% team/boss-induced inhumane mental torture. The one thing I can't argue with is the money. Everything else has been highly volatile.

Every time I read things like that I wonder if I've just been lucky or if there is something 'special' about the US. I've spent 10+ years working at companies of all shapes and sizes in Norway and Sweden, and with the exception of one 12 month stretch (working for an American ironically enough) all my bosses have been fine-to-great, and I've never had a real clash with any co-workers. And even that terrible American…

Me too. I have over 15 years of experience both as an independent contractor and employee (roughly half and half) and have only once worked an 60+ hr week. And have always had bosses/clients that valued my input and my efforts.

Dumb luck on my part? I don't know.

Re: What is the best part about being a Software Engineer?

#43

Post by badminton1 »

isseu wrote: post #22
badminton1 wrote: post #21

The author has less than 5 years in the industry. He is still in his engineering honeymoon. In 5 more years ask him how it is going.

5 years seems like enough time Working at MacDonalds for 1 month must be awfull

There are many positions at McDonalds.

Re: What is the best part about being a Software Engineer?

#44

Post by seanp2k2 »

andywood wrote: post #6

Those are some rose-colored glasses. I could easily make a list of the best things about being in the hospital, too. I'd estimate that my 18 years in software development have been about 25% good, 25% tolerable, and 50% team/boss-induced inhumane mental torture. The one thing I can't argue with is the money. Everything else has been highly volatile.

I know it sucks, but as a software developer, at least in the Bay Area, you needn't suffer more than a few honest months before jumping ship if it'll make you happier to get out. Then again, I've also had the worst position of my life turn into the best by sticking it out until our team was properly laid off internally.

Re: What is the best part about being a Software Engineer?

#45

Post by BjoernKW »

thiago_fm wrote: post #13

Perhaps this is true if you 'can relocate to SF' + is american/won the h1b lottery, end up working in a company with 6 hours/day policies, 20% time and plenty of money to burn. All other mortals are in a way or another struggling. Pulling all nighters(because it's expected), having long periods of stress + burnout. The advantages I see are that the money is good and that people(me included) love programming. Having a…

Silicon Valley may be a bit special or even a bit of an outlier in the way engineers are compensated and cared for (or pampered as it might seem at times) but as the saying goes: The grass is always greener on the other side.

Plenty of money to burn in one of the most expensive places in the world for many people probably means just that: A lot of money earned but nothing to show for after years of work.

Compared to that you can make a decent living as an engineer almost anywhere in the world and not blow away all your hard-earned money at the same time.

Then, there are almost certainly Silicon Valley companies where you face stress, burnout and dysfunctional management just as you would in your run-of-the-mill enterprise company that merely treats developers as fungible grunt workers.

The thing that many engineers - perhaps more so outside Silicon Valley - don't seem to get is that they don't have to put up with that kind of abrasive behaviour. That's the most important privilege that comes with this profession nowadays: You basically don't have to struggle to find a way to make a decent amount of money as much as other people do.

If your work environment is a Dilbertesque nightmare you don't have to just endure that until you retire (or drop dead due to stress, whichever happens first ...). Opportunities are a plenty, not just in Silicon Valley but almost everywhere today!

Re: What is the best part about being a Software Engineer?

#47

Post by tajen »

askyourmother wrote: post #16

For me, the best part is interviewing for new jobs. You have not lived till you are asked to reverse sort a binary tree, whilst skipping on one leg, having to show you are passionate about the job! The disappointment was that the actual job did not entail data structures, Algorithms or even skipping! Just CRUD web apps.

I've interviewed interns; Obviously I didn't design an IQ test but a CRUD app, very similar to the real work, so they could have a taste about the contents of the internship. Most of the test was just navigating around template files, Java and JS files. It's surprising that navigating around wasn't even necessary as some applicants couldn't properly change an if/elseif/else instruction, and the best applicant just seemed to luck past all possible bugs he could have created. Turns out it wasn't luck, he was just good.

Re: What is the best part about being a Software Engineer?

#48

Post by boothead »

Flashuk100 wrote: post #29
jon-wood wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like people overstate just how massive the divide between SF unicorns and everywhere else is. While I admit I'm not on the 100k+ salaries of the big five, I'm definitely not struggling and pulling all nighters - I work 8 hours a day, 90% of the time from home, with the odd evening of working on something if I'm particularly into it. For that I get paid a decent salary for my area, get to do a job I find intere…

As a comp sci student up north, are the salaries in London worth the hassle of living in London? Don't get me wrong I like visiting London, but I wouldn't want to live there unless the incentive is too good to pass up.

In finance, probably. Start ups and other industry, probably not so much.

Re: What is the best part about being a Software Engineer?

#49

Post by darkFunction »

Flashuk100 wrote: post #29
jon-wood wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like people overstate just how massive the divide between SF unicorns and everywhere else is. While I admit I'm not on the 100k+ salaries of the big five, I'm definitely not struggling and pulling all nighters - I work 8 hours a day, 90% of the time from home, with the odd evening of working on something if I'm particularly into it. For that I get paid a decent salary for my area, get to do a job I find intere…

As a comp sci student up north, are the salaries in London worth the hassle of living in London? Don't get me wrong I like visiting London, but I wouldn't want to live there unless the incentive is too good to pass up.

I lived and worked in London for a number of years, and in the end, no amount of extra salary was worth the packed commute, sky-high rent, bad air quality, and (controversial...) the bad manners of people in general. Moved back to Scotland and my quality of life now is so much better. I don't know how much money I would have needed to make to make up for all the negatives, but personally it was way above what a developer could realistically achieve. Very subjective I guess.

Re: What is the best part about being a Software Engineer?

#50

Post by cheez »

blowski wrote: post #34

When I was at school we had to interview our headmaster, and somebody asked him if he thought his job was difficult. His answer has always stayed with me: "Compared to lying on a beach drinking cocktails, it's difficult. But compared to a coal miner, it's ridiculously easy." Would I rather be a software developer - even one who is building boring CRUD apps - or a coal miner?

I've never been a coal miner, but there is some sort of satisfaction in working with your hands that you don't quite get being a corporate coder.
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