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Programmers are most likely to work from home

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Re: Programmers are most likely to work from home

#81

Post by eddieh »

ooqr wrote: post #14
eddieh wrote: post #12

I like working from my office. I don't understand people that like working from home. Possible confounding variable: I live exactly two blocks from my office and don't have to commute. Perhaps, in actuality, people don't like to commute?

That, and the snacks I buy and put in my fridge are better than the free snacks at work. Also I can take a shower in the middle of the day. Which is the best time.

We have showers at the office, but I can just as easily walk home and take a shower and then head back to work.

Re: Programmers are most likely to work from home

#82

Post by BeetleB »

I work in a big company.

It's easy to see all the useful things I would have missed out on if I worked remotely. Examples:

- Networking: Serendipity plays a bigger role than anything else. And you get a lot less of it the fewer people you interact with. Simply bumping into people at the cafe is quite valuable.

- Career coaching: Lots of classes, talks, invited speakers, etc. Some can be done remotely, but roughly half require you to be live.

Also: Going to work makes it easier to leave work there when you come home.

Re: Programmers are most likely to work from home

#83

Post by CydeWeys »

qandb wrote: post #72
John23832 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get what you're saying, it sucks training the new guy. It is however, the sign of a good/great programmer/performer to be able to train other people. Also, frankly, it just has to be done. Companies don't want to lock their knowledge into a few good people. You take on the challenge of efficiently "getting your assigned work done". I'd challenge you to take on the task of teaching others with the same mentality you…

> Companies don't want to lock their knowledge into a few good people. It is not their knowledge. It is these "few good people"'s knowledge. > I'd challenge you to take on the task of teaching others ... Never, ever. Only idiots agree to train their own competition.

You sound like a horrible person to work with. Software development is a collaborative process. I would never want to work with someone who treats all of their peers as competition and refuses to help them achieve the team's mutual goals, and were I your manager, I'd likely fire you.

Re: Programmers are most likely to work from home

#84

Post by qandb »

SomeStupidPoint wrote: post #36
humbleMouse wrote: post #15

There is a dirty secret that nobody talks about and the real reason that companies want programmers in the office. Companies want their top performers in the office so they can serve as trainers/mentors/teachers to the new college kids and the incompetent older people they hire. I think this is the real reason companies crack down on working from home. It's infuriating as a top performer - I just want to get my assig…

Peer mentoring is part of your job in any field. It's not a secret that your better people are supposed to help train other employees. Senior people train junior people, people with expertise in a domain share it, etc. Some fields even make this formal at the early levels, with apprenticeships, but I've worked in a number of fields and never had this not be the expectation. It's part of why you (should) get paid more…

> Peer mentoring is part of your job in any field.

All morality in a corporate setting is fake by design. Everybody simply maximizes their own bottom line, and if you don't too, you are an idiot. Training your own competition is simply not a way to maximize your revenue.

Re: Programmers are most likely to work from home

#85

Post by nitelord »

midgetjones wrote: post #31
ooqr wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That, and the snacks I buy and put in my fridge are better than the free snacks at work. Also I can take a shower in the middle of the day. Which is the best time.

> Also I can take a shower in the middle of the day. Which is the best time. I'm intrigued. Why is that the best time?

I work from home and a shower can be an incredibly helpful way to take a break from the computer and think about technical problems. I imagine it's a bit like meditation.. Being able to do this at the right time is key.

Re: Programmers are most likely to work from home

#86

Post by CydeWeys »

ahallock wrote: post #43

I've invested thousands of dollars in my home setup (which will never be done), to create an amazing working environment. Why would I want to give that up? Sure, employers may give you a little $ to customize your desk and equipment, but if I'm going to be spending so much of my life at a computer, it'd better be amazing.

My employer's work environment is worth much more to me per year than the entire cost of your home setup thanks to all of the free meals and the gym equipment alone. Just something worth thinking about.

Re: Programmers are most likely to work from home

#87

Post by beaconstudios »

humbleMouse wrote: post #15

There is a dirty secret that nobody talks about and the real reason that companies want programmers in the office. Companies want their top performers in the office so they can serve as trainers/mentors/teachers to the new college kids and the incompetent older people they hire. I think this is the real reason companies crack down on working from home. It's infuriating as a top performer - I just want to get my assig…

programming is a team sport - you might well be better than average but if you're leaving your team to eat dust then you may well be causing more harm than good.

Re: Programmers are most likely to work from home

#88

Post by intrasight »

humbleMouse wrote: post #15

There is a dirty secret that nobody talks about and the real reason that companies want programmers in the office. Companies want their top performers in the office so they can serve as trainers/mentors/teachers to the new college kids and the incompetent older people they hire. I think this is the real reason companies crack down on working from home. It's infuriating as a top performer - I just want to get my assig…

You had it backwards - should have read "new older people and incompetent college kids"

Re: Programmers are most likely to work from home

#90

Post by mytec »

maxfurman wrote: post #19
eddieh wrote: post #12

I like working from my office. I don't understand people that like working from home. Possible confounding variable: I live exactly two blocks from my office and don't have to commute. Perhaps, in actuality, people don't like to commute?

The lack of commute is a huge part of the appeal. If the office is half an hour away (which really isn't that bad if you live or work outside of a city), and you work from home, you get a whole hour back every day. I don't think I would ever make it to the gym if I had a long commute.

At a previous job I worked from home 2-3 days per week. My commute was 45-60 minutes depending on traffic. When I worked from home, I'd actually start working when I'd typically head out the door and work until the time I'd typically get home. The company got more from me and I didn't have to endure the commute (or the wear-and-tear on my car with stop-go traffic).

Getting that time back in the evening, when needed, allowed me to schedule local appointments or meet a friend at a more reasonable time.

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