Don't Get Stuck
stitcher.io
Don't Get Stuck
1–10 of 68 posts
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#2I know so many people who are in this exact position. Trying to change the practices of their companies for the better but never getting anywhere.
A client is paying for a refactor but the manager says "we don't have time to write tests, the client is not paying for that" (when indeed they are in the end).
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#3How do you define being stuck? If you have great coworkers that you're able to learn from, but the company itself is struggling, are you stuck?
Maybe there are certain stages in a failing company. Stage I: A few great coworkers, product struggling. Stage II: Great coworkers begin leaving, you're still fighting. Stage III: The position OP describes in his post.
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#4I know so many people who are in this exact position. Trying to change the practices of their companies for the better but never getting anywhere. A client is paying for a refactor but the manager says "we don't have time to write tests, the client is not paying for that" (when indeed they are in the end).
I feel like company's like that are shooting themselves in the foot: the delivered product is of lesser quality, developers aren't happy and quit sooner or later.
Looking at it from a manager's perspective, I think you'd want to do everything in your power to prevent such situations. Feels like there's a general lack of future perspective in many companies.
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#5How do you define being stuck? If you have great coworkers that you're able to learn from, but the company itself is struggling, are you stuck? Maybe there are certain stages in a failing company. Stage I: A few great coworkers, product struggling. Stage II: Great coworkers begin leaving, you're still fighting. Stage III: The position OP describes in his post.
There definitely are stages before being stuck. I worked for three and a half years in that company, and only felt stuck for the last year.
I went to all three stages you describe, feels very familiar.
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#6There will always be fewer people at the top of the pyramid than there are at the base. As such, there will always be too few opportunities for everyone to grow and/or be promoted, especially not within a specific timeframe of a few years.
A company is not an ever-flowing pipeline up that pyramid, the job still needs doing. So it's normal that indeed people will leave to explore other opportunities in other places.
I'm not certain this can be resolved in smaller or medium-sized companies. The amount of opportunities tends to grow with the size of the company.
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#7I know so many people who are in this exact position. Trying to change the practices of their companies for the better but never getting anywhere. A client is paying for a refactor but the manager says "we don't have time to write tests, the client is not paying for that" (when indeed they are in the end).
The client IS paying for that; the trick is to not end up in a situation where a refactor becomes a rewrite but part of your daily job. A refactoring shouldn't take more than a couple of days; if it does, it's too big. Same with testing.
The client does not pay for refactorings or testing, and your manager shouldn't be made aware of it because it's part of your regular job. If they have so much insight in your day job that they start complaining, they're micro-managing and probably redundant (if they have the time / energy to look as closely at you / your team's work).
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#8I have a rule: if I've been doing the same job for two years, it's time to leave.
Especially in this industry, getting comfortable can be disastrous. There's no job security, ever, but it's remarkably easy to fool oneself into thinking there is. And then suddenly it's gone, and a hostile job market with skills 5 years out of date.
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#9I tell you one thing. If you think that a company will be offering you new tech after every X months or Y years then you are wrong. Tech world does not like that. Think of the investment a company does to bring in a tech stack. It is not all about downloading a new tech, it is about finding and hiring resources. If they all start changing tech based on wish list then they never can progress. I remember something my ex Boss said years back: We have not married with companies hence we should not try to change company as per our will.
In order to fulfill what you want you should work on side projects. Side projects are great way to vent out tech frustration. Working on PHP and got bored? Try python at home. Tired of using bootstrap? Try Tailwind. Feel angry seeing monolith CRUD apps? Try Docker at home and start making micro-services. You have endless options. You can also put code on Github to improve your resume.
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#10It would be helpful to the reader if the text was easier to see.
A story displayed in light gray on white is difficult to read.