i got fired in 2020 march for my last job at a startup for not being fast enough.. I dont know if it was company specific or i;m legitimately slow developer. How fast and how much do you expect to work?
Ask HN: How do I know if im a slow developer?
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Re: Ask HN: How do I know if im a slow developer?
#2Maybe you're not slow compared to other developers. Maybe they were expecting you to work lots of extra hours?
Re: Ask HN: How do I know if im a slow developer?
#3Was it your first job? How did you perform compared with other developers?
Expectations vary between workplaces. This isn't a pattern until it has happened at multiple companies.
The people who have been fired from teams I've worked with have either had trouble completing tasks or been unable to collaborate with others.
Re: Ask HN: How do I know if im a slow developer?
#4Maybe you're not slow compared to other developers. Maybe they were expecting you to work lots of extra hours?
when i left they asked my friend to start working weekends, so maybe
Re: Ask HN: How do I know if im a slow developer?
#5Was it your first job? How did you perform compared with other developers? Expectations vary between workplaces. This isn't a pattern until it has happened at multiple companies. The people who have been fired from teams I've worked with have either had trouble completing tasks or been unable to collaborate with others.
no it wasnt my first job, 2 years experience.. but i feel like every time i start a job the first 2 months i get this feedback over and over. but a few months later noone has any negative feedback, what do people expect from peoples first month? feels like they expect full competency within a certain timeframe (less than a month). i have trouble finding other people expectations so dont know how to meet what i dont know
Re: Ask HN: How do I know if im a slow developer?
#6Maybe you're not slow compared to other developers. Maybe they were expecting you to work lots of extra hours?
when i left they asked my friend to start working weekends, so maybe
That indicates leadership which is overstressed and has a poor understanding of the nature of software engineering productivity.
Re: Ask HN: How do I know if im a slow developer?
#7> got fired in 2020 march for my last job at a startup
I think being March 2020 && At a Startup, are probably much more explanatory here than any reason they gave you. A lot of companies, and most startups, did substantial layoff's then don't take it personally.
There are probably things you can learn from the experience though. It's possible you were mis-aligned with what your manager wanted; maybe they wanted you to duct tape fixes ASAP & you were over-engineering a more long term elegant solution. Or maybe you just weren't great at showing the value you were contributing to the rest of the team. etc. etc.
Re: Ask HN: How do I know if im a slow developer?
#8It depends on the project and the team/environment, but I’ve always found the old saying “slow and steady wins the race” to be true.
Better to work slowly and take the time to communicate, collab on reviews and write decent documentation than just slap things into production as quickly as possible.
Of course the company has to value that kind of approach.
Re: Ask HN: How do I know if im a slow developer?
#9Was it your first job? How did you perform compared with other developers? Expectations vary between workplaces. This isn't a pattern until it has happened at multiple companies. The people who have been fired from teams I've worked with have either had trouble completing tasks or been unable to collaborate with others.
no it wasnt my first job, 2 years experience.. but i feel like every time i start a job the first 2 months i get this feedback over and over. but a few months later noone has any negative feedback, what do people expect from peoples first month? feels like they expect full competency within a certain timeframe (less than a month). i have trouble finding other people expectations so dont know how to meet what i dont k…
Don't worry about it then. Some people are faster at starting than others. Just do your best and don't worry about it until this happens again.
Re: Ask HN: How do I know if im a slow developer?
#10I am often slower than other developers. However, I produce far fewer inconsistencies (bugs...), my code is highly reusable, and my documentation skills make it easy for someone to come behind be and know what is going on without asking any (or very few) questions.
Perhaps you were not a good fit there but another place you will be an amazing fit. Keep your head up.
Quality over quantity.