In my ten years as a software engineer, I’ve discovered a bizarre trend that smooth projects often get less recognition than chaotic ones. It may be due to a perception that it must have been an easy project if it was so smooth. On the other hand, projects with multiple day follows, dramatic reverts, etc get a ton more visibility. Have others seen this on their organization?
Am I overreacting or is this a completely reasonable thing to be anxious about? My company has been doing surprise layoffs with no heads-up whatsoever. You'll notice someone is just gone from Slack one day, and leadership stays completely quiet until gossip starts spreading. It's been really hard to focus, knowing anyone could be next.
I previously worked at a credit union where software developer salaries were way under market ($50k–$60k), prompting me to leave and triple my income. I later discovered that the chief of technology hired a former developer and close friend as a remote, part-time contractor at a triple-digit hourly rate. This individual maintains a separate full-time job and works completely flexible hours, 20-40 hours. This feels like blatant cronyism. Is there any recourse?
How are your daily standups run? Yeah, some people throw in blockers here and there but it’s really just people talking about how productive they were the day before by listing their accomplishments. It’s not the time or place for that. I think stand ups should just be revised to “is there anything stopping you from during your work that the entire team needs to know”?
Yes, you get rewarded for putting out fires, not for being smart enough not to create them in the first place. Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Working sucks today in almost every industry. I miss the late 90s
I wanted to work in the 90s for sure but I was too busy being in elementary school.
Yeah, it's been like that pretty much everywhere I have been. Once the org reaches a certain size, leadership tends to only know who you are if they have to find out there's a problem and it turns out you're either the person who fixes the problem or you yourself are the problem. Especially true during the pandemic when chance encounters and polite chitchat in the hallway weren't happening.
Yes, I agree. If you’re very competent and manage well, then you’re not noticed as much. The sweat spot is to run part of a tough project well while others struggle. I did this early in my career and got promoted. A way around this is to blow your own horn by highlighting your contributions to management. It shows you’re competent without seeming arrogant.
growth comes through conflict, not complacency. thus, as long as the outcome is overall positive, a violent project earns your stripes more easily than a smooth one - you are a known deliverer through adversity.