3 ms·

Agreed. As an engineer, I can also claim that if I say "we can deliver that March 15th", then I get a argument about why can't it go out with the Feb 28th rele

• ams6110 11y ago
  Ever talk to a contractor about a home renovation, or even a painter as in this story? If you start questioning why something will take so long, in my experience the usual answer is something like "if you think you know better than me, do it yourself." Especially if they are good at what they do. Most good tradespeople have more work than they can do, and will just walk if they think a customer is going to be a pain in the ass. How often will developers take that approach?
  • crpatino 11y ago
    Well tradespeople usually work for multiple clients on smallish projects. For good tradespeople, a significant number of those projects come from repeat customers, which means their optimal strategy is not to serve all customers equally, but to prioritize those that are more likely to bring repeat business down the road. A difficult customer is usually not someone you want to do repeat business with, so they get "managed out" pretty reliably. Most software engineers, on the other hand, work for one big customer at a time (your employer). And though I agree that a bad employer at the end of day is detrimental to your career, you cannot afford to switch jobs on trivial matters, on risk of getting labeled as a grasshopper. That's why you do not see developers "walking".