5 ms·

This is obvious in the workplace. Here are some of the things that lack of power/autonomy will lead to: - Being forced to do work assigned to someone else. -

This is obvious in the workplace. Here are some of the things that lack of power/autonomy will lead to: - Being forced to do work assigned to someone else. - Being forced to do work for which someone else will receive credit or compensation - Being forced to appear as though under someone else's control (other than direct manager) - Being forced to do the more dangerous, risky, difficult, or thankless work - Being forced to do work far below one's qualifications - Being forced to take over failed projects or projects that have already been rejected by upper management.

ux-app 11y ago
> Being forced to do work for which someone else will receive credit or compensation I have a severely low level of tolerance for this. My first team leader at my first job as a code monkey blatantly took credit for a huge improvement I made to one of the company's long standing processes. It soon became apparent that climbing the corporate ladder meant climbing over the backs of others. I quit 2 weeks later and never returned to a cubicle. Autonomy is king. Without it, I personally cannot function.
- erikb 11y ago
  And how do you achieve autonomy if not via taking power? I mean you can work as a contractor, but the game is the same. You either make low pay, or work for someone else, or have the power to govern other people's agenda.
  - feelix 11y ago
    Personally I made some websites and started selling my apps from then. I quickly started making more than most salaried jobs and get complete control without having to be horrible to anybody. I don't understand why more people don't do it.
    - erikb 11y ago
      That actually sounds like a good plan!
    - mdpopescu 11y ago
      I wanted to reply "I never get good ideas for websites / apps", but then I realized I actually meant "I never get good ideas IN FIVE SECONDS". Maybe I should spend more time thinking about this :)
      - slazaro 11y ago
        I think getting ideas is not the hard part, just do some quick or clever search on places like reddit and you can find lots of ideas or suggestions that people have but can't or won't create. As they say, execution is what actually matters.
      - a3n 11y ago
        Maybe you should spend more time making apps, whether they're a good idea or not. Often ideas in an area come from working in the area, solving problems in the area, talking to other people about the area, thinking about the area in the shower ...
        mdpopescu 11y ago
        Thank you, that is a GREAT point.
    - CodingGuy 11y ago
      That model is working for me too. In the beginning it might be hard, but now I'm making more than three times the money I could make in a normal job. edit: And I only have to work two hours a day!
      - crispyambulance 11y ago
        That's very inspiring but are you talking about something like US $300000/year? Or are you in a low-cost-of-living situation... US$30000/year? "3x the money you make a normal job" could mean a lot of different things !
        feelix 11y ago
        For me I tend to earn between 120k and 240k USD / year, but I only ever work part time on that job, I used to just spend about 3 months of the year on it, but during those 3 months I would do 100 hour weeks. I'd spend the rest the time traveling for fun. If I was working full time constantly it would be double or triple that by now I think. Right now the sales are slumping a little, but that's because I'm neglecting that work a bit while I pursue my side passion a little more (which will hopefully become profitable later).
    - ionforce 11y ago
      Some people (i.e. myself) don't want the added work that independence demands. I like the traditional setup. Some stuff is abstracted away nicely (benefits, office space, working hours).
    - eswat 11y ago
      Recently had a brief chat with a friend about this, why she wouldn’t consider moonlighting as a freelancer since she seemed to have lost passion in her day-to-day work. “I wouldn’t be able to handle the added stress” was the response, and I can see why from that answer more people don’t do this. Decide to freelance in addition to doing a 9-5 and you’ll not only put more work on your table but other sorts of responsibilities - accounting, client relations, being your own project manager, etc. - will make it much more harder to decompress if you had a shit day at work.
    - cableshaft 11y ago
      The reason the wind got taken out of my sails for creating my own apps is I worked for three small businesses in a row that had trouble getting enough marketing and visibility for their apps/software to sell enough to stay in business, and I'm hesitant to take on the risk myself, even though I think I have better ideas than some of the projects I worked on. For the Apple store in particular I've seen it get so crowded without adequate app discovery mechanisms in place that it seems like without serious marketing money you're essentially rolling the dice on how successful your app is going to be. I don't really want to spend a bunch of my time on that, when I could spend it on other pursuits. But maybe this is a mistaken perception? Why do you think it's so simple to do? Just because you've found success or is your approach different than the norm somehow?
      - feelix 11y ago
        Actually, probably not. Sometimes I still make an app that doesn't do too well. I guess this is the downside. To get started you have to be prepared to make several apps (maybe even up to 10) to be reasonably sure you'll start getting a good income. But when you do get one, it can generate revenue for a long time coming. I think with some good market research you could probably be more sure though. And also going into partnership with somebody lowers the risk as you can churn out more apps then share the profits when you do get a successful one. Personally I have not had much luck with the Apple app stores because of their crowded/discovery issues etc, but I also have not put much effort into them due to their horrible restrictions (the sandbox is a killer with the way they've implemented it, and a lot of my software needs admin privs to run)
  - ux-app 11y ago
    > And how do you achieve autonomy if not via taking power? For me it was by joining a capital 'P' Profession. It quickly became clear to me that I was never going to be a top tier programmer with the skills to dictate my terms of employment, so I ditched software development for teaching. This made sense in Australia because here the salary is at about the same level as senior software developer with essentially 100% autonomy. I go months without seeing my boss and our interactions consist of not much more than a cordial 'how goes it?' I have a yearly performance review which is a friendly sit down with the boss in which I, for the most part, set the agenda and generally boils down to a summary of the professional development I've undertaken throughout the year. The meeting runs for 1 hour and has always been conducted as a meeting of equals, not as a shakedown. The job is mostly performed in isolation which results in collegial interactions that are professional and respectful. After all, the profession is not adversarial. My colleagues have nothing to gain from making me look bad. I often have to pinch myself when I think about the work I do. I am essentially my own boss without any of the uncertainty, volatility or downside. If you're thinking of a career to teaching, beware and make your decision wisely. My understanding is that in the US it is a disaster. Poor pay, micromanaged to death with all the joy sucked out via standardised testing. It varies country by country. As always do your homework before making any rash decisions. I imagine there are other professions that offer similar autonomy. Medicine springs to mind.
    - nkurz 11y ago
      For me it was by joining a capital 'P' Profession. I'm not familiar with this phrase. Could you clarify?
      - nibs 11y ago
        Regulated profession. In this context, a profession would essentially be a catch-all for paid work. And a Profession would be paid work for a specific regulated body of "Professionals" with a specific designation or exclusive right to practive. Think doctor, lawyer, accountant.
        ciaranm 11y ago
InclinedPlane 11y ago
- Being forced to do work which you believe is less valuable to the organization than the work you'd choose to do Which is fascinating, when you think about it enough. And explains a lot of why as companies get bigger they find it harder to do anything well.
- codeonfire 11y ago
  What tends to happen is an executive makes an offhand remark in a meeting about a technology and five mid-level people pick up on it. They each tell 2-3 low level managers to work on it. By the time the project gets to individual contributors it has been distorted and several other groups are trying to deliver a similar project. Individuals just think, "why are we doing this?" because each level hides their intent to impress their boss's boss.
a3n 11y ago
> - Being forced to do work for which someone else will receive credit or compensation The next time you're on a death march, or even just the "usual" period of "sucking it up" at the end of a schedule, consider that the only people who will actually benefit from hitting the schedule are the project lead and the manager. The schedule is most likely imposed from sales and marketing without consultation. Death marches and schedule success don't show on your resume unless you're one of those two people; "Brought in X, Y and Z on schedule." You are a stepping stone.
bunnymancer 11y ago
- Being forced to do work far below one's qualifications You forgot being forced to do work far above one's pay grade...
- codeonfire 11y ago
  I actually like this because it's probably challenging and ammo at review/promotion time. If it isn't appreciated monetarily then it will just be used as interview content for my next job.
  - bunnymancer 11y ago
    Personally I like being paid fairly the Entire year, every year, rather than the next year for the job I did last year..

ux-app 11y ago

> Being forced to do work for which someone else will receive credit or compensation I have a severely low level of tolerance for this. My first team leader at my first job as a code monkey blatantly took credit for a huge improvement I made to one of the company's long standing processes. It soon became apparent that climbing the corporate ladder meant climbing over the backs of others. I quit 2 weeks later and never returned to a cubicle. Autonomy is king. Without it, I personally cannot function.

erikb 11y ago
And how do you achieve autonomy if not via taking power? I mean you can work as a contractor, but the game is the same. You either make low pay, or work for someone else, or have the power to govern other people's agenda.
- feelix 11y ago
  Personally I made some websites and started selling my apps from then. I quickly started making more than most salaried jobs and get complete control without having to be horrible to anybody. I don't understand why more people don't do it.
  - erikb 11y ago
    That actually sounds like a good plan!
  - mdpopescu 11y ago
    I wanted to reply "I never get good ideas for websites / apps", but then I realized I actually meant "I never get good ideas IN FIVE SECONDS". Maybe I should spend more time thinking about this :)
    - slazaro 11y ago
      I think getting ideas is not the hard part, just do some quick or clever search on places like reddit and you can find lots of ideas or suggestions that people have but can't or won't create. As they say, execution is what actually matters.
    - a3n 11y ago
      Maybe you should spend more time making apps, whether they're a good idea or not. Often ideas in an area come from working in the area, solving problems in the area, talking to other people about the area, thinking about the area in the shower ...
      - mdpopescu 11y ago
        Thank you, that is a GREAT point.
  - CodingGuy 11y ago
    That model is working for me too. In the beginning it might be hard, but now I'm making more than three times the money I could make in a normal job. edit: And I only have to work two hours a day!
    - crispyambulance 11y ago
      That's very inspiring but are you talking about something like US $300000/year? Or are you in a low-cost-of-living situation... US$30000/year? "3x the money you make a normal job" could mean a lot of different things !
      - feelix 11y ago
        For me I tend to earn between 120k and 240k USD / year, but I only ever work part time on that job, I used to just spend about 3 months of the year on it, but during those 3 months I would do 100 hour weeks. I'd spend the rest the time traveling for fun. If I was working full time constantly it would be double or triple that by now I think. Right now the sales are slumping a little, but that's because I'm neglecting that work a bit while I pursue my side passion a little more (which will hopefully become profitable later).
  - ionforce 11y ago
    Some people (i.e. myself) don't want the added work that independence demands. I like the traditional setup. Some stuff is abstracted away nicely (benefits, office space, working hours).
  - eswat 11y ago
    Recently had a brief chat with a friend about this, why she wouldn’t consider moonlighting as a freelancer since she seemed to have lost passion in her day-to-day work. “I wouldn’t be able to handle the added stress” was the response, and I can see why from that answer more people don’t do this. Decide to freelance in addition to doing a 9-5 and you’ll not only put more work on your table but other sorts of responsibilities - accounting, client relations, being your own project manager, etc. - will make it much more harder to decompress if you had a shit day at work.
  - cableshaft 11y ago
    The reason the wind got taken out of my sails for creating my own apps is I worked for three small businesses in a row that had trouble getting enough marketing and visibility for their apps/software to sell enough to stay in business, and I'm hesitant to take on the risk myself, even though I think I have better ideas than some of the projects I worked on. For the Apple store in particular I've seen it get so crowded without adequate app discovery mechanisms in place that it seems like without serious marketing money you're essentially rolling the dice on how successful your app is going to be. I don't really want to spend a bunch of my time on that, when I could spend it on other pursuits. But maybe this is a mistaken perception? Why do you think it's so simple to do? Just because you've found success or is your approach different than the norm somehow?
    - feelix 11y ago
      Actually, probably not. Sometimes I still make an app that doesn't do too well. I guess this is the downside. To get started you have to be prepared to make several apps (maybe even up to 10) to be reasonably sure you'll start getting a good income. But when you do get one, it can generate revenue for a long time coming. I think with some good market research you could probably be more sure though. And also going into partnership with somebody lowers the risk as you can churn out more apps then share the profits when you do get a successful one. Personally I have not had much luck with the Apple app stores because of their crowded/discovery issues etc, but I also have not put much effort into them due to their horrible restrictions (the sandbox is a killer with the way they've implemented it, and a lot of my software needs admin privs to run)
- ux-app 11y ago
  > And how do you achieve autonomy if not via taking power? For me it was by joining a capital 'P' Profession. It quickly became clear to me that I was never going to be a top tier programmer with the skills to dictate my terms of employment, so I ditched software development for teaching. This made sense in Australia because here the salary is at about the same level as senior software developer with essentially 100% autonomy. I go months without seeing my boss and our interactions consist of not much more than a cordial 'how goes it?' I have a yearly performance review which is a friendly sit down with the boss in which I, for the most part, set the agenda and generally boils down to a summary of the professional development I've undertaken throughout the year. The meeting runs for 1 hour and has always been conducted as a meeting of equals, not as a shakedown. The job is mostly performed in isolation which results in collegial interactions that are professional and respectful. After all, the profession is not adversarial. My colleagues have nothing to gain from making me look bad. I often have to pinch myself when I think about the work I do. I am essentially my own boss without any of the uncertainty, volatility or downside. If you're thinking of a career to teaching, beware and make your decision wisely. My understanding is that in the US it is a disaster. Poor pay, micromanaged to death with all the joy sucked out via standardised testing. It varies country by country. As always do your homework before making any rash decisions. I imagine there are other professions that offer similar autonomy. Medicine springs to mind.
  - nkurz 11y ago
    For me it was by joining a capital 'P' Profession. I'm not familiar with this phrase. Could you clarify?
    - nibs 11y ago
      Regulated profession. In this context, a profession would essentially be a catch-all for paid work. And a Profession would be paid work for a specific regulated body of "Professionals" with a specific designation or exclusive right to practive. Think doctor, lawyer, accountant.
      - ciaranm 11y ago

InclinedPlane 11y ago

- Being forced to do work which you believe is less valuable to the organization than the work you'd choose to do Which is fascinating, when you think about it enough. And explains a lot of why as companies get bigger they find it harder to do anything well.

codeonfire 11y ago
What tends to happen is an executive makes an offhand remark in a meeting about a technology and five mid-level people pick up on it. They each tell 2-3 low level managers to work on it. By the time the project gets to individual contributors it has been distorted and several other groups are trying to deliver a similar project. Individuals just think, "why are we doing this?" because each level hides their intent to impress their boss's boss.

a3n 11y ago

> - Being forced to do work for which someone else will receive credit or compensation The next time you're on a death march, or even just the "usual" period of "sucking it up" at the end of a schedule, consider that the only people who will actually benefit from hitting the schedule are the project lead and the manager. The schedule is most likely imposed from sales and marketing without consultation. Death marches and schedule success don't show on your resume unless you're one of those two people; "Brought in X, Y and Z on schedule." You are a stepping stone.

bunnymancer 11y ago

- Being forced to do work far below one's qualifications You forgot being forced to do work far above one's pay grade...

codeonfire 11y ago
I actually like this because it's probably challenging and ammo at review/promotion time. If it isn't appreciated monetarily then it will just be used as interview content for my next job.
- bunnymancer 11y ago
  Personally I like being paid fairly the Entire year, every year, rather than the next year for the job I did last year..