7 ms·

Get out.

• cookiecaper 17y ago
  Seriously. This is merely a precursor to what you'll experience in coming months if you stick around. Their policy against outside development is a symptom of diseased thinking, and if you have diseased thought dictating policy, things never work out for the better. Your current employer should be considered an enemy to your well-being and you need to find new employment post-haste.
  • drtse4 17y ago
    Definitely agree, the way of thinking expressed there will surely lead to other similar nonsense when other problems arise.
  • andreyf 17y ago
    A counter-point: instead of storming into work one day and quitting, ask your boss for a meeting and point out in the most direct-but-professional manner you have that this isn't what you signed up for: that this is hurting you as a developer, and that if they intend to enforce those rules, you can't stay at the company. No company will have regulations which are all-and-always perfect for every employee, and some managers will be stupider in applying rules than others - this is a good exercise in learning to stand up for yourself and getting what you want without quitting. If you're a good developer, they'll be willing to "bend a few rules" to keep you.
    • timcederman 17y ago
      From personal experience, I doubt it.
    • potatolicious 17y ago
      You make a good point, but in my experience a company deluded enough to prevent their devs from programming outside of work is just systematically broken in ways that a mere cog cannot hope to rectify. I concur with the top comment: run, don't walk, to the nearest exit.
      • gruseom 17y ago
        systematically broken in ways that a mere cog cannot hope to rectify So true. Cogs cannot rectify. Therefore, either give up hope or switch to a context where you are not a cog. It's surprising how far people can string themselves along refusing to admit this (cf the fantasy literature about "organizational change"). I did it myself for a few years before snapping out of it.
      • Lazlo_Nibble 17y ago
        This assumes that it's actually "the company" laying down this directive, which isn't clear from the post -- it could just as easily be something his manager came up with on his own. Having said that, I wouldn't expend too much energy on trying to get them to change their minds...
    • arach 17y ago
      >A counter-point: instead of storming into work one day and quitting, ask your boss for a meeting and point out in the most direct-but-professional manner you have that this isn't what you signed up for: that this is hurting you as a developer, and that if they intend to enforce those rules, you can't stay at the company. Excellent point. I believe that no matter the outcome, going on the record in a "direct-but-professional" manner is good karma. Worse case: it removes any ambiguity about the reasons for your departure. Best case: it gives you the opportunity to talk some sense into one manager, potentially improving the lives of a whole team of developers. It's also good negotiation practice.
• GrandMasterBirt 17y ago
  Pretty horrible. Generally employers don't want you writing code for the following reasons: They are paranoid you will steal from them the ideas you code on and compete. They want to own your ass. In either case, I don't like paranoid management, and I don't like people "owning my ass". Now on the flip side I don't see why someone you TRUST can't own the company. You might program for it unofficially while working at your current company.
  • rmk 16y ago
    +1 for the suggestion. Just set up your wife/dad/mum as the owner of this startup and run it in that person's name.
• keefe 17y ago
  Many employers have this attitude. It's something you always bring up in the interview if you have a side project.
  • btilly 17y ago
    He did bring it up in the interview.
    • keefe 17y ago
      OP mentions it briefly, it's not clear how much detail was brought out about this. Most people are concentrating on making a "good impression" and won't say something like... I am working on X which I expend to spend 20 hours a week on, what do you think about that? If it's as implied and they flat lied in the interview then change policy? Step 1 is ignore them, you're not doing anything illegal. Step 2 is find a new job immediately.
      • dhimes 17y ago
        I concur. Keep working on your app while you find a new job. Then, go.