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> It does however still leave the question "but whose fault that legacy code is?" Heh, I can do this all day. "We accumulated a lot of tech debt on a previous
by hobls 10y ago
> It does however still leave the question "but whose fault that legacy code is?"
Heh, I can do this all day. "We accumulated a lot of tech debt on a previous project because of very short deadlines." Or, "the previous owner learned the technology while building the system -- I'm sure he would have done it differently today." What I'm looking for is that you understand what leads to this sort of situation, and it isn't usually, "the last guy was an idiot." I mean sometimes, sure, but even then it's usually closer to, "the last guy was hired into a role he wasn't ready for and needed a better mentor, or better training."
> Could you please clarify on that point? I am curious.
It's really helpful to be able to send an engineer to collaborate with another team without having to worry about whether they'll end up butting heads with someone and making a mess. Tact is important. Sometimes other people are under constraints that you're not aware of, and it's useful to have empathy. Maybe they have super tight deadlines, or maybe they're having to use a technology they've never used before. It's easy to say, "this person is a moron and their code is bad," but if they get the impression that you think that it can really harm working relationships. At that point, I end up having to step in and smooth relationship over, and it's not a great use of time.
Talking about how bad ex-coworkers with tact shows me that you 1) have empathy and 2) will understand how to navigate similar situations if hired.
- pdimitar 10y ago> Heh, I can do this all day. I can see that! :D Thanks, you've been very helpful. Believe it or not, I am learning from this interaction. > Tact is important. I don't disagree and I'm with you here. But herein lies the dilemma -- I've been tactful and diplomatic way too many times for my taste. I've had my fair share of politics. I am not horrible in it; I simply started lacking any patience for it and thus my mood started leaning heavily towards being blunt and somewhat inconsiderate. I am not outright offensive but I am no longer tactful and diplomatic (sigh). I started standing up and heavily protest in the face of bad politics however. I have less patience now because I expect everybody else to do the same -- and they don't. That's why I get easily irritated. I absolutely agree with ALL of your points -- the people might have had horrible customers (or team leaders), they might have drained the budget close to the end of the project so they probably had to cut tens of corners, they might have been gaining experience along the way... and a plethora of other possibilities. I agree. I do have empathy and tact. But I have lost almost all patience in the last few years. I appreciate that you might not believe such a polarized message in an interview. But I got slightly carried away sharing. :)
- hobls 10y agoHappy to help! At the very least, just prove that you can keep your mouth shut if you think someone is the worst, heh. That's really all I'm looking for. ;) I also totally understand getting frustrated. I've been a total dick to my coworkers in the past, for lots of different reasons. I was burnt out, I was young, etc. I've mellowed out a lot over the years. A good chunk of that is also just being on a good team; it's really hard to be the best version of yourself of you're not well supported.
- pdimitar 10y ago> I've mellowed out a lot over the years. And here you have myself at 37 being much more impatient compared to 27. :D Truth be told, I am also much more mellow in general, just not in work lately. > At the very least, just prove that you can keep your mouth shut if you think someone is the worst, heh. That's really all I'm looking for. ;) Double thanks, this is an extremely valuable advice! I appreciate you taking the time.
- davidf18 10y agoThank you for providing the helpful specifics.