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Again, I said there is nothing wrong with taking a break. To me working on developer tooling is taking a break. Maybe to you it isn't, so going to someone's d

Again, I said there is nothing wrong with taking a break. To me working on developer tooling is taking a break. Maybe to you it isn't, so going to someone's desk for a chat would work for you, or going to play ping-pong in the lounge. My one and only point is that lying to your employer, to set yourself up so that you can somehow get through your low-points, means you are either in the wrong job or in the wrong profession. Be a professional and do your honest best, that's all.

poikniok 9y ago
That would be great if employers actually let you take a break. Instead what will happen is exactly what you would probably try, which is to get the person to do some other kind of work. I am happy for you that working on developer tooling is a break for you, but for some people this is never going to be the case. Some people might only be able to work 150/250 possible work days in a year sustainably. I think this advice is aimed at those individuals. At the end of the day you have to watch out for yourself. If you work yourself to suicide the company is never going feel sympathy for you. This is a business transaction, and part of business is crafting a message that resonates with counter-parties. Companies themselves do this all the time, and it is perfectly standard.
jventura 9y ago
> My one and only point is that lying to your employer, to set yourself up so that you can somehow get through your low-points, means you are either in the wrong job or in the wrong profession. Not everybody is still young in this field. Some of us have learned some "tactics" on how to handle with other humans. When I was younger and more inexperienced, I also thought that pure honesty would be rewarded with pure honesty from the other side. As long as you do things with the best of intentions, I guess some sensitivity to human conditions is a better long term approach.. I'm not really disagreeing with you, it's just that things are not so simple as you put them. If it's for you, great, but for the other 90%, it's not..
orthecreedence 9y ago
> going to someone's desk for a chat would work for you, or going to play ping-pong in the lounge. These are not suggestions that come from a person who knows what creative burnout is. It's becoming clear to me that you've never actually had a good, hard two week burnout with deadlines hanging over your head and bosses breathing down your neck. Good for you, I can tell you it sucks. > means you are either in the wrong job or in the wrong profession. Be a professional and do your honest best, that's all. I am a professional. I've been through acquisitions and I've been through corporate cubicle jobs. I've founded several companies...some have failed, some have sold. I've seen a lot and learned a lot along the way, and I know how to handle a lot of different situations beyond the simple, petty mantra of "honesty is good." There are times to be honest, and there are times to hold your cards close. The world can be a harsh place, and relying on nothing but honesty and hard work to get you through it is completely naive. Other than the work you promise your employers in your contract, you owe them, honesty included, absolutely nothing. This is how they view you: a set of terms. The minute you no longer make sense, they will push you out like a popped zit. Part of being a professional means projecting an image that makes you look indispensable. Are you the person who gets their shit done, or are you the person always whining about burnout? I'm fairly convinced at this point that you don't know what the hell you're talking about. That's fine, but maybe it's a good time to stop talking. Come back to me in 10 years and tell me how far your complete honesty with your employers has gotten you. You'll be able to. I sign my name to my statements.

poikniok 9y ago

That would be great if employers actually let you take a break. Instead what will happen is exactly what you would probably try, which is to get the person to do some other kind of work. I am happy for you that working on developer tooling is a break for you, but for some people this is never going to be the case. Some people might only be able to work 150/250 possible work days in a year sustainably. I think this advice is aimed at those individuals. At the end of the day you have to watch out for yourself. If you work yourself to suicide the company is never going feel sympathy for you. This is a business transaction, and part of business is crafting a message that resonates with counter-parties. Companies themselves do this all the time, and it is perfectly standard.

jventura 9y ago

> My one and only point is that lying to your employer, to set yourself up so that you can somehow get through your low-points, means you are either in the wrong job or in the wrong profession. Not everybody is still young in this field. Some of us have learned some "tactics" on how to handle with other humans. When I was younger and more inexperienced, I also thought that pure honesty would be rewarded with pure honesty from the other side. As long as you do things with the best of intentions, I guess some sensitivity to human conditions is a better long term approach.. I'm not really disagreeing with you, it's just that things are not so simple as you put them. If it's for you, great, but for the other 90%, it's not..

orthecreedence 9y ago

> going to someone's desk for a chat would work for you, or going to play ping-pong in the lounge. These are not suggestions that come from a person who knows what creative burnout is. It's becoming clear to me that you've never actually had a good, hard two week burnout with deadlines hanging over your head and bosses breathing down your neck. Good for you, I can tell you it sucks. > means you are either in the wrong job or in the wrong profession. Be a professional and do your honest best, that's all. I am a professional. I've been through acquisitions and I've been through corporate cubicle jobs. I've founded several companies...some have failed, some have sold. I've seen a lot and learned a lot along the way, and I know how to handle a lot of different situations beyond the simple, petty mantra of "honesty is good." There are times to be honest, and there are times to hold your cards close. The world can be a harsh place, and relying on nothing but honesty and hard work to get you through it is completely naive. Other than the work you promise your employers in your contract, you owe them, honesty included, absolutely nothing. This is how they view you: a set of terms. The minute you no longer make sense, they will push you out like a popped zit. Part of being a professional means projecting an image that makes you look indispensable. Are you the person who gets their shit done, or are you the person always whining about burnout? I'm fairly convinced at this point that you don't know what the hell you're talking about. That's fine, but maybe it's a good time to stop talking. Come back to me in 10 years and tell me how far your complete honesty with your employers has gotten you. You'll be able to. I sign my name to my statements.