5 ms·

This really resonates with me. I'm becoming jaded as well. My most hated thing about the industry: the amount of people who do not give a shit. These people

This really resonates with me. I'm becoming jaded as well. My most hated thing about the industry: the amount of people who do not give a shit. These people try to do the least amount of work possible. They actively try to stretch a day's worth of work into a month. They do not want to learn anything, even on the company's dime. They have zero passion and pride. Often they are vicious; they will act so kind and diplomatic but they are sneaky snakes that will take credit and control communication. They would shoot their own mother to look good (apologies for the morbid exaggeration). I know that this might be common elsewhere but I feel like our industry has seen such demand, and 90% of that demand was filled with awful people. The poor visibility of actual work done allows these people to continue feeding of the flesh of true, honest, hardworking devs. I've been eaten alive once too many and I'm sick of it.

b0rsuk 6y ago
It sounds like you're dealing with narcissists, one of the most toxic kinds of people possible. You run into them eventually and they're good at influencing people and masking themselves. Pointing them out to others does no good unless you have a lot of reputation. But if you educate yourself, you can see through most of their schemes, detach emotionally, and keep your sanity. Is Your Boss Narcissistic? [Signs of Narcissism at Work] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P-5q0C31m4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P-5q0C31m4 (the video also talks a bit about coworkers) Dr Ramani is a PHD psychologist specializing in narcissism, she has great yt videos. I also recommend educating yourself about gaslighting, manipulation, invalidation etc. Don't take everything you hear at face value. Signs of gaslighting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FISZshe9L3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FISZshe9L3s (My hypothesis is that large companies turn to crap largely because they eventually end up recruiting toxic but charismatic people, not really because of their size.)
- jokethrowaway 6y ago
  Narcissism is the mental illness of this century! It's very common in varying degrees. That said, I agree with you that large companies are worse because there's a higher chance of a manipulative person being hired and acquiring company. I also think that the more money to be made, the higher the likelihood such people will show up. That's also why governments don't work, they're just the largest companies we have in society + monopoly on legal violence.
treis 6y ago
>My most hated thing about the industry: the amount of people who do not give a shit. This is why they're not burned out. And IMHO, this sounds a lot like sour grapes. To be rewarded for good work your management needs to know you're doing good work. For them to know you're doing good work you need to tell them. This is just a basic fact of life. And it's not super hard. You just need to maintain a relationship with your boss and ideally your boss's boss.
- TravHatesMe 6y ago
  > This is why they're not burned out. So your solution is to just not give a shit like everyone else? The reason that I've become so good at my craft is by giving a shit. The reason that my projects always succeed is because I give a shit. Not giving a shit puts a ceiling on your career as a developer. Not giving a shit will prevent you from learning. The irony in my situation is that I am investing in myself by doing the work, I am learning and improving myself while others stagnate. I try to remind myself of that. > And IMHO, this sounds a lot like sour grapes. To be rewarded for good work your management needs to know you're doing good work. For them to know you're doing good work you need to tell them. This is just a basic fact of life. And it's not super hard. You just need to maintain a relationship with your boss and ideally your boss's boss. Sour grapes? Only one or two sentences complained about recognition. I'm talking generally about the majority of developers at big orgs. Deal with management? I work in a global org that already has plenty of communication issues, people don't want to be bothered. Moreover I don't want to deal with politics as I am a long-term contractor. I try to remind myself that I just need to bill my hours and forget about it, but I'm essentially treated as an employee and my insane efforts carry a team of 8 people (including other contractors) that literally do nothing while reaping the pay and recognition. They run mouse movers all day and enjoy their paid staycations. "Spend the budget" -- since I provide 10x the value then give me 10x the pay, the other guys are doing nothing while it's expected that I work my ass off. A manager that I befriended once told me "yeah that's usually how it goes, team of 8 but one or two guys do all the work. typical" How is this acceptable? If I give up like the others then I am no better, I become the person I despise and I contribute to the horrible culture that has taken over the industry in big orgs.

b0rsuk 6y ago

It sounds like you're dealing with narcissists, one of the most toxic kinds of people possible. You run into them eventually and they're good at influencing people and masking themselves. Pointing them out to others does no good unless you have a lot of reputation. But if you educate yourself, you can see through most of their schemes, detach emotionally, and keep your sanity. Is Your Boss Narcissistic? [Signs of Narcissism at Work] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P-5q0C31m4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P-5q0C31m4 (the video also talks a bit about coworkers) Dr Ramani is a PHD psychologist specializing in narcissism, she has great yt videos. I also recommend educating yourself about gaslighting, manipulation, invalidation etc. Don't take everything you hear at face value. Signs of gaslighting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FISZshe9L3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FISZshe9L3s (My hypothesis is that large companies turn to crap largely because they eventually end up recruiting toxic but charismatic people, not really because of their size.)

jokethrowaway 6y ago
Narcissism is the mental illness of this century! It's very common in varying degrees. That said, I agree with you that large companies are worse because there's a higher chance of a manipulative person being hired and acquiring company. I also think that the more money to be made, the higher the likelihood such people will show up. That's also why governments don't work, they're just the largest companies we have in society + monopoly on legal violence.

treis 6y ago

>My most hated thing about the industry: the amount of people who do not give a shit. This is why they're not burned out. And IMHO, this sounds a lot like sour grapes. To be rewarded for good work your management needs to know you're doing good work. For them to know you're doing good work you need to tell them. This is just a basic fact of life. And it's not super hard. You just need to maintain a relationship with your boss and ideally your boss's boss.

TravHatesMe 6y ago
> This is why they're not burned out. So your solution is to just not give a shit like everyone else? The reason that I've become so good at my craft is by giving a shit. The reason that my projects always succeed is because I give a shit. Not giving a shit puts a ceiling on your career as a developer. Not giving a shit will prevent you from learning. The irony in my situation is that I am investing in myself by doing the work, I am learning and improving myself while others stagnate. I try to remind myself of that. > And IMHO, this sounds a lot like sour grapes. To be rewarded for good work your management needs to know you're doing good work. For them to know you're doing good work you need to tell them. This is just a basic fact of life. And it's not super hard. You just need to maintain a relationship with your boss and ideally your boss's boss. Sour grapes? Only one or two sentences complained about recognition. I'm talking generally about the majority of developers at big orgs. Deal with management? I work in a global org that already has plenty of communication issues, people don't want to be bothered. Moreover I don't want to deal with politics as I am a long-term contractor. I try to remind myself that I just need to bill my hours and forget about it, but I'm essentially treated as an employee and my insane efforts carry a team of 8 people (including other contractors) that literally do nothing while reaping the pay and recognition. They run mouse movers all day and enjoy their paid staycations. "Spend the budget" -- since I provide 10x the value then give me 10x the pay, the other guys are doing nothing while it's expected that I work my ass off. A manager that I befriended once told me "yeah that's usually how it goes, team of 8 but one or two guys do all the work. typical" How is this acceptable? If I give up like the others then I am no better, I become the person I despise and I contribute to the horrible culture that has taken over the industry in big orgs.