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When I first got into manufacturing, I encountered this too, but I saw it as an opportunity. I was the sole (and first) developer when I came onboard, and withi

When I first got into manufacturing, I encountered this too, but I saw it as an opportunity. I was the sole (and first) developer when I came onboard, and within a few years, I had a team. A decade later, and the entire company depends on my team on a daily basis, because we've automated tasks and provided tools for every department. Not to mention that I've broken company records for salary increases on multiple occasions throughout my journey here. So, maybe it was a little more work for me to get them to "get it" with regards to software development, but I did it. That said, I do understand that not everyone wants to have to put in that extra work, but it does feel damn good if you do.

haswell 5y ago
> That said, I do understand that not everyone wants to have to put in that extra work, but it does feel damn good if you do. I do think this is valid, but feel I should add: that willingness needs to go both ways. You were willing to put in the extra work, and your employer was willing to "get it". There exist organizations that will never "get it" despite the extra work, and these are the places others are talking about when they say "run away". I experienced both variations of this earlier in my career. I was successful the first time, and tried to apply that success in a larger environment. The lack of organizational willingness to "get it" in that second environment is what motivated me to move to a place where building software is the primary reason for existence. I do not intend to look back.
- TheOtherHobbes 5y ago
  The lack of organisational willingness is usually a combination of managerial debt and veeps/senior managers whose annual bonus depends on keeping things as they are. Managerial debt can happen anywhere, including tech firms. It's where you're dealing with people who don't understand what recent technology can do. Maybe they got it 10-50 years ago. Maybe they were very good at it 10-50 years ago. But today they're behind the curve and unwilling or unable to understand that a working modern solution is possible. They may also be risk averse for perfectly rational reasons, in which case you need to sell damage management security promises and fall backs with any upgrades. The bonus issue is a very real problem. If there's pushback from that level it's often because those people can see dollars moving from them to the newcomers. And they'll do almost anything they can to prevent that. These are very difficult issues to deal with, because they're usually hidden behind spurious excuses and rationales and passive blocking actions.

haswell 5y ago

> That said, I do understand that not everyone wants to have to put in that extra work, but it does feel damn good if you do. I do think this is valid, but feel I should add: that willingness needs to go both ways. You were willing to put in the extra work, and your employer was willing to "get it". There exist organizations that will never "get it" despite the extra work, and these are the places others are talking about when they say "run away". I experienced both variations of this earlier in my career. I was successful the first time, and tried to apply that success in a larger environment. The lack of organizational willingness to "get it" in that second environment is what motivated me to move to a place where building software is the primary reason for existence. I do not intend to look back.

TheOtherHobbes 5y ago
The lack of organisational willingness is usually a combination of managerial debt and veeps/senior managers whose annual bonus depends on keeping things as they are. Managerial debt can happen anywhere, including tech firms. It's where you're dealing with people who don't understand what recent technology can do. Maybe they got it 10-50 years ago. Maybe they were very good at it 10-50 years ago. But today they're behind the curve and unwilling or unable to understand that a working modern solution is possible. They may also be risk averse for perfectly rational reasons, in which case you need to sell damage management security promises and fall backs with any upgrades. The bonus issue is a very real problem. If there's pushback from that level it's often because those people can see dollars moving from them to the newcomers. And they'll do almost anything they can to prevent that. These are very difficult issues to deal with, because they're usually hidden behind spurious excuses and rationales and passive blocking actions.