3 ms·

In my almost-three-decades of dev I think I can narrow it down to two things; 1. Have a boss who doesn't take the credit for your work. If your direct manager

In my almost-three-decades of dev I think I can narrow it down to two things; 1. Have a boss who doesn't take the credit for your work. If your direct manager is a decent person they'll put your work in front of leadership and attribute it to you. This has a very positive impact on your career. 2. Change job 'often', where often is a cadence that doesn't make it look like you're running away from things. Your best opportunity for self-promotion that has a high impact on your career is in a job interview. However, I'll add a third insight - try to define success in a way that means you're feeling like you're moving upwards even if it's not recognized externally. Taking pride in the work you do, improving your skills, volunteering for challenging projects, etc really helps you feel like you're progressing, and that really helps with #2 above. And if none of that works just pretend HN karma is an important metric. It works for me.

FrontierPsych 4y ago
Your point number 1, while informative, is not useful. It is not up to an employee to choose a boss. So really, the only solution to this issue is your number 2 statement -> change jobs often. This will get you away from a shitty boss, (and a good one). You have to get out from under a shitty boss. That is the only solution. So really, your number 1 should be: Never work for a shitty boss. Transfer laterally or find a new job if you thing your shitty boss is going to be your shitty boss for more than 1 to 1.5 years. If you can't get out from under a shitty boss because you must stay in a same location and there are no other job opportunities, or you have a job so well-paying that you will never get a high-income job like this and you have high-income requirements like private schools for your kids, then you just have to eat the shit and pretend you like it. Get your enjoyment outside of work.

FrontierPsych 4y ago

Your point number 1, while informative, is not useful. It is not up to an employee to choose a boss. So really, the only solution to this issue is your number 2 statement -> change jobs often. This will get you away from a shitty boss, (and a good one). You have to get out from under a shitty boss. That is the only solution. So really, your number 1 should be: Never work for a shitty boss. Transfer laterally or find a new job if you thing your shitty boss is going to be your shitty boss for more than 1 to 1.5 years. If you can't get out from under a shitty boss because you must stay in a same location and there are no other job opportunities, or you have a job so well-paying that you will never get a high-income job like this and you have high-income requirements like private schools for your kids, then you just have to eat the shit and pretend you like it. Get your enjoyment outside of work.