3 ms·

How long ago? Do you think it was different when you were there, that it was better in your group specifically, or that it's better in most other groups?

by snth 13y ago

papercruncher 13y ago
I was in Online Services (aka Windows Live) about two years ago. Some groups are obviously better than others, that can be said for any company. I think the problem here is that the author does not realize that unlike college, corporate world requires you to be a bit more proactive. Large companies may suffer from bureaucracy but on the upside, they have vast resources and smart/accomplished people you can tap into if you check your ego at the door, don't expect everything handed to you in a silver platter and tone down the poisonous attitude.
- robododo 13y ago
  I'm actually in the windows services group now (no longer called Live). I can confirm that the author's experience is quite different from mine. Papercruncher's assessment is pretty much spot on. Given there are 10k's of employees here in Redmond, it's not surprising that different groups are, well, different. I've noticed that rather large subcultures emerge in different areas. Once you're in the door, there's encouragement to move and find your "fit". All this blog post taught me is that I probably wouldn't be a good fit for Azure :)
  - marssaxman 13y ago
    I got that encouragement too, after I realized I was never going to be happy at devdiv, but I still don't understand how it was ever supposed to work. It's not like you get special visibility into the working conditions you would encounter in some other group just because your badge will get you into their building. I just said "fuck it" and quit, and I've never regretted that decision.
- jonrimmer 13y ago
  This seems extraordinarily unfair to the author. Being "proactive" can't retroactively make your team write documentation, make them care about engineering quality, or stop them wasting time in meetings, it's just a lame, corporate-speak, equivocation; the kind used by managers in reviews, and nowhere in the real world. Kids fresh out of college may need to adjust their expectations to the real world, but most of his complaints are legitimate problems if true, and accusing him of having a "poisonous attitude" for raising them is exactly the kind of oppressive, censorious behaviour that allows such mediocrity to exist.

How long ago? Do you think it was different when you were there, that it was better in your group specifically, or that it's better in most other groups?

by snth 13y ago

How long ago? Do you think it was different when you were there, that it was better in your group specifically, or that it's better in most other groups?

papercruncher 13y ago

I was in Online Services (aka Windows Live) about two years ago. Some groups are obviously better than others, that can be said for any company. I think the problem here is that the author does not realize that unlike college, corporate world requires you to be a bit more proactive. Large companies may suffer from bureaucracy but on the upside, they have vast resources and smart/accomplished people you can tap into if you check your ego at the door, don't expect everything handed to you in a silver platter and tone down the poisonous attitude.

robododo 13y ago
I'm actually in the windows services group now (no longer called Live). I can confirm that the author's experience is quite different from mine. Papercruncher's assessment is pretty much spot on. Given there are 10k's of employees here in Redmond, it's not surprising that different groups are, well, different. I've noticed that rather large subcultures emerge in different areas. Once you're in the door, there's encouragement to move and find your "fit". All this blog post taught me is that I probably wouldn't be a good fit for Azure :)
- marssaxman 13y ago
  I got that encouragement too, after I realized I was never going to be happy at devdiv, but I still don't understand how it was ever supposed to work. It's not like you get special visibility into the working conditions you would encounter in some other group just because your badge will get you into their building. I just said "fuck it" and quit, and I've never regretted that decision.
jonrimmer 13y ago
This seems extraordinarily unfair to the author. Being "proactive" can't retroactively make your team write documentation, make them care about engineering quality, or stop them wasting time in meetings, it's just a lame, corporate-speak, equivocation; the kind used by managers in reviews, and nowhere in the real world. Kids fresh out of college may need to adjust their expectations to the real world, but most of his complaints are legitimate problems if true, and accusing him of having a "poisonous attitude" for raising them is exactly the kind of oppressive, censorious behaviour that allows such mediocrity to exist.