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I'm currently a devops consultant embedded in a big enterprisy company. The scrums, endless pointless meetings, pointy haired bosses and general incompetence is

by recuter 12y ago

I'm currently a devops consultant embedded in a big enterprisy company. The scrums, endless pointless meetings, pointy haired bosses and general incompetence is soul crushing. After almost a year of doing this I can't wait for it to be over and just pack a bag and go a-travelin'. I honestly don't believe this can even be classified as work really, as the output from these places is so low or even negative. These places are weird little cults or oppressive political regimes that you are an insider at. You could enjoy life as part of the politburo, it is objectively the rational way to go. Startups to me have always been the 101st kilometre: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/101st_kilometre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/101st_kilometre "And then one day you find ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun."

captn3m0 12y ago
I read the wiki entry and still don't get the link. Could someone explain, please?
- jfabre 12y ago
  He means that all the undesirable effects of big corps are non-existent in a startup.
- DubiousPusher 12y ago
  I believe the poster means that while the world of start-ups is full of charlatans, it's also where you have to go find the most interesting people and ideas, since anyone inside the 100 meter radius (inside the established software industry) who has an interesting idea is shunned or banished to the world of start-ups. (Not espousing this view myself, just trying to clarify the analogy.)
lost_name 12y ago
I can attest to this as well. The talk of getting something done far outweighs the getting something done. People want/need things in certain ways, and at some point someone is issuing the commands that can't be argued with anymore. I'm often given tasks which I know how to deal with in and out, but I have to dig out all the details prior to implementation and put together specifications, just so someone who doesn't understand the codebase or how A relates to B can ignore me through a meeting and give me the ok. When I first joined the company, before it was sold, and before it increased its workforce 10x, I felt productive most of the week, and more importantly felt happy with my job.
peacemaker 12y ago
I'm amazed you've survived a year at a place like that. I had a very similar environment and quit after 6 weeks. You're right, it's soul crushing and will destroy any interest you have in your career. Lots of places seem to fall into this trap. It's frustrating because most of the time it's simply a matter of politics rather than merit. In my own businesses, I make it very clear from the start that no amount of brown-nosing, staying late, passing blame or any other political tactics will work with me. In fact, they have a MASSIVE negative effect. Let's be honest, not everyone can just leave these kinds of places and startup their own company so often they are stuck. I'm on a bit of a mission right now to improve employee's lives and hopefully that will have a positive effect in the long run.
- skorecky 12y ago
  There need to be more owners with this philosophy.

by recuter 12y ago

captn3m0 12y ago

I read the wiki entry and still don't get the link. Could someone explain, please?

jfabre 12y ago
He means that all the undesirable effects of big corps are non-existent in a startup.
DubiousPusher 12y ago
I believe the poster means that while the world of start-ups is full of charlatans, it's also where you have to go find the most interesting people and ideas, since anyone inside the 100 meter radius (inside the established software industry) who has an interesting idea is shunned or banished to the world of start-ups. (Not espousing this view myself, just trying to clarify the analogy.)

lost_name 12y ago

I can attest to this as well. The talk of getting something done far outweighs the getting something done. People want/need things in certain ways, and at some point someone is issuing the commands that can't be argued with anymore. I'm often given tasks which I know how to deal with in and out, but I have to dig out all the details prior to implementation and put together specifications, just so someone who doesn't understand the codebase or how A relates to B can ignore me through a meeting and give me the ok. When I first joined the company, before it was sold, and before it increased its workforce 10x, I felt productive most of the week, and more importantly felt happy with my job.

peacemaker 12y ago

I'm amazed you've survived a year at a place like that. I had a very similar environment and quit after 6 weeks. You're right, it's soul crushing and will destroy any interest you have in your career. Lots of places seem to fall into this trap. It's frustrating because most of the time it's simply a matter of politics rather than merit. In my own businesses, I make it very clear from the start that no amount of brown-nosing, staying late, passing blame or any other political tactics will work with me. In fact, they have a MASSIVE negative effect. Let's be honest, not everyone can just leave these kinds of places and startup their own company so often they are stuck. I'm on a bit of a mission right now to improve employee's lives and hopefully that will have a positive effect in the long run.

skorecky 12y ago
There need to be more owners with this philosophy.