New job related question
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The short answer: Yes. The real answer: It depends. You've got several possible situations here: 1. ProblemGuy is stuck, and needs a fresh viewpoint to get started again. He explains what he's tried, but he's had a tough time getting outside the box. Good enough; help him out. 2. ProblemGuy is stuck for the third time this week. You wonder why they ever hired him, and then you remember he's the CTO's wife's second cousin. You reach the point where you're always checking on him, making sure he's not wandered off into the weeds. You don't want his part of the project to drag yours down. 3. ProblemGuy is a political animal (of the reptile variety). He has a habit of asking for help, but never seems to follow it. In review meetings, he's always complaining that he tried 'thus and so's approach' but they never seem to work out. You feel betrayed, and the P.H.B. wonders why ProblemGuy is the only one who seems to have the right answers. There are other possibilities. I don't think you can create a blanket policy. There's a line between the efficiency of getting a quick answer and not having the rocks to figure a problem out for yourself.
Software Zen:
delete this;There is no Neopotism involved and politics is not my cup of tea so I guess I do fall under the Ist category.:) Taking pride in one's work is good as long as ego isn't a part of it.
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Pete Madden wrote:
The only advantage that I can think of is saving time
And to the company that is money. You and the company want you to make money for your mutual benefit. Work should not be an ego test. There is no such thing as a stupid question. Something basic for you but maybe it was some area they just did not get involved in or missed the point of the task. Now when the same question arrises day after day for weeks, then yes you got the wrong person for that position, do something about it if you can. In a large organization, that is not allways an option. "Every new day begins with possibilities. It's up to us to fill it with things that move us toward progress and peace.” (Ronald Reagan)
Michael A. Barnhart wrote:
And to the company that is money. You and the company want you to make money for your mutual benefit.
You bet!
Michael A. Barnhart wrote:
Work should not be an ego test.
Very true ... infact I've seen that the best developers implement that sincerely. ########################## Taking pride in one's work is good as long as ego isn't a part of it. ##########################
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Jeremy Falcon wrote:
Then you need to better your interviewing techniques.
Very true, my interviewing techniques are pathetic, its all about if i like the guy or not rather than his coding skills and i have been wrong in the past X| , but still its hard to change.
C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot; C++ makes it harder, but when you do, it blows away your whole leg
Monty v2.0 wrote:
its all about if i like the guy or not
Well, as said already that's important too. After all, you're going to be spending a lot of time with the coworker. Jeremy Falcon
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Is it appropriate to go to a co-worker or a team lead if one is having a coding problem? ... I mean when they "hit a wall" etc. ... especially if it involves developing within the company's infrastructure ... The only advantage that I can think of is saving time ... if I were a senior person in a company I would rather have the new-comer drop by my cube and ask me the "how to ..." so that we can quickly get it out of the way and that person can get along with the project itself rather than struggling for 2 hours on one problem ...
As long as the co-worker is not busy, it's a good idea to ask, rather than waste 3 days finding something out on your own. Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
The Ultimate Grid - The #1 MFC grid out there! -
Is it appropriate to go to a co-worker or a team lead if one is having a coding problem? ... I mean when they "hit a wall" etc. ... especially if it involves developing within the company's infrastructure ... The only advantage that I can think of is saving time ... if I were a senior person in a company I would rather have the new-comer drop by my cube and ask me the "how to ..." so that we can quickly get it out of the way and that person can get along with the project itself rather than struggling for 2 hours on one problem ...
Absolutely! That's one of the reasons for having a team lead. Having been one most of my career, I think I can speak authoritatively. If your lead can't handle it, they've chosen the wrong leader. But that's not your problem - you need to get the job done, and asking for guidance, especially if you're fairly new, is entirely appropriate.
Pete Madden wrote:
The only advantage that I can think of is saving time
How about adding some new knowledge to your toolbag? Wouldn't that be an advantage, too?;) "...a photo album is like Life, but flat and stuck to pages." - Shog9
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So now you're gonna be an ass because you didn't say you were talking about yourself? Damn dude, go take some prozac. Jeremy Falcon
Jeremy Falcon wrote:
So now you're gonna be an ass because you didn't say you were talking about yourself? Damn dude, go take some prozac.
Wow, dude. The retilan script lapse?:suss: My Programming Library C#, C# Run
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I am no expert on interviewing but I think your criteria seems to be right ... if you don't like the guy its a ticking bomb from the start. Coding can be taught but you cannot take an unsocial code monkey and refine its social skills.
Falcon being a case-in-point My Programming Library C#, C# Run -- modified at 10:29 Saturday 11th March, 2006
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Is it appropriate to go to a co-worker or a team lead if one is having a coding problem? ... I mean when they "hit a wall" etc. ... especially if it involves developing within the company's infrastructure ... The only advantage that I can think of is saving time ... if I were a senior person in a company I would rather have the new-comer drop by my cube and ask me the "how to ..." so that we can quickly get it out of the way and that person can get along with the project itself rather than struggling for 2 hours on one problem ...
I recently started a job in the set top box industry and there is so much domain specific stuff to learn, fortunately it's a friendly place and we have all been through the same thing so it's not a problem. I'd say the main thing is to try and avoid asking the same question several times. Elaine (high definition fluffy tigress) The tigress is here :-D
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Absolutely! That's one of the reasons for having a team lead. Having been one most of my career, I think I can speak authoritatively. If your lead can't handle it, they've chosen the wrong leader. But that's not your problem - you need to get the job done, and asking for guidance, especially if you're fairly new, is entirely appropriate.
Pete Madden wrote:
The only advantage that I can think of is saving time
How about adding some new knowledge to your toolbag? Wouldn't that be an advantage, too?;) "...a photo album is like Life, but flat and stuck to pages." - Shog9
Roger Wright wrote:
How about adding some new knowledge to your toolbag? Wouldn't that be an advantage, too?
5 :) The tigress is here :-D
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Jeremy Falcon wrote:
So now you're gonna be an ass because you didn't say you were talking about yourself? Damn dude, go take some prozac.
Wow, dude. The retilan script lapse?:suss: My Programming Library C#, C# Run
Toasty0 wrote:
Wow, dude. The retilan script lapse?
:zzz: Jeremy Falcon
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Falcon being a case-in-point My Programming Library C#, C# Run -- modified at 10:29 Saturday 11th March, 2006
Toasty0 wrote:
Falcon being a case-in-point
Tell me, do you find it hard to wake up every morning, having to look into the the mirror, only to realize you're a big, dumb idiot? And a stupid reply saying "you should know" would only indicate how thoughtless you really are. Jeremy Falcon
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I recently started a job in the set top box industry and there is so much domain specific stuff to learn, fortunately it's a friendly place and we have all been through the same thing so it's not a problem. I'd say the main thing is to try and avoid asking the same question several times. Elaine (high definition fluffy tigress) The tigress is here :-D
Trollslayer wrote:
I recently started a job in the set top box industry and there is so much domain specific stuff to learn, fortunately it's a friendly place and we have all been through the same thing so it's not a problem. I'd say the main thing is to try and avoid asking the same question several times.
Hey if you are working on Sky+ boxes. Can you fix the bug where my box crashes when I hit too many keys on my remote control when moving quickly between channels. Thanks :-D Michael CP Blog [^] Development Blog [^]
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Trollslayer wrote:
I recently started a job in the set top box industry and there is so much domain specific stuff to learn, fortunately it's a friendly place and we have all been through the same thing so it's not a problem. I'd say the main thing is to try and avoid asking the same question several times.
Hey if you are working on Sky+ boxes. Can you fix the bug where my box crashes when I hit too many keys on my remote control when moving quickly between channels. Thanks :-D Michael CP Blog [^] Development Blog [^]
Ah, that isn't one of ours, it's a competitors :rolleyes: Actually I'm working on the high definition boxes so if I chase this up you might not get HD in time for the World Cup :laugh: The tigress is here :-D
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Is it appropriate to go to a co-worker or a team lead if one is having a coding problem? ... I mean when they "hit a wall" etc. ... especially if it involves developing within the company's infrastructure ... The only advantage that I can think of is saving time ... if I were a senior person in a company I would rather have the new-comer drop by my cube and ask me the "how to ..." so that we can quickly get it out of the way and that person can get along with the project itself rather than struggling for 2 hours on one problem ...
Pete Madden wrote:
Is it appropriate to go to a co-worker or a team lead if one is having a coding problem?
without question. i ask the web guys questions about CSS and JavaScript and other people ask me about C++ and SQL. it all works out.
Pete Madden wrote:
The only advantage that I can think of is saving time
also by asking questions, you learn things so you won't have to ask next time. and you give the person you ask a chance to show off his knowledge - something most people enjoy doing now and then. Cleek | Image Toolkits | Thumbnail maker
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Is it appropriate to go to a co-worker or a team lead if one is having a coding problem? ... I mean when they "hit a wall" etc. ... especially if it involves developing within the company's infrastructure ... The only advantage that I can think of is saving time ... if I were a senior person in a company I would rather have the new-comer drop by my cube and ask me the "how to ..." so that we can quickly get it out of the way and that person can get along with the project itself rather than struggling for 2 hours on one problem ...
who ask senior developers for advice. Follow it. Don't just walk in their cubicle ask them how to do something then spend the next two weeks ignoring everything they said. (Yes, I recently worked with a guy that did that all the time. It drove me nuts.) Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
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Absolutely! That's one of the reasons for having a team lead. Having been one most of my career, I think I can speak authoritatively. If your lead can't handle it, they've chosen the wrong leader. But that's not your problem - you need to get the job done, and asking for guidance, especially if you're fairly new, is entirely appropriate.
Pete Madden wrote:
The only advantage that I can think of is saving time
How about adding some new knowledge to your toolbag? Wouldn't that be an advantage, too?;) "...a photo album is like Life, but flat and stuck to pages." - Shog9
Roger Wright wrote:
and asking for guidance, especially if you're fairly new, is entirely appropriate.
Absotively and posilutely! Ask me any question once, and I will explain it if I have the time. However, if you don't want to know "how" the solution works and only want me to write it for you.... I am usually not as responsive. Even then I will tell you where to find it in one of the reference books, or open the reference book for you. Hopefully, you learn where to find the answers on your own, or as you said, Roger, add the knowledge to a toolbag for use later. I do get very very irritated when the same problem comes to me multiple times when I answered it once, or showed someone where to find. Especially if they successfully completed the task last time, but are stuck again. Ask me how to build a clock, I will tell you the first time. Ask me a second time, I will hand you a book on clock-building. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)