How emotionally invested are you in your work?
-
Just that. No further explanation to that question. :) Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh SmithHi Marc, I love this forum; it shows that developers all over the world (Canada, US, UK, lots more) are all dealing with the same issues. I personally feel that software development is the trickiest profession - lots of hidden traps, and not much common wisdom offered by colleagues/companies. In regards to your frustration about code reviews, style guidelines, I can relate directly. In my last position, the quality of a programmers code was determined by one programmer, who was a brown-noser to management. Not only did he not have as much development experience as I did, but he also emphasized speed and time to completion! "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell? Who/what is that? Comments? What the !@#$ do you need those for? Extra functionality that would be a boon to user productivity, and that I dreamed up while implementing? Why did you write and test that code, when we didn't ask for it? Team code reviews? Only in one company I've worked for in Canada, and that was mainframe development back in the early nineties. I take a lot of pride in my work - I do think style and thought put into coding is still relevant. I hate it when management says that your code should be indistiguishable from other developers in the project, especially when there are often no coding standards at all. I personally believe that a programmer will produce better work when: - His/her name is in the code - He/she feels they aren't just writing code, but is involved in a group process and that the whole group needs to learn - There isn't just an emphasis on code, but an emphasis on thinking, and - Each developer is recognized as a unique person, that their contributions are diverse, and conformance to an arbitrary rule is ridiculous. I find it naive to believe that many companies who pay lip service to coding practices and forward thinking policies actually work this way. In virtually every company I've worked, there is a big gap between what management says, and what the programmers reporting to those managers actually are told to do. Management walking the talk? More like management enforcing coding practices that bolster short term financial objectives! If houses are all about location, location, location then code is all about minimal time to write, the least possible number of bugs, and definitely not about modularity, extensibility, simplicity to understand, performance, or elegance. In regards to how emotionally involved I am/have been at work, I offer these points as evidence: - Waking up at 4am in a cold sweat,
-
Mildly I think? I do thoroughly enjoy planning my work and working my plan. And, when things go bad, but not to bad, I usually enjoy the so-called fire fighting. But, I think I have out grown being emotional toward my bits of code. Also, I have a pretty strict personal policy of trying to leave work at work. To accomplish this I have to try and be as unemotional about work as I can.
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long, Time Enough For Love
Chris Austin wrote:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long, Time Enough For Love
Absolutely one of my favorite quotes. This has sat with me since I first read this book. But then I also share their love for cats.
This statement is false.
-
Just that. No further explanation to that question. :) Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh SmithQuite a bit. Too a fault even. Something I need to work on. In essence, its not mine. Its the client's. Work's for Hire. But taking ownership of something doesn't mean much if you don't really care about it. But when I'm told to do it in a manner that isn't up to my own standards it grates on me. But this bleeds into process as well. Here's my take on it. We spend most of our waking moments working on code. More than any other activity, so in effect, coding is our life. So if we didn't work to make that experience worth it in the vein of "life is too short to..." then we're just cattle banging away at the keys. To feel that we have meaning aside from collecting a paycheck, (I mean really, that's just maintenance; but somehow we've elevated maintenance as the ideal), in comes passion for what we do which often translates as emotion. We're personal beings, not robots, despite some philosopher's claims. So I have a hard time not being emotional about my code as I need to care about what I'm doing. If I'm just living for maintenance then I've sold myself out.
This statement is false.
-
Just that. No further explanation to that question. :) Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh SmithI was recently put to the ultimate test on that subject. Namely my laptop was stolen in Barcelona containing last three months work on a project I have been working on for the last four years. What I found strange after that experience is that I did not miss the code I had written all to much, rather I took this as an opportunity to improve on the work I had already done. How strange is that!
-
I used to be more emotionally invested after I had talked to a few hundred customers. I had this image of my job making their lives easier along with millions of others. It made the job rewarding. Corporate politics and management changed that for me.
Using the GridView is like trying to explain to someone else how to move a third person's hands in order to tie your shoelaces for you. -Chris Maunder
Under the heading of "what's wrong with the industry", you just listed the two top dogs: politics and management. Politics: The art of stuffing your own pockets and getting your own way without getting people so pissed off that they actually say something about it. Management: The science of making all the right decisions for the wrong reasons. When you mingle both together in one human being, you have created a total sh**head! Unfortunately, without both of these branches of business, most coders wouldn't have a job. Beam me up, Scotty!
-
Just that. No further explanation to that question. :) Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh SmithUnfortunately, I'm way too invested. Rather than sheding a tear for each bug, I break a keyboard and invent a new cuss word. I have been accused of chanting demonic invocations at times. Makes sense. My computer is possessed most of the time.
-
Marc Clifton wrote:
Just that. No further explanation to that question.
You can't get emotionally invested in your work in my business. It'll destroy you. At the same time I do have a bit of pride in my work, at least for the quality and time spent listening to the customer (which is rare in my business -- we're supposed to tell the customer what they want, not ask). I do get a bit insulted when someone puts down my work, it does represent 12 years of my life, at 41 that's longer than either of my marriages lasted... combined! But you can't get me PO'd over it, many have tried. So I will still say very, very little. Plus, I have new distractions in my home life, work's getting less and less of my priority. :->
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
Jeffry J. Brickley wrote:
work's getting less and less of my priority
Yeah, some things in life are a little bit lot more important than work. :-D
"For fifty bucks I'd put my face in their soup and blow." - George Costanza
~ Web SQL Utility - asp.net app to query Access, SQL server, MySQL. Stores history, favourites.
-
Just that. No further explanation to that question. :) Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh SmithVaried, depending on the project. But mainly those projects where there's some creative freedom to implement new ideas and they're appreciated.
"For fifty bucks I'd put my face in their soup and blow." - George Costanza
~ Web SQL Utility - asp.net app to query Access, SQL server, MySQL. Stores history, favourites.
-
Just that. No further explanation to that question. :) Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh SmithAt the beginning of my career, 21 years ago, I was very emotionally attached. I would take every bug report or criticism as a personal attack. As time has gone on and I've gotten older and, hopefully, wiser; I have learned some to take it for what it usually is, at attempt to get things working. I still struggle at times but I am better at not reacting externally even when it still affects me innternally. Also, I've gotten less attached as I've seen large amounts of code I've written never used, become obsolete, or thrown away because the company went out of business. My emotional investment is now more of doing my best, learning how to do it better, and to contribute to the company whether or not I get recognized for it.
Andrew C. Eisenberg Nashville, TN, USA (a.k.a. Music City USA) (Yes Virginia, there are rock and roll stations in Nashville! :laugh:)
-
Just that. No further explanation to that question. :) Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh SmithThe first time a client changed their mind about specifications three months into a project, I admit it, I cried. :(( Now I'm used to it.