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  3. Your job is not to write code?

Your job is not to write code?

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  • H HobbyProggy

    Woaaaaahhhht? What am i doing here ...

    if(this.signature != "") { MessageBox.Show("This is my signature: " + Environment.NewLine + signature); } else { MessageBox.Show("404-Signature not found"); }

    Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
    Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
    Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter
    wrote on last edited by
    #4

    You are the lucky one - you just finishing your studies and already aware that your job will not be to write code...See us poor fellows who wrote code for 20+ years just to reveal we done it all wrong...What a waste of time!

    I'm not questioning your powers of observation; I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is. (V) תפסיק לספר לה' כמה הצרות שלך גדולות, תספר לצרות שלך כמה ה' גדול!

    "It never ceases to amaze me that a spacecraft launched in 1977 can be fixed remotely from Earth." ― Brian Cox

    H 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • T trooper0814

      [^]

      C Offline
      C Offline
      CafedeJamaica
      wrote on last edited by
      #5

      Bad things happen when I try to think freely and that "your job is not to write code" Love the article.

      1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • T trooper0814

        [^]

        R Offline
        R Offline
        RugbyLeague
        wrote on last edited by
        #6

        Writing code seems to be on the wane - it's all about fighting with the tools these days

        OriginalGriffO P 2 Replies Last reply
        0
        • Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter

          You are the lucky one - you just finishing your studies and already aware that your job will not be to write code...See us poor fellows who wrote code for 20+ years just to reveal we done it all wrong...What a waste of time!

          I'm not questioning your powers of observation; I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is. (V) תפסיק לספר לה' כמה הצרות שלך גדולות, תספר לצרות שלך כמה ה' גדול!

          H Offline
          H Offline
          HobbyProggy
          wrote on last edited by
          #7

          I feel for you mates, glad i registered here at right time in the right place :cool:

          if(this.signature != "") { MessageBox.Show("This is my signature: " + Environment.NewLine + signature); } else { MessageBox.Show("404-Signature not found"); }

          1 Reply Last reply
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          • R RugbyLeague

            Writing code seems to be on the wane - it's all about fighting with the tools these days

            OriginalGriffO Offline
            OriginalGriffO Offline
            OriginalGriff
            wrote on last edited by
            #8

            RugbyLeague wrote:

            it's all about fighting with the tools these days

            Nah...we've been doing that for years!

            Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

            "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
            "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

            R 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • T trooper0814

              [^]

              Sander RosselS Offline
              Sander RosselS Offline
              Sander Rossel
              wrote on last edited by
              #9

              She has it all wrong! Figuring out what users want and need is her job (or my boss'). Implementing it (yes, writing the code!) is my job. If what I make is not what the users want it's her fault for not specifying it well enough (well, could still be my fault if I didn't read her specs thoroughly). If what I make does not work, creates wrong output, is buggy, etc. then, yes, it's a code issue and I am to blame. It's easy to say everything is the programmers fault... Unless she wants some well paid and talented engineers with low social skills to talk to users. Yeah, real good use of resources...

              My blog[^]

              public class SanderRossel : Lazy<Person>
              {
              public void DoWork()
              {
              throw new NotSupportedException();
              }
              }

              I 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                RugbyLeague wrote:

                it's all about fighting with the tools these days

                Nah...we've been doing that for years!

                Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

                R Offline
                R Offline
                RugbyLeague
                wrote on last edited by
                #10

                It all seems to be deployment stuff these days

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • Sander RosselS Sander Rossel

                  She has it all wrong! Figuring out what users want and need is her job (or my boss'). Implementing it (yes, writing the code!) is my job. If what I make is not what the users want it's her fault for not specifying it well enough (well, could still be my fault if I didn't read her specs thoroughly). If what I make does not work, creates wrong output, is buggy, etc. then, yes, it's a code issue and I am to blame. It's easy to say everything is the programmers fault... Unless she wants some well paid and talented engineers with low social skills to talk to users. Yeah, real good use of resources...

                  My blog[^]

                  public class SanderRossel : Lazy<Person>
                  {
                  public void DoWork()
                  {
                  throw new NotSupportedException();
                  }
                  }

                  I Offline
                  I Offline
                  Ian Shlasko
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #11

                  Bah, you have it easy... Figuring out what users want is MY job. Figuring out what users WILL probably want a few years from now, is also MY job. Designing it is MY job. Coding it is MY job. Testing it is MY job. Deploying it is MY job. Man, sometimes being a solo developer is a pain... But hey, fortunately keeping the computers and networks running is someone else's job... Small favors, I suppose.

                  Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
                  Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels)

                  G C Sander RosselS 3 Replies Last reply
                  0
                  • T trooper0814

                    [^]

                    L Offline
                    L Offline
                    Lost User
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #12

                    Just learn to use the garbage collector[^] and you will be fine.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • T trooper0814

                      [^]

                      P Offline
                      P Offline
                      PhilLenoir
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #13

                      I understand the first reactions of the posters above, but she does have a point. It, of course, depends on your job. If you are a code grinder, your job is to write code. She mentions "Engineers", a term I don't believe applies to code grinders! Of course many of us here (most?) are a lot more than code grinders. Perhaps the term still applies to newbs who have just graduated a programming course. One key point is that most of us in a programming career are technophiles. We love to get our hands on the new stuff and experiment with new techniques. Wonderful! but we have to remember that our end users may not have access to this new stuff. Put it another way: You don't often hear about how wonderful the graphics are in the new accounting package. The bottom line for businesses is the bottom line. If you're working for a business that sells software, the "whiziness" of the software is secondary to the functionality and how well it sells is paramount. If you are providing tools in a business that sells anything else, your role is to build tools that improve efficiency, facilitate better management decisions and generally make your coworkers lives better. Of course, we all know that, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded once in a while!

                      Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.

                      G P E 3 Replies Last reply
                      0
                      • I Ian Shlasko

                        Bah, you have it easy... Figuring out what users want is MY job. Figuring out what users WILL probably want a few years from now, is also MY job. Designing it is MY job. Coding it is MY job. Testing it is MY job. Deploying it is MY job. Man, sometimes being a solo developer is a pain... But hey, fortunately keeping the computers and networks running is someone else's job... Small favors, I suppose.

                        Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
                        Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels)

                        G Offline
                        G Offline
                        GuyThiebaut
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #14

                        I find myself in the same position as you although I do have a junior developer under my wing too. I prefer having contact with the users occasionally as I can usually ask the questions that others won't ask such as "are you sure you want it to blow up in your face every time you use it?" However despite being a project manager, business analyst, developer and mentor I only get paid the meagre developer salary - note to self, must ask for a raise...

                        “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

                        ― Christopher Hitchens

                        I 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • G GuyThiebaut

                          I find myself in the same position as you although I do have a junior developer under my wing too. I prefer having contact with the users occasionally as I can usually ask the questions that others won't ask such as "are you sure you want it to blow up in your face every time you use it?" However despite being a project manager, business analyst, developer and mentor I only get paid the meagre developer salary - note to self, must ask for a raise...

                          “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

                          ― Christopher Hitchens

                          I Offline
                          I Offline
                          Ian Shlasko
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #15

                          GuyThiebaut wrote:

                          I prefer having contact with the users occasionally

                          Uh, yeah... I sit on the same trading desk as my users... I turn my head ninety degrees to the right, and I can see all of them... Sometimes, that's a good thing. Sometimes, I want to go find some cardboard boxes to stack up in between them and me :-D

                          Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
                          Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels)

                          D 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • P PhilLenoir

                            I understand the first reactions of the posters above, but she does have a point. It, of course, depends on your job. If you are a code grinder, your job is to write code. She mentions "Engineers", a term I don't believe applies to code grinders! Of course many of us here (most?) are a lot more than code grinders. Perhaps the term still applies to newbs who have just graduated a programming course. One key point is that most of us in a programming career are technophiles. We love to get our hands on the new stuff and experiment with new techniques. Wonderful! but we have to remember that our end users may not have access to this new stuff. Put it another way: You don't often hear about how wonderful the graphics are in the new accounting package. The bottom line for businesses is the bottom line. If you're working for a business that sells software, the "whiziness" of the software is secondary to the functionality and how well it sells is paramount. If you are providing tools in a business that sells anything else, your role is to build tools that improve efficiency, facilitate better management decisions and generally make your coworkers lives better. Of course, we all know that, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded once in a while!

                            Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.

                            G Offline
                            G Offline
                            GuyThiebaut
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #16

                            I spent a year writing an ERP system that does everything from sales prospects to invoicing. In the yearly, what we have done, presentation to the director, all he commented on was the nice Excel pie-chart I had created that shows what I have been working on. I call it the Apple generation - people assume your systems will work perfectly and when they do will only then only notice the pretty graphics(forget the year of extra hours and sweating over creating systems nobody is able to specify for you, that you somehow magically guess into being for them).

                            “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

                            ― Christopher Hitchens

                            P 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • G GuyThiebaut

                              I spent a year writing an ERP system that does everything from sales prospects to invoicing. In the yearly, what we have done, presentation to the director, all he commented on was the nice Excel pie-chart I had created that shows what I have been working on. I call it the Apple generation - people assume your systems will work perfectly and when they do will only then only notice the pretty graphics(forget the year of extra hours and sweating over creating systems nobody is able to specify for you, that you somehow magically guess into being for them).

                              “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

                              ― Christopher Hitchens

                              P Offline
                              P Offline
                              PhilLenoir
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #17

                              ... and yet MS Dynamics sells very well! :)

                              Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.

                              G 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • P PhilLenoir

                                ... and yet MS Dynamics sells very well! :)

                                Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.

                                G Offline
                                G Offline
                                GuyThiebaut
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #18

                                You must be psychic because that appears to be the future... :(

                                “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

                                ― Christopher Hitchens

                                P 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • G GuyThiebaut

                                  You must be psychic because that appears to be the future... :(

                                  “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

                                  ― Christopher Hitchens

                                  P Offline
                                  P Offline
                                  PhilLenoir
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #19

                                  Damn, you're revealed my secret power!

                                  Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • T trooper0814

                                    [^]

                                    M Offline
                                    M Offline
                                    mikepwilson
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #20

                                    Meh. I dunno. This misses the mark in the interest of saying something clever sounding. Yeah yeah, a programmer's job isn't to write code any more than a manager's job is to run meetings. Our GOAL is to improve the product for the customer. Writing code is our primary mechanism for doing that.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • I Ian Shlasko

                                      GuyThiebaut wrote:

                                      I prefer having contact with the users occasionally

                                      Uh, yeah... I sit on the same trading desk as my users... I turn my head ninety degrees to the right, and I can see all of them... Sometimes, that's a good thing. Sometimes, I want to go find some cardboard boxes to stack up in between them and me :-D

                                      Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
                                      Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels)

                                      D Offline
                                      D Offline
                                      Distind
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #21

                                      Easily the best way to get honest feedback when they forget you're there though. Part of me wants to be a coder cog in the big machine just to see what it feels like when you aren't responsible for the entire process. I'm guessing it's just soul crushing in a different way.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • P PhilLenoir

                                        I understand the first reactions of the posters above, but she does have a point. It, of course, depends on your job. If you are a code grinder, your job is to write code. She mentions "Engineers", a term I don't believe applies to code grinders! Of course many of us here (most?) are a lot more than code grinders. Perhaps the term still applies to newbs who have just graduated a programming course. One key point is that most of us in a programming career are technophiles. We love to get our hands on the new stuff and experiment with new techniques. Wonderful! but we have to remember that our end users may not have access to this new stuff. Put it another way: You don't often hear about how wonderful the graphics are in the new accounting package. The bottom line for businesses is the bottom line. If you're working for a business that sells software, the "whiziness" of the software is secondary to the functionality and how well it sells is paramount. If you are providing tools in a business that sells anything else, your role is to build tools that improve efficiency, facilitate better management decisions and generally make your coworkers lives better. Of course, we all know that, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded once in a while!

                                        Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.

                                        P Offline
                                        P Offline
                                        PIEBALDconsult
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #22

                                        PhilLenoir wrote:

                                        "Engineers", a term I don't believe applies

                                        Nor to most developers. Developing Operating Systems, Missile Control Systems, Compilers and IDEs, might be engineers, but developing enterprise/line-of-business apps just isn't engineering.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • T trooper0814

                                          [^]

                                          L Offline
                                          L Offline
                                          Lost User
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #23

                                          Push your code. Get it into production. Then run it and check it. ^I somehow missed that gem on first scan. Case of incompetent management run amok asking the programmers to do the management's job and at the same time trying to tell programmers how to code. We are all doomed! ;P

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