Be a team player
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Your attitude implies that you are not the team lead developer or even the senior developer.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity - RAH I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
Did I misspell employee? Where? And do carry the title for some years. No Mycroft. Just no. Yuch.
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: "If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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I have observed during my decades as a programmer that if you possess certain knowledge/skills and refuse to share that with the rest of the development team, you are an impediment to the team's proper functioning and should be removed from the team.
Contrawise, I've had jobs where I was reprimanded for using advanced concepts (i.e. actually using the latest C++ standard which they stated as part of the job requirement.) I was once chastised for using a predicate with a std::map.
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I have observed during my decades as a programmer that if you possess certain knowledge/skills and refuse to share that with the rest of the development team, you are an impediment to the team's proper functioning and should be removed from the team.
My favourite part of the job is passing on knowledge and watching people grow, having been doing it for almost 30 years I guess I have acquired some degree of experience to share (whether some people want me to or not :)) I have been doing this long enough that several people I helped mentor have gone on to 'better' things sometimes at the same company sometimes elsewhere. Which is fine by me, those better things often involve managing people, which I have never had any interest in doing.
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I have observed during my decades as a programmer that if you possess certain knowledge/skills and refuse to share that with the rest of the development team, you are an impediment to the team's proper functioning and should be removed from the team.
I don't have a team, I work alone. Are you saying I should play with myself? ;P :-O :-O
"Now the movie gets X-rated." Howard Wolowitz
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One would think that would be common sense, right? Unfortunately, I have run across many programmers throughout my career who want to "hoard" all of their knowledge. Whether it is because they want job security or just want to feel superior to other programmers, I don't know. I do know that when I encounter them, if I cannot change their outlook, I send 'em packing.
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I have observed during my decades as a programmer that if you possess certain knowledge/skills and refuse to share that with the rest of the development team, you are an impediment to the team's proper functioning and should be removed from the team.
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I have observed during my decades as a programmer that if you possess certain knowledge/skills and refuse to share that with the rest of the development team, you are an impediment to the team's proper functioning and should be removed from the team.
True, to a point, but not always. I agree with you that under many circumstances it’s best to help those around you. A rising tide raises all ships. There was a time, (29, 25 years ago) I aspired to be a ‘vast store of information’ - to have an answer for most questions. Over time my co-workers found it more expedient to ask me instead of learning/remembering for themselves. It became too burdensome. Consider also the co-worker that asks, and is answered, only to ask again, the same question, days weeks or months later. Lastly, consider that sometimes the direct, efficacious answer may involve considerations and complexities greater than the co-worker’s level of expertise with that platform. So answering may open a path to more problems. So, if you’re cranky because someone isn’t helping you, perhaps you should ask why they’re not being helpful. If they’re truly an information hoarder whose habit is to disadvantage others as opposed to helping the group effort, then they’ll not get far in life. Good luck! :)
Time is the differentiation of eternity devised by man to measure the passage of human events. - Manly P. Hall Mark Just another cog in the wheel
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I have observed during my decades as a programmer that if you possess certain knowledge/skills and refuse to share that with the rest of the development team, you are an impediment to the team's proper functioning and should be removed from the team.
I don't know about you, but I have a lot more trouble finding anyone that wants to even know my unique knowledge and skillset, which unfortunately leaves me pigeonholed for some things, despite my role having grown beyond it. I'd be more than happy to share so that I could take a full-time position on program that didn't leave me still helping with those items. When I ask management to make sure that the next person they hire have the ability or desire to learn these skills to backfill me, they put it at low priority and hire someone without the desire or skills. I'd like the rest of the team to be team players too. /rant
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True, to a point, but not always. I agree with you that under many circumstances it’s best to help those around you. A rising tide raises all ships. There was a time, (29, 25 years ago) I aspired to be a ‘vast store of information’ - to have an answer for most questions. Over time my co-workers found it more expedient to ask me instead of learning/remembering for themselves. It became too burdensome. Consider also the co-worker that asks, and is answered, only to ask again, the same question, days weeks or months later. Lastly, consider that sometimes the direct, efficacious answer may involve considerations and complexities greater than the co-worker’s level of expertise with that platform. So answering may open a path to more problems. So, if you’re cranky because someone isn’t helping you, perhaps you should ask why they’re not being helpful. If they’re truly an information hoarder whose habit is to disadvantage others as opposed to helping the group effort, then they’ll not get far in life. Good luck! :)
Time is the differentiation of eternity devised by man to measure the passage of human events. - Manly P. Hall Mark Just another cog in the wheel
There was no particular incident that triggered this post. I'm just passing along advice based on my 30 years on the industry. More than ever, teams need to be cohesive and supportive units in which the stronger senior developers mentor junior developers. Anyone who will not share knowledge that will benefit the team and/or the project is a detriment. Try to change their behavior first, but if they refuse to change then, in the long run, the team is better off without that coder.
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I have observed during my decades as a programmer that if you possess certain knowledge/skills and refuse to share that with the rest of the development team, you are an impediment to the team's proper functioning and should be removed from the team.
it's actually my biggest gripe, in not only development but anything technical, we don't need primadonnas on the team. we need people who show their support by volunteering information, not hording it.