Looking for advice from someone thats been around the block.
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Basically im seeking advice on my emplyment situation, and seeing as it fits the theme for this siteI guess this is a good place to ask ;)
I recently started work as a programmer / db dev at a small company (the only other dev is my boss) after graduating from University ~18 months ago.
I would consider myself quite capable but have found myself clashing with my boss on several issues...
* He mandates the use of source control in the environment (good!) but whenever he has to work on something he refuses to use it making changes directly to production and then makes me merge his changes into the repository... (despite me asking him not to).
* He considers his database design skills to be perfect- yet turns out broken designs- i.e. using the natural key ASWELL as an identity as the primary key with no other unique constraints... and I have to point this out (which he is usually not very receptive to).
* No formal testing process. And a culture of "blame the dev" if it goes wrong.
* He holds me to standards that seem to make no sense AND doesnt tell me what they are before hand, for example,i shouldn't use a query string to pass information from one page to another? (and more..)
* and more... but posting more would make this very identifiable ;)
Basically i'm wondering whether you guys think ive got a WTF job or if i'm being too pickey ?
And what would you do?
BR TLBH
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It's a WTF job. Start looking for a new one (but not while at work). Once you find it, don't let this boss or anyone else sway you with crocodile tears or carrot-on-a-stick promises while begging you to stay.
The bad news is, the odds are high that the next job will be approximately as bad. But you owe it to yourself and your sanity to keep looking.
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Bail.
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I'm afraid you won't get it much better unless you are very lucky. At least if you are looking for a job at another small company. On the other hand, as a beginner, it's probably not a bad idea to look for another job after 18 months, so you can learn more.
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Bail out!
Sounds almost like my first programming jobs. I would probably try and find a job in a larger organisation and get some experiance working in larger development teams with project managers and testers.
Ohh and trust me, ignore those carrots he will dangle in front of you when you say you are leaving, I spent over a year chasing them untill I figured 'why wait till ge gets his business into that position when I could leave and get what he is offering down the road now?'
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I'm not sure exactly how long you've been there, but tough it out for a bit until you gain the necessary experience points to level up.
Generally, a developer levels at:
1 yr
2 yrs
3 yrs
5 yrs
10 yrs.
If you've been there less than a year, wait it out.
Ideally, you want 3 years experience before you go out and get the job that you'll stick with for a while.
* He mandates the use of source control in the environment (good!) but whenever he has to work on something he refuses to use it making changes directly to production and then makes me merge his changes into the repository... (despite me asking him not to).
Yes, bosses can be assholes. Get used to it.
* He considers his database design skills to be perfect- yet turns out broken designs- i.e. using the natural key ASWELL as an identity as the primary key with no other unique constraints... and I have to point this out (which he is usually not very receptive to).
I might be wrong, but it appears he is using a natural key + identity. It seems redundant, but not broken. I could live with this.
* No formal testing process. And a culture of "blame the dev" if it goes wrong.Get used to it. You will find this in every small environment
* He holds me to standards that seem to make no sense AND doesnt tell me what they are before hand, for example,i shouldn't use a query string to pass information from one page to another? (and more..)How is he approaching you about this - Is it a gentle correction in a "this is the way we do things here" or is it a "you idiot! how could you possibly use a query string to pass information?"
If the former, then get used to it. Crap like this is endemic to small companies.
There is wtf-ery in every company.
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@ammoQ said:
I'm afraid you won't get it much better unless you are very lucky. At least if you are looking for a job at another small company.
You will probably have to work with idiots, but you can find a company where the the guy at the top isn't an idiot.
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@asuffield said:
@ammoQ said:
I'm afraid you won't get it much better unless you are very lucky. At least if you are looking for a job at another small company.
You will probably have to work with idiots, but you can find a company where the the guy at the top isn't an idiot.
Really? Where? ;)
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@jetcitywoman said:
@asuffield said:
@ammoQ said:
I'm afraid you won't get it much better unless you are very lucky. At least if you are looking for a job at another small company.
You will probably have to work with idiots, but you can find a company where the the guy at the top isn't an idiot.
Really? Where? ;)
Here.
One of our top guys (a PM) asked to have his source privileges revoked because he stems from a strong programming background and feels too strong an urge to fix things himself.
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@dhromed said:
@jetcitywoman said:
@asuffield said:
@ammoQ said:
I'm afraid you won't get it much better unless you are very lucky. At least if you are looking for a job at another small company.
You will probably have to work with idiots, but you can find a company where the the guy at the top isn't an idiot.
Really? Where? ;)
Here.
One of our top guys (a PM) asked to have his source privileges revoked because he stems from a strong programming background and feels too strong an urge to fix things himself.
How does that make him not an idiot. It just proves that he doesn't have enough self control to do what he is suppose to be doing.
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If you're just starting out in your career, you need to be learning (well really learning all the time), but it's crucial now. If you're at a place where you're not learning, you need to leave and find a role where you are learning.
I agree with the earlier call, bail.
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@tster said:
@dhromed said:
Here.
One of our top guys (a PM) asked to have his source privileges revoked because he stems from a strong programming background and feels too strong an urge to fix things himself.
How does that make him not an idiot. It just proves that he doesn't have enough self control to do what he is suppose to be doing.
snort
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Thanks for the advice all
One thing i feel the need to answer here though:
* He considers his database design skills to be perfect- yet turns out broken designs- i.e. using the natural key ASWELL as an identity as the primary key with no other unique constraints... and I have to point this out (which he is usually not very receptive to).
I might be wrong, but it appears he is using a natural key + identity. It seems redundant, but not broken. I could live with this.
i meant using the both nk and an identity AS the pk - meaning you can insert the same nk twice.. THAT is broken.
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@TLBH said:
i meant using the both nk and an identity AS the pk - meaning you can insert the same nk twice.. THAT is broken.
Unless the natural key is not as unique as it should be, which happens more often than you expect.
