IT/software/programming work standards, is this really normal?

油井緋色

油井緋色

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http://regulargeek.com/2010/08/07/12-things-a-programmer-really-needs-to-know/

I'm still in school but have been in the software industry for 2 years now. I've not experienced this personally but have definitely noticed individuals with extremely poor social skills and/or standards. For those of you who are more experienced/older/etc. what's your take on the truth behind all this in Ontario?

It's alarming as I am heading down this field and have noticed programmers who sleep less than 5 hours a day, code non-stop, come to work smelling like ****, become mute at a pair of female legs, and then disappear for 3 weeks!
 
It's called 'experience'.
 
From my personal experience, no.

The same can be said for any company in any industry. There are some workplaces that suck and some that are great. Some managers that are good, some that are bad. Some co-workers who are pleasant to work with, some that you never want to talk to.

This is nothing unique the IT industry. Frankly the article appears to be written by someone who obviously hates their job and should try looking for a new one.
 
油井緋色;2021345 said:
but have definitely noticed individuals with extremely poor social skills and/or standards. [..] It's alarming as I am heading down this field and have noticed programmers who sleep less than 5 hours a day, code non-stop, come to work smelling like ****, become mute at a pair of female legs, and then disappear for 3 weeks!
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My take on it is that there isn't a strong correlation between programming skills and anti-social behaviour. I've met some amazing programmers who have above average social skills, it's just that they don't stay in that field very long. If you have a combination of both technical aptitude and good people skills, you quickly learn that it's more lucrative getting into sales, marketing or management. Coupled with a strong technology background, you have a head up above others with just business experience.

The programmers who end up pursuing a job in the field do so for exactly the reasons listed in the article - they don't want to be involved with management or interact with other people. So while the article lists all the drawbacks of being a programmer, the corollaries are even worse for them - having to expend effort to look presentable, playing political games, etc.

So, what you end up with is the stereotype of the socially awkward basement dwelling keyboard jockey.
 
A lot of that is some old 80's stereotype drivel. There are many types of software development jobs, different work arrangements, deadlines etc.

But non technical managers of developers should all be lined up and shot in the eye. Without any clue how difficult a task is, they won't respect the effort required to accomplish it.
 
mikbusa said:
A lot of that is some old 80's stereotype drivel. There are many types of software development jobs, different work arrangements, deadlines etc.

But non technical managers of developers should all be lined up and shot in the eye. Without any clue how difficult a task is, they won't respect the effort required to accomplish it.
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This.

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The gentlemen above are all correct. IT encompasses a wide variety of positions, and that means that it requires a wide variety of skills. Sometimes those are technical skills, sometimes they're interpersonal skills.
 
mikbusa said:
But non technical managers of developers should all be lined up and shot in the eye. Without any clue how difficult a task is, they won't respect the effort required to accomplish it.
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What kind of a ****** *** place hires non tech-dev managers? Sound like an oxymoron as I type it.

The list is useless and describes 4th year Waterloos CS labs at best than any corporate programming/IT careers.
 
I would say that article greatly exaggerates. Like with any profession there are good and bad companies to work for. Also like with any job, when there are deadlines there's more pressure, but if you don't dick around at the start of the project and get your **** done, there's less or no panicking when the deadlines do come around.
 
xfactor said:
What kind of a ****** *** place hires non tech-dev managers? Sound like an oxymoron as I type it.
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They are out there. And it's usually a ****-fest. Accounting departments frequently end up with IT under them.
 
DaveTheCanuck said:
From my personal experience, no.

The same can be said for any company in any industry. There are some workplaces that suck and some that are great. Some managers that are good, some that are bad. Some co-workers who are pleasant to work with, some that you never want to talk to.

This is nothing unique the IT industry. Frankly the article appears to be written by someone who obviously hates their job and should try looking for a new one.
Click to expand...

watch4free-1346599466.jpg


There are some workplace where the managers promote proper social behaviour, while other's couldn't care less.
 
油井緋色;2021345 said:
http://regulargeek.com/2010/08/07/12-things-a-programmer-really-needs-to-know/

I'm still in school but have been in the software industry for 2 years now. I've not experienced this personally but have definitely noticed individuals with extremely poor social skills and/or standards. For those of you who are more experienced/older/etc. what's your take on the truth behind all this in Ontario?

It's alarming as I am heading down this field and have noticed programmers who sleep less than 5 hours a day, code non-stop, come to work smelling like ****, become mute at a pair of female legs, and then disappear for 3 weeks!
Click to expand...

Beware anecdotal stories about working in software development in the States. Conditions CAN be poor there, but the stories generally don't hold true for up here ... assuming you can find a similar place to work.

And I have met socially inept people in every sector I have ever worked in.
 
Cool, you guys actually brightened up my day. Thank you <3

....now if only there was some how to make motorcycles plus software equal money...
 
you do realize there are a wide variety of technical roles out there right? client facing, consulting, sales, PM...not just coding...
 
I was in IT, and I got out for the above reasons. Worked for three different companies that were all ********. Like Mikbusa mentioned, none of them appreciate the work that you do, or even comprehend the amount of time and effort to complete the work. Not every job is like this, but I have heard of some real ******** from Microsoft, and even Google. For instance they REALLY pushed that Google+ to try and beat Facebook. Well the people working on Google+ apparently worked their ***** off and were pretty much all told they were a failure and fired when that project was pretty much shut down. A lot of it was bad marketing, and well.... trying to beat Facebook in the online media department is not an easy feat.
 
That article is an immense exaggeration of stereotypical programmer behaviour written by a guy that probably does not see the big picture. There are some guys out there that probably relate to that article but most IT professionals (that I know and deal with) do not fit that mould.

Likely, the guy who wrote that article is probably the type who won't be paid well, won't be well liked by most coworkers and will probably stay in the same crappy job for years and years while complaining about it rather than doing something about it.
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