|
As a freelancer - and especially a semi-retired one! - I can always say "no" to any project I'm asked to work on: because it's too challenging, or not challenging enough, or too dull, or not tech I'm interested in, or doesn't pay well, or because I disapprove of the objective, or simply because I've taken a dislike to the client. I appreciate that some freelancers don't have the privilege of some of these reasons by virtue of the need to earn. But ultimately saying "no" is an important part of freelancing, because if you can't, you get railroaded into projects that are doomed to failure, or take too long, or be financially disastrous for some other reason.
|
|
|
|
|
Depending on the available projects of my Business Manager (or of some other BM who I befriended that can ask a lease for me).
The oly project I could not choose is the current one, who sucked most of the company's resources because of some middle management errors that almost made us lose our most valuable customers, plural, which employ about half of our personnel. They needed an expert C programmer, they needed it fast and I was conveniently available.
GCS d--(d+) s-/++ a C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- r+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
|
|
|
|
|
I looked at you bio. It is nice to see someone who understands. All I want is the tools and support to do the job right. Unfortunately, I do contract work these days and people of unknown ability (temp for 1 or 2 projects) do not have a say most of the time. I miss the old days of full time employment. 
I was an expert in C long before becoming an expert in C++, but most of the people I have worked with either do not know the language or lack the logical skills to apply it properly.
I have always had better tools at home than at work. Personally, I think the opposite should be true.
INTP
"Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence." - Edsger Dijkstra
"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks. " - Daniel Boone
|
|
|
|
|
We just have a few LOB apps and just a few developers. So, while we generally have gravitated toward "app X needs a change, person Y handles that", everyone's in everything.
However, within that context, we're free to do as we will. Our applications are old and craptastic, and I actually like refactoring code to bring it closer to modern. So that aspect of the job appeals to me--I'm making some tiny little corner of the interwebs slightly better.
We keep talking about a complete overhaul of our worst (i.e., oldest and crappiest) application. Looking forward to that day, if it ever comes.
|
|
|
|
|
I would like to go back to that - I am doing contracts now. Unfortunately, I have seen to much craptastic software, mostly due to some companies unwillingness to pay a full time developer - instead they opted to bring in bad contractors who don't know the system/software. They end up with a bunch of patches that work at the time, but cost them far more in the long run.
I get tiered of having to fix the code before modifying it. Otherwise the person working on it today is to blame and not the person who did it in the first place (they are long gone).
INTP
"Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence." - Edsger Dijkstra
"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks. " - Daniel Boone
|
|
|
|
|
Before I was able to pick my own projects, there were always enough opened things to choose. I was sometimes sent to critical projects to bring them to the right path where I couldn't say no that easy.
In current job... I can't choose the projects, but we are a small team and we are quite free to choose HOW we do the things, as far as it works at the end.
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
|
|
|
|
|
At the moment project management is kinda lacking. I can't just decide what project I want to do, but I can make suggestions. And to keep myself busy I've added some features that I think would be nice.
|
|
|
|
|
Since I'm the only developer here, all projects land on my desk. My projects fall into one of three types:
0: For the customer, either by request or because we know what they need before they do.
1: For the company...support systems.
2: For myself...personal productivity tools (aka secret weapons)
For the most part, I do get to pick and choose which projects get my attention and focus for the day, using my own judgement on priorities. Today for instance, I'm feeling pressured by my colleague who has been pestering me about a pet project...I'm only halfway 'bought in' to the thing so I'm dragging my feet waiting for more details. In the meantime, I've spent the vast majority of the last 3-4 work days dogfooding a web app released 7 months ago. Nobody is complaining about it, but as I was creating documentation for it, I realized that it needed some work...we are after all trying to sell a product. At the same time, my colleague is going to give me hell for not making more progress on that pet project. (actually before I could post, that phone call happened and I'm now getting redirected!) 
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
|
|
|
|
|
That sounds like my first job. I designed and developed most of their software and set my own hours, as long as it was done on time.
0: I determined whether I could do it and how long it would take - never failed.
1: I knew the software so well that I had the solution before they were finished speaking (which one of the main reasons for leaving the low paying job - bored to tears).
2: I love creating tools to simplify my work or allow another (non program) to do the drudge via a point a click interface (to long to explain).
INTP
"Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence." - Edsger Dijkstra
"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks. " - Daniel Boone
|
|
|
|
|
I don't pick the projects I work on, because I'm working on all of them. Each of the folks in my group have an area of expertise. Mine is UI, installs, and Windows system programming. I cover those areas in essentially all of our projects.
My boss tells me the priorities and largely leaves it up to me how I meet them. This means on any given day I can pick and choose what I'd like to work on. Some days I haven't figured out yet how a piece of UI should work, so I go off and cherry-pick from the bug list. If I get stumped on correcting a bug, I'll go work on something else for a while.
I'm also the DSJB(*), which means I admin our source control, build servers, etc. There's always a small list of "to-do"s there I can work on as well.
In other words, even though I don't choose the projects, I still have a lot of flexibility in how I work.
(*) Departmental Shit-Job Boy
Software Zen: delete this;
|
|
|
|
|
Gary Wheeler wrote: UI, installs, Windows system programming...source control, build servers
What's left?! You're a renaissance man.
|
|
|
|
|
"What's left" is the hard stuff. We build commercial ink-jet printing systems[^]. The other folks in my group specialize in managing the actual ink-jet, the press itself, image quality (cameras and such), and signal timing.
When you're doing full-color duplex printing at 17 feet of paper per second and keeping track of over 1 billion drops of ink during that second, sh*t gets real.
Software Zen: delete this;
|
|
|
|
|
it's more a case of the project choosing me because my employer invariably assigns me to projects which require the unique (within the company) experience they employed me for.
|
|
|
|
|
Is CP transitioning to Dutch?
|
|
|
|
|
Project is the dutch word for project. 😉
|
|
|
|
|
But but but...the "ij"! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I just mess around now and then (arbitrary duration) and turn it into something. Some of these mess-around results have become ubiquitous on the company site. Mess around periods can be, with some luck, prolonged. Actually did one Thursday/Friday that is going to result in better (i.e., more versatile) javaScript functions - future problems might now be pre-solved or at least easier.
Other times something just needs to be done and, at present, I'm the only one who can do it. Actually, not that bad when it happens. Usually it's an enhancement and takes a good solid think on how to implement it so as to not create any cul-de-sac's later down the line for unknown future requests.
Having the latter's not too bad an interruption in the flow - a bit of regrounding the perspective or even pointing to things I should, well, mess with when I get a chance.
| Ravings en masse^ |
|---|
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
|
|
|
|
|
The problems they do not see are actually the problems I prefer to work on. The issue is they do not see the problems and do not appropriate the work involve to save the company money in the long run. Most of them do not see the big picture, they only see the cost today, not the long range cost of doing it right from the beginning.
INTP
"Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence." - Edsger Dijkstra
"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks. " - Daniel Boone
|
|
|
|
|
Once upon a time (that is, my previous employer) I stopped production (I was the only programmer) and started to reorganize and consolidate the entire program. They weren't too happy but let me proceed.
Soon after, when changes were needed, they found I could now do them in a few hours instead of days. Often the changes were customizations they charge the requestor for dearly.
Final status: they never complained about me cleaning up the program again and seemed actually happy when I went about it as it, realizing it to be time well spent.
| Ravings en masse^ |
|---|
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
|
|
|
|
|
That's why I miss my first programming job. I had come through for the company from day one (emergency 3 week contract -> full time), so I was free to make most decisions on my own.
I once provided estimate of 2 days for a job I could do in ~3 hours. The reason was that it involved code I had been looking for an excuse to change for 2 years. 2 days later the new feature was in-place and fully tested. The long range bonus (for me) was that any similar feature could be completed by me in ~15 minutes. Oh - it also eliminated the disconnected dependent code+structures that was one breath of away from the BSOD (translation BOOM!).
INTP
"Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence." - Edsger Dijkstra
"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks. " - Daniel Boone
|
|
|
|
|
Actually, always, now that I'm my own boss. But when I had a regular job, I realized that the industry in which I was working sorely needed application frameworks (though framework had yet to be used in that context). Once I had approval to start the first one, it's what I ended up doing for most of my career. I used what would now be considered an agile process, reading requirements documents early in a release to anticipate what developers would need, and reading their design documents to see what I'd missed. Unless there was a crisis, my managers had the sense to let me decide what would make developers more productive.
|
|
|
|
|
I originally planed to be my own boss. But, my first job as a programmer was very close. Accept I did not have to do paper work and set my own hours. I was the programming department. I designed the software, created the framework(s) and tools to make my life easier, and was the last stop, if anything actually broke (on very very rare occasions - OK twice in 9 years). The problem was that I put my plans on the back burner and never did go into business for myself. Now I do corporate programming and I am some times amazed the the software actually works.
INTP
"Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence." - Edsger Dijkstra
"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks. " - Daniel Boone
|
|
|
|
|
John R. Shaw wrote: I am some times amazed the software actually works.
I assume this means the software as a whole, perhaps because of technical debt, and not your software!
|
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Praise 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
