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And you're not a resource?
<<
Sure, people are resources, but not like chairs or monitors or computers. A worker's output isn't simply a combination of their inputs - not a cut-n-paste operation as you would like to beleive. Mood, health, mental strain, and many other outside-of-the-job experiences can have profound effects on someone's ability to perform well on the job. For the most part the happier people are more proficient, less prone to error. People who hate their job (and thus their life, because your job is such a huge part of your life) are much more likely to slack, do a half-assed job, and burnout early.
Companies that are intelligent enough to realize this attract and keep lots of very effective employees because (and get ready for this - its a shocker!) THEY LIKE THEIR JOBS. It's hard to get burned out on something you really enjoy.
>>
You're a cog, a wheel, a gear, nothing more. You are replaceable.
<<
You're a boss in a Dilbert cartoon. If you actually do feel this way about people, I pity anyone who has to deal with you for more than a short amount of time.
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What a cinic. Get a life! 
Brian
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I was considered as a resource before. And it is the reason why I have left my previous job without a tear.
I appreciate your honesty. For you, slavery isn't ended yet, the slave traders are still working. They have only change their source, from Africa to Asia.
The exploitation of misery is a common fact in our capitalist societies. It doesn't mean it will long for ever
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Hey Hard @ Work, 2 points...
1. Lighten up.
2. You get what you pay for
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I sure hope everyone realizes that Hard@Work is likely being sarcastic here, and not serious, though unfortunately, many managers are trained to think this way or just plain think this way on their own. And Congress did vastly increase the number of H1 visas allowed specifically for the computer industry, because of the "shortage" - companies don't want to pay market value for people, they want to hire aliens who they can pay much less and work much harder without complaint (because of their preciarious situation in the US and the inefficient INS status change application procedures).
Of course, the only thing we can do about this is refuse to work for companies that allow this sort of thing.
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Is there a book or something that teaches how to rest and forget about work? My wife always complains about that this will kill me. Do you guys have this problem
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Try some yoga or Tai Chi, get help from a good insructor, you will probably learn it wrong on your own.
It is relaxing - those two activities and Karate get my mind off the programming, and I get some exercise to boot. Also, your wife could join you, none of them are necessarily solitary activities.
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Hehe, is this a fun post?
Taken seriously, I have no wife as such, but there are quite some friends complaining about my geek life style (just no real live geek friends...) - as FYI, I checked the "crazy hours" - since this is at least how my friends see it. (But I have the feeling it's a great time anyway..)
To relax, I can't suggest a book, but just what everybody else does: do something different. It might be something freaky. It might even be something time-consuming (as a coder you know how to warp time and get 48 hours into a normal day). It might be somethign that requires some dedication, learning, training. The matter is not what exactly you do, but it is something you focus your mind on. You need something in your life where you forget being a coder. And if it's only for two hours a wekk.
I do some amateur stage play, not good but enthusiastic. Meditation, Zen etc. is someting many coders have an affinity to. For the phsically oriented, Hiking, Climbing are said to be common (new friends, or with your family). I need a "low-level" vacations, just me and my back pack, from time to time, to get "things right again". Playing an instrument.
None of these is guraranteed to make your wife complaining less... but I'm sure there's something that helps you get along with a geek live.
Good luck in your travels
Pete
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I had that problem until I realised that I was slavishly following other people's rules of work instead of my own. Since then I've moved house out into the green and pleasant countryside, rejected moves to 'higher status' managerial positions so I can still do what I really like doing (hacking code), decided against the highest salary, highest pressure jobs with the hard-nosed JFDI hire'n'fire attitudes, and found myself a position with a company that has good benefits, good training policy, respects my skills, and is happy to let me use them to best advantage without hassling me about hours, wasteful meetings, etc. There's also a subsidised pool and gym if I feel the need to take a break. I don't miss the rat-race at all!
I'm earning a lot less than I could, but I more than make up for it in quality of life. I can wake up on a Monday morning and look forward to an interesting and constructive week, leaving the sniping, back-biting, and office politics to those who get off on such things.
No amount of money can compensate for spending the best years of your life feeling stressed out and miserable.
Dav
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Ooooh, I love this one!
I think I'm able to strike a good balance between work and play. When it comes time to work, that's all I do. And when it comes time to play, I walk away from work and take time off to relax. I think I work hard and play hard. Only thing is, I write software for a living and write software to relax.
I go to bed thinking how I'd structure code for easy extensibility and modification. Most of my close female friends are geeks. Is this normal? Are there other poor saps like me?
/ravi
"There is always one more bug..."
http://www.ravib.com
ravib@ravib.co
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Thanks for the thought.
Actually, I lead a pretty good life. It's just that (like most software engineers) I love what I do for a living. Maybe that message escaped you.
/ravi
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Actually we love what we do for living. For most people job is a way to get money, for software engineers the job is something we do for fun and for money! That's great
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Hey Alex,
That is exactly what I was going to write. I think the saddest thing in the world is seeing people working in a job they hate. There was a clothing chain down here called "Working for the Weekend" and the idea of working your 5 days, 40hr week simply to make it through to the weekend was just aweful.
I know for a fact that no matter what else I was doing for a living I would still be programming and keeping up with technology in my spare time. It's not a job - it's a way of life, and for those of us that enjoy the challenge and stimulation of this line of work it's wonderful.
Even so, this is, I guess, the main cause of the problem many of us face: the dreaded 80hr week. If you really enjoy programming that much that your work time blends with your spare time, then is it healthy? It's sometimes a hard call..
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What a goof. Hey Anon engage in a conversation or add some comment, but if you simply want to heap disparaging comments on someone go hang out somewhere else.
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