This content originally appeared on Level Up Coding - Medium and was authored by Arthur Kay
I saw a post on LinkedIn this week that struck a nerve:
No disrespect to Harley (I generally enjoy his content!) but I have a problem with this sort of inspirational nonsense — because it misses a far larger point.
First things first: Harley is probably correct in stating the three main reasons developers quit.
His points are reasonable (though I don’t imagine he has any actual data to cite), and I have certainly quit jobs because I didn’t enjoy the work or I felt underpaid.
Second things second: I don’t really disagree with Harley’s points on building a powerful development team, though I LOL’d at the assertion this is “really simple”.
I have worked on great teams — I always felt compensated fairly and I always enjoyed the projects.
When I was managing a team I certainly tried to deliver on those three points, and my team was outstanding.
So what’s the problem here?
The thing that rubs me the wrong way about Harley’s post is that it completely over-simplifies what anyone should expect in their career as a software engineer.
Most software isn’t sexy.
Not every team/project/gig is “fun” — and that’s totally fine, provided it’s not soul-sucking.
Literally everything in the modern world runs on software. Traffic lights, banking systems, large manufacturing systems… all kinds of things you never even think about.
None of the software required to run these critical applications is “fun” conceptually.
Most of it involves “legacy” code, outdated architectures, and obsolete processes.
The majority of the companies building and maintaining this software are pretty much the opposite of the nonsense you hear about at FAANG; they’re usually slow, frequently afraid of new technology, and frankly unlikely to offer developers any hope of “building cool shit”.
I see endless posts on LinkedIn from folks desperately trying to break into IT, software engineering, and cybersecurity. The reality for most of these people is that their first “real job” is going to be working for one of these dinosaur corporations struggling to modernize their systems… certainly not anything glamorous.
Needless to say, I have a problem with inspirational posts about “how amazing it is to be a software engineer” because they’re misleading to everyone trying to find their first gig.
The Truth?
It is amazing to be a software engineer. I freaking love it!
But…
I probably learned more about building “enterprise” software during the three years I worked for a local manufacturing company than in any other role I’ve had since.
The software was not sexy.
Yet I was solving real problems. Providing real value.
The code I typed on my screen came to life on the production floor, and in the warehouse, and lots of other physical places I could see and smell and touch.
I honestly loved that job; I only left because I had learned enough to attract recruiters from Silicon Valley startups and I discovered I could earn more money (looks like Harley was right with #2).
My point: don’t stick your nose up at the software these companies build just because they’re not using the latest-and-greatest bullshit.
Management isn’t Sexy Either
Not every company is Google — in terms of budgets, benefits or culture.
As a manager, that means it’s damn near impossible sometimes to create a “fun workplace”.
And it’s definitely hard to control what your team gets paid. Middle-managers (i.e. pretty much every “engineering manager”, “director” and/or “VP” at most companies) often have near-zero control over employee compensation.
Building cool shit? LOL forget it. You build the software that someone more important than you at the company told you to build. ERP systems. CMS customizations. Shipping and logistics tools.
Is your tech libido on fire yet with the passion of 10,000 stars? 🙄
Engineering management is rarely exciting, and despite what Harley says it’s not “really simple” to build a team, turn them all into high performers and keep them engaged.
My own experience as an engineering director: it was challenging as hell.
I took over a team of 6, transferred several existing engineers into my group and hired 3 bootcamp grads. We had a “fun workplace” as far as most startups go, though our team was also partly distributed/remote.
I had zero control of budget, and near-zero control over choosing projects. Middle-management was also a minefield of office- and personal-politics, one that led me towards burnout and gray(er) hair.
Yet… it was an amazing 18 months of professional growth for me, like an accelerated MBA focused exclusively on tech startups.
TL;DR
Software Engineers are definitely looking to be compensated fairly for work they enjoy.
So’s everyone else, in every other industry 🙄
Managing software engineers isn’t all fun-and-games either.
Careers are long, and sometimes it’s better to have a perspective of “growth opportunities” rather than “building cool shit”.
Harley posts a lot of great content on LinkedIn. I follow him; you should too.
But let’s all stop pretending that working in software should always be fun or that it’s simple to build teams. Neither is true… and that’s okay.
Maybe, just maybe, you really need a role that isn’t sexy.
Are you considering the IC-track in your software engineering career?
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Software Isn’t Sexy was originally published in Level Up Coding on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
This content originally appeared on Level Up Coding - Medium and was authored by Arthur Kay
Arthur Kay | Sciencx (2023-03-14T15:23:28+00:00) Software Isn’t Sexy. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2023/03/14/software-isnt-sexy/
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