::scr programming/$job burnout

[David Cantrell]

On Mon, Dec 03, 2001 at 04:18:12PM +0000, simon wistow wrote:
> I keep hearing of people, friends, who are burnt out. People are fed up with
> programming, with their jobs.

Hmmm, perhaps subconsciously that's why I've been getting out of programming
in both my previous job and this one.  My previous position was split between
security and programming, and my current position has no programming at all.
At least formally.  I do occasionally assign small, interesting jobs to
myself though.

I've found that now that I don't program for a job I get more out of the
code I write for myself.

Incidentally, when I took this project manglement job at the Beeb, I also
had an offer from A.N.Other Web Company to head up the developers.  They
offered 20% more money than the Beeb but I turned them down because the
BBC is *stable*.

Of course, I'm kicking myself because that other company is still around,
seem to be doing OK and I'd be several grand better off if I'd gone with
them.  One of the reasons they're doing OK is because they are based in a
rather nasty office development in Croydon and haven't blown millions on
posh premises.

Nah, who am I kidding, I'd have blown that several grand on extravagant
toys and going to better restaurants :-)

> [why?]

Because the current shitty state of the industry is the first time in (most
of) our adult lives that we've been royally shat upon and are powerless to
prevent it?

> 2 years ago the internet industry was thriving and there were plentiful jobs
> for everybody in company's that seemed like they could do no wrong - the money
> flowed like wine (or Vodka Red Bull) and the jobs were interesting, you could 
> get all the equipment - now it's all gone to shit and nothing's fun any more
> and there doesn't seem to be much future in it.

There is fun to be had, but the unrealistic scenes of tripping through the
meadows singing happy songs like in a bad Julie Andrews film are gone.  We
are having to learn that just like our oppressed ancestors, it's our turn
to be oppressed by our overlords.

> Something interesting came up on this walk - how many of you (I'm thinking
> especially of the programmers but it's a valid question for all) would be
> doing their job if it wasn't for the Net 'revolution' - and I don't just mean
> working for their current employer - I mean how many of you would be working
> as, say, a programmer if they hadn't started off doing web stuff?

I was getting paid for programming before I heard of that interweb thing.
The first bits of code I was paid to write were:
  licence management for office apps on SCO Unix;
  scripts for a BBS running on DOS and used for exchanging classified info;
  process control software for a manufacturer of 'essential oils'.
Then I got a job with a small company which did network and database stuff
for clients in the City.  It was soul-destroying, but that sort of work is
still out there.  Whether I could have stomached doing it for much longer
is a different matter.

-- 
David Cantrell | david@cantrell.org.uk | http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david

   Perl may be the best solution for processing a text
   file, but asking a group of Perl Mongers clearly isn't
                                                  -- aef, in #london.pm