as a programmer or web developer. It may actually apply to a lot of different office jobs. I see myself as good at what I do. I am thorough all the way from analysis and design through coding, testing, and implementation. I have been on projects with a lot of work and tight deadlines and also vice versa where there wasn't a lot of work and not so tight deadlines. When I am challenged, I suck it up and work that much harder to get the job done. When I don't know how something is done, I figure it out and do it. I am skilled and resourceful. However, as a programmer, there is one thing I cannot stand and that is....downtime. I am a programmer yet I can honestly say that I spend about 15-20%(if that) of my time a year actually writing code. To me, that is ridiculous. So, why is it a programmer who is all about coding does not get to do this often enough? It's called management inefficiencies and is one of the main reasons I would never be a manager of any kind. The way it works where I am at is we do everything release-based where projects wind up, we go through the software lifecycle, and then they wind down. Then, it's about a month of serious downtime(seems longer) in between releases or projects that may last 4-6 months. I find myself at work with no work whatsoever. I wonder why I even bother to show up? I cannot believe I am in such a scenario where I make good money and suffer through long and frustrating bouts of "no-work syndrome". Its like I should be a paid consultant but I'm not....I'm a full-timer. The reason is quite simple. Not only is everything done in releases but management has to formulate the new work assignments which will make up each release. Instead of overlap where we are winding down one release while management works on the assignments for the next release so it can start up asap, they just wait until we are finished with the existing release to begin their work. So, they have something to do while the programmers suffer....and we do suffer. Management has to do formulations of new assignments, approvals of new assignments, tweaking of new assignments, re-workings of new assignments, funding of new releases, etc. . Back and forth...back and forth..between lower management and upper management until they get a solid build of work for a release. It would be so much better for everyone if they would overlap but they do not, they pay us to sit around, and basically do nothing until the next release begins. No amount of complaining, suggestions, meetings, compromises, etc. has changed anything here in several releases. So, what does this do to me? One, it hurts my self-confidence. The less work I have, the less tweaked my skills are. Reading about and doing are two different things. Two, it makes office day jobs intolerable. When your busy coding, days can fly by. When there is not enough work, days drag on forever. Three, it causes me to show up late and cut out early. Why should I show up on time to do nothing...nothing at all but some various minor issues that take less than 1 hour? Therefore, I will show up half hour late, take an extra long lunch, and leave 45 minutes early. The sad part is noone even notices. If I have real work to keep me busy, I do not do this. I feel bad for doing it but I feel I am forced to do it. If anyone ever said anything about it to me, then they would get a rebuttal like they have never seen. I may even storm out and never come back if someone said anything. I get my work done when there is work to be done, better and faster than most. Noone has ever questioned my work ethic or ability. Every performance review I have every gotten has been excellent. Four, it causes me to take vacation days to get away from this hell hole. Then, I run out of vacation early and don't have it when I really need it. The list goes on and on. Therefore, I have to say that I am fed up, thoroughly frustrated, and don't know what to do. I am content when I have work but asking an employee to suffer through long bouts of no work is inexcusable. Do all large companies have so much inefficiency? I mean...when the project starts, it's fine. Time in between projects is hell time. I realize that some coders are probably on the opposite side of the spectrum. They have too much work and not enough time to do the work. Most of these are probably consultants or have some shoddy project management where they are not allocating enough time to get the job done. Any other programmers out there care to comment on the downtime issues? Is it a problem for you? Even if you work in another field, I would still like to hear your thoughts on downtime. Some downtime is inevitable but when it drags out and re-occurs, then it becomes very difficult to handle. I feel like I should be actively looking for a new job during this downtime. Is that what I'm supposed to be doing? I wonder. It's absurd that I get paid good money and they cannot even keep me busy. I find it hard to believe but it happens. On the opposite side of the spectrum, I do not want a job that is too busy, too much work, bad project management, too much overtime, poor technology, volatile company, and all around chaotic hell. But, there has to be a middle ground somewhere...doesn't there. I thought it was called balance. I have no work balance. I don't know...I'm losing my mind, though. I need work!!! There are several other programmers on my team who go through the same thing I do. We try to stay busy dreaming of one day being able to learn and work with up-and-coming new technologies instead of the same old same old. However, large companies can be slow to upgrade and add new technologies. We read as much as we can on technical programming stuff related to our field before we go numb. Sorry for the long rant but I have time . The real world job can be an inefficient pile of dogcrap. My strings are pulled by management but, right now, noone is pulling. I've been put on the top shelf of the closet to rot I guess. I could have done two releases by myself in the amount of down time in between two releases. That's no BS. If you've got complaints about your job, voice them here. I certainly have time to read them while I get paid . Oh...wait..I think I hear my manager calling...oh no...that was just the wind howling. Surf ------------------
In Japan, they won't fire you for poor performance, they put you in an office and give you nothing to do. Eventually you quit. Good luck getting through your doldrums. I wish I had nothing to do.... ------------------ humble, but hungry. [This message has been edited by PhiSlammaJamma (edited March 13, 2001).]
I was on a 5 month contract in which 4 months were spent surfing the Internet. I'm currently twiddling my thumbs awaiting servers to come online. Servers that were promised 2-3 weeks ago, but here I sit... here I wait... *sigh* ------------------ "I was arrested for sexual assault involving an elderly man and I was out in 35 minutes." -- Achebe - programmer by day, geriatric ass grabber by night. As(s?) a side note, he did state he was cleared of charges.
they call that time time alotted for overrun since most things management does is rarely completed ON TIME they think everyone else is like that Rocket River ------------------
D0D, No wonder your in a "HPee like" posting frenzy ------------------ "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."- (Aldous Huxley) [This message has been edited by BobFinn* (edited March 13, 2001).]
We can trade jobs if you like (though I don't know squat about programming). Before my current job, I worked for a litigation consulting company doing research and support work. It was a wealthy company that had a dept of people like me that worked maybe 40% of the time. But they wanted us there for all our hours because a project could come up at any moment and we needed to be ready to go right away. Leaving 2 minutes early was not even tolerable. But I have to say I absolutely loved it and I still pine for my old job. I would go for weeks sometimes where I would go into the office, check my sports, check the news, play some games, walk in the park during lunch, play more games, talk with my coworkers and go home. Sometimes it would get a little tiresome, and sometimes I'd get headaches from playing Half-Life for so long but, on the whole, it beat the hell out of working. Damn, I want to go back! One thing I'd advise you do, like I had done, is to take on some other projects. For awhile, I helped home-school a brother-in-law by email in essay-writing. I wrote a novella. I took on all sorts of little research projects for friends and relatives: good college programs, what kind of dog I should get (Great Pyrennees), cooking recipes, etc. My company understood I had downtime and didn't care what I did with it just so long as I could drop what I was doing when they needed me. So that freed me to pursue what I wanted, as long as I could do it from my cubicle. I suggest you do the same. Write to RealGM and ask to be a team columnist; start an internet company; research the Russian Revolution; just do something. ------------------ RealGM Gafford Art Artisan Cakes
I used to work at a place where I could literally finish all of my work in about 2 hours each day. The rest of the day, I would sit around, answer phones, play solitaire, whatever. It was AWFUL. All in an office with no windows. 90% of my job could've easily been done from home. That is one of the main reasons I work for myself. ------------------ "Don't waste it. We're here."
I totally know what you mean! It feels like 10 hours ago it was lunch time! Im fallllllllliiiinnnnnngggg assssslllllleeeeepppppppp! ------------------ Nice guys finish last ... and im surely not going to finish last!
Like I said in chat, I'm on here more than Clutch. lol. I swear I log in at around 7am and don't log off until around 10pm to midnight. Ridiculous. I like getting paid well, but I hate sitting around. Hell if you're gonna pay me to sit around and do nothing, let me do that from home, I can do it just as well from there. ------------------ "I was arrested for sexual assault involving an elderly man and I was out in 35 minutes." -- Achebe - programmer by day, geriatric ass grabber by night. As(s?) a side note, he did state he was cleared of charges.
Was that some weird type of haiku? ------------------ My dream job is to be a Houston Rockets towel boy.
Takeover, here we come ------------------ "Repression never did me any harm (I finally ceased to include "stop masturbating" as one of my guilt ridden New Year's resolutions, but that's a different topic)." Achebe - programmer by day, Mrs Palmers Husband by night
That empty office thing in Japan that PhiSlamma was talking about happens to project managers who perform poorly hear in America also. It's called "special assignment." Also, Surf, my mom is a programmer and she comes home pulling hair out all the time, always talkin about how she has to keep on reading and learning and reading. Y'all need to switch jobs. ------------------ When I die, I want to be reincarnated as that chair in the Britney Spears video.
Moe, I did get it finally. She's about 10 weeks old and putting holes in all my clothes. I can't really say how well she's worked out yet since she's still so young, but I think it's a great dog. ------------------ RealGM Gafford Art Artisan Cakes
<font color="blue">Update:</font> It's about 1:50 pm in the afternoon. This morning I had a few things early on to look into that took about 10 minutes(stupid users don't know how the applications work so they say they are bugs when their not) and I went to a status meeting on a project I'm working on which was about another 10 minutes. I took a lunch at 11 am, went and did some grocery shopping, and then went home to make/eat lunch and let my dogs bother the neighbors while they cut their lawn. I came back to work and have been head bobbing ever since trying to stay awake. That is some serious **** when your head is bobbing while you try to stay awake. Too much MSG or what? I dunno. I happen to be located near a freaking freeway transit system where everyone and their Mom wanders by and peeks into my cubicle to see what I'm doing. I need a door to slam in their faces. I honestly don't care what they see as I'm going to put a nude pic of Pamela Anderson as my screensaver. Let's see how they like that . Huh? Right... . Damn, just as I as typing that part about Pamela my manager came into my cubicle asking me some technical questions. Can you say "minimize"? I did that and then responded with my proverbial, "Whats Up?", like I was doing nothing wrong. No matter...he's cool and he knows its a slow period. Anyway, I am looking forward to the Rockets game tonite. I imagine I will bug out around 4 pm today(my normal hours are 8am - 5pm ). Go home, cut my massive backyard while trying not to step in dog poo, maybe walk the dogs, maybe work out. Then, I'm gonna get the supper going, the beer in hand, the game on, and see what's up in the chat. As for the remaining 2 hours here, I'm not sure what I'll do. I think I'm awake now but I've read the entire CNN, Yahoo!, CC BBS, Dallas Morning News, FW Star-Telegram, Hou. Chronicle, Tom's Hardware, etc. etc. etc. sites and I pretty much am sick of all of it and the Web. I see now why they call it the web because it is a tangling mess. Is there any news in the world I am not aware of? I don't think so. On a brighter note, I just got a hold of the assignments for the next release and we start up in a bunch of meetings next week to start scoping the requirements and estimating times for the work. It all begins again. I hope to be busier soon so I can get away from the boredom that comes with web surfing and filtering through all the crap . Surf ------------------
My update. I'm still waiting for my servers to come online... in the meantime I've been bashing the daylights out of bbs.clutchcity.net. I must have 75% of the hits today. Y'all need to post some more interesting stuff during the day for Surf and me. Have some compassion. Man, I think I'm sick of looking for deals and coupons online. There's only so many computer parts reviews I can look at. There's only so much sports info. The weather forecast is getting to be kinda stale to look at, too. There's always chat to look forward to... woo hoo!! ...on the downside, I have to return to work tomorrow ------------------ "Yes, you can touch me." -- Rocketman95 showing he's not only a liberal, but he's pretty liberal with his body... I don't make this stuff up folks, they really say it...
Surfguy, You sound like you need to get in the games industry, where you REALLY push the envelope on coding, and time to actually live a normal life. I have just started a new company called "Fever Pitch Studios" and will be looking for talented programmers. What languages are you most familiar with? DaDakota ------------------ If you like RTS games, check out this one. www.frontierwars.com coming soon to a PC near you.
Haha. I would love to be a games programmer except I am in no way a C/C++ type of programmer. I am a web programmer who specializes in business programming. I would love to learn how to be a games programmer if I wanted to spend 18 hours out of every day doing nothing but that with no time left for anything else. I've seen those game programmer documentaries. Dudes crammed in offices living off of pizza and coke until the wee hours of every morning only to begin again the next day. That is an extreme business and the game better be good or it won't sell and it will get slammed by critics. I once wrote a game back in the 80s where it was a sorry looking turtle(it didn't really look like a turtle) who would crawl which ever direction according to your arrow key pushed. It was so bad...it was written in Pascal. I think I probably got a D+ on that one...hehe. I was in 9th grade so... Your looking for talented programmers with most of them coming out of India probably. Those guys are so smart they talk in pseudocode. You have got to be one smart cookie to write games software...no doubt about that. I have a hard enough time playing the games. LOL Surf ------------------
Mango, it wasn't a "player stat" database. It was a graphical stats engine (kinda like the one that Sportsline is now doing), and I can't work on it because what I was going to use to do it requires me forking over money for a dedicated NT Server box (it would require registering dll's, etc.). I heard the per-month cost of one of those and nearly fainted. I'm still thinking of something else, though. This thing will be more Rockets-related. We'll see... ------------------ "Yes, you can touch me." -- Rocketman95 showing he's not only a liberal, but he's pretty liberal with his body... I don't make this stuff up folks, they really say it...
DoD, What happened to the player stat databae that you were working on? Seems like you have a few moments to work on it. Mango ------------------ Get it right or just don't do it! Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain and ....
