patrick.net

mell says

That's what I have seen in the tech world

PLEASE stop saying "tech" when you specifically mean computer software and perhaps hardware. Its as disingenuous as screaming STEM talent shortage! TECH covers a LOT more than just SW/HW.

mell says

New Renter says

In my world I have had CEOs who spend their evenings combing the logs of the company's Barracuda web filter to keep tabs on who's been naughty and who's been nice.

I have heard of those but never worked for a company that did that. In the open office environment you can pretty much see anyways what your coworker next to you is browsing.

It exists all right. Whether there are any repercussions depends on how much of an asshole your supervisor is.

I always ask in interviews about that though and tell them upfront that I may be doing some trades and occasionally browsing the web otherwise and if they would react harshly I don't take that job but that has never happened because I tell them that the work will get done and that's all they care about usually.

In my world you would never say such a thing because it would terminate the interest of the interviewer right there. No big deal, you are but one of several candidates.

mell says

I have had tough jobs even in tech throughout the years where I pulled all nighters and weekend work, bosses yell at me because a fucking demo wasn't working and demanding to stay overnight to make it work. Most of this has completely disappeared and a swift "business related" layoff is the only chance bosses have because pep talks can lead to lawsuits and HR trouble. Which is not good for either because often the worker may want to keep their job and a short honest talk could resolve issues and make the worker and the company more productive.

At my last job management would often demand short notice customer demos of our alpha and beta prototypes. These were biometric instruments. Take all the problems of YOUR prototypes and throw in:

*Real world bio samples thoughtfully provided by us or the customer
*Materials biocompatibility using materials NOT intended for biocompatibility
*End of useful life reagents (only ones available)
*Fluid sealing in experimental microfluidic chips
*Precision optics
*Several kilovolts of electricity which BTW hurts like a BITCH when you bump up against a live electrode (not unheard of)

That's on top of the numerous software bugs, custom one of a kind hardware with no spare parts, etc.

This is happening every day in the wonderful world of biotech.

mell says

That sucks and sounds "dick-ish" but why not comply and be done at 4pm with work, have less commute, and find another job if this is a problem?

Good question. I've asked a few times with no answer but I think its that a new job would take a move out of the area.

New Renter says

PLEASE stop saying "tech" when you specifically mean computer software and perhaps hardware. Its as disingenuous as screaming STEM talent shortage! TECH covers a LOT more than just SW/HW.

OK, Computer hardware and software it is. I agree that there is no general STEM shortage and that there are often (too( many applicants in areas such as chemistry, biology etc. See I always wanted to apply my SW skillz in biotech/medicine, but those are a fraction of the total programming jobs so I worked for MSPs, media companies etc. I think that anybody who gets a degree in science needs to know how to code to broaden their job prospects and bridge jobs before getting their desired position. Science and programming these days is just too tightly knit together.

New Renter says

In my world you would never say such a thing because it would terminate the interest of the interviewer right there. No big deal, you are but one of several candidates

OK, makes sense. But again, I have never met anybody who sits in front of the computer for their job who doesn't surf at least an hour minimum per day, pays the bills online etc., no matter what position their were in. I could tell you what their facebook status was just by sitting next to them.

New Renter says

That's on top of the numerous software bugs, custom one of a kind hardware with no spare parts, etc.

This is happening every day in the wonderful world of biotech.

Even in non-biotech SW the code is very buggy these days due to everybody jumping on the agile bandwagon and abusing it as a tool to demand double the amount of work in half the time. But the truth is that the majority of companies operate in the "just good enough" mode which has made the US the leader in many things just because releasing things earlier gives you the edge, buggy or not. Personally I don't like this modus operandi and state that often, because eventually accumulated technical and operational debt can crush you, but if you have already made boatloads of money and acquired/locked in a critical mass of customers by then it is often considered calculated risk.

mell says

New Renter says

In my world you would never say such a thing because it would terminate the interest of the interviewer right there. No big deal, you are but one of several candidates

OK, makes sense. But again, I have never met anybody who sits in front of the computer for their job who doesn't surf at least an hour minimum per day, pays the bills online etc., no matter what position their were in. I could tell you what their facebook status was just by sitting next to them

Sure, Dan is the perfect example. He claims to be a programmer with a far-more-than-40 workweek yet he is one of the biggest contributors here. The only way he could do both and not be chatting at work is if he's undead and does not require sleep. So what? As long as he meets his goals his supervisors should be happy.

In my job there were hours my coworkers and I would have to spend babysitting our machines. Each step could take up to an hour yet we HAD to stay there in case something blew up. We needed to do something which could be done in near darkness and engaged enough to stay awake yet not so engaged we'd miss an event. That is the perfect time to pay bills, shop, whatever. It also allowed us to take care of our personal lives so we could physically stay at work longer. A good boss understands that.