How's work been?

I'm starting to teach myself a bit of Python. Today I was toying around with a script we use to take inputs and format the output so we can copy and paste it as a command, and actually managed to make it a little more automated... and it actually works! Took me a while to figure out how to get around the validation for one set of variables though.

The harder one outputs a string that's appended a number of times with input that's formatted as [object, variable]. We have one option that only involves the object, and up until today the fix was to just manually put the object at the end of the command before running it. I realized that I could ask the user if it was necessary during the normal process, and then, since this object doesn't change, I just add it to the end of the string right before it prints if the user answers yes.

The other change wasn't too hard, it just asks the user if they want to use Google or Comcast's DNS servers and then sets both variables accordingly, or asks the user to set them for a custom set of addresses. We use Google's a ton, so that saves me typing out 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4 a pretty large number of times.

Just submitted an application for a promotion at work. Basically my same job with added responsibilities and an improved schedule/pay plus an increase in vacation leave. I think my chances are decent, but I don't know how many will apply of the 50 or so who can. Fingers crossed.

Best of luck Antichulius!

Thin_J wrote:

Meetings! A thing I've never had to do before. Yeesh.

This sounds so frustrating...

In theory, meetings are good way to ensure everyone is still on the same page on a project.

My problem is that usually it just seems like an excuse for people to not pay attention the rest of the time and then have slow, repetitive discussions about things without reaching a resolution while I could be working.

Perhaps my biggest frustration with most work environments is that the people most obsessed with structure in the form of "project management" activities and the like are ironically also the people with the worst time management skills and the most frazzled brains. I get annoyed at constantly cc:'ing everyone on emails regarding the most minor of updates, at doing nightly check-ins, at updating a SharePoint site or an Excel spreadsheet with superfluous information all the time not because I think I'm too important to do them, but because the people who insist on them still end up just as frazzled and confused on the status of things as when I would not do any of them.

kuddles wrote:

Perhaps my biggest frustration with most work environments is that the people most obsessed with structure in the form of "project management" activities and the like are ironically also the people with the worst time management skills and the most frazzled brains. I get annoyed at constantly cc:'ing everyone on emails regarding the most minor of updates, at doing nightly check-ins, at updating a SharePoint site or an Excel spreadsheet with superfluous information all the time not because I think I'm too important to do them, but because the people who insist on them still end up just as frazzled and confused on the status of things as when I would not do any of them.

That's the nosedive I'm trying to pull the project I'm on out of now. Like, estimating software projects is hard, and I get that, but seriously, adding more and more layers of management nonsense doesn't help the core problem, you're just hiding it under 30 layers of sh*t.

So much damage has been done by treating constructing software like constructing a building.

Kannon wrote:
kuddles wrote:

Perhaps my biggest frustration with most work environments is that the people most obsessed with structure in the form of "project management" activities and the like are ironically also the people with the worst time management skills and the most frazzled brains. I get annoyed at constantly cc:'ing everyone on emails regarding the most minor of updates, at doing nightly check-ins, at updating a SharePoint site or an Excel spreadsheet with superfluous information all the time not because I think I'm too important to do them, but because the people who insist on them still end up just as frazzled and confused on the status of things as when I would not do any of them.

That's the nosedive I'm trying to pull the project I'm on out of now. Like, estimating software projects is hard, and I get that, but seriously, adding more and more layers of management nonsense doesn't help the core problem, you're just hiding it under 30 layers of sh*t.

So much damage has been done by treating constructing software like constructing a building.

Just double the number of programmers and get it done in half the time, duh.

Can anyone recommend a good computer program to automate repetitive desktop actions? I can write a basic macro on excel, but the next step I have to take is transferring my cut and paste (multiple times for different rows) over to a computer program from 1981 that is running on an emulator on my desktop. It is very time-consuming and I’d love to find a program to help me automate this.

AutoHotKey maybe?

I've used it for various gaming related functions through the years but I think it could handle some macro type things.

So I've have been a bit more than passively looking since January. Every morning, I spend 20 minutes on LinkedIn talking with recruiters, many from large, well known companies, that I appreciate their interest but due to family, I'm not looking to relocate right now. That weeds out quite a bit, but I've still had several companies that have both still been interested in me, and that I've been very interested in them.

Stuff just isn't working out, and honestly, I don't know weather to post this here, or over on the depression thread, because the length, and how far I'm getting in these interview processes, only to be time and again turned down for various reasons, and that is really getting to me.

Every time it feels like I'm being lied to by the recruiters up front. When one approached me about an AWS / Kubernetes position, I mentioned that I've done quite a bit with Kubernetes (it's why I show up in so many searches, it seems so many companies' IT departments are looking for that right now) but that I haven't used AWS, as my current company refuses to deal with Amazon.

Recruiter tells me that's no problem, as the role is all about migrating from AWS images to containers running in Kubernetes and that my knowledge in Kubernetes is exactly what they're looking for. I go through interview process, get to third round of interviews, and all the questions are about AWS, don't get the position and they cite my lack of AWS knowledge, and that's EXACTLY what I told the recruiter at the beginning of that 2 month process.

Another one wanted me to work on their Continuous Integration system and help build containers for running in Kubernetes, which is what I do in my current role, so it seemed right up my alley. I went through a series of interviews, where I told them I was always something between a developer and and a server admin, I've never fully lived in either role. Then they gave me a programming interview, and decided I wasn't a good enough programmer, and that they were going to pass. Then a week later the recruiter calls back, and decided that the role doesn't require as much programming as many of their other roles, so they probably did things incorrectly by giving me that programming test. So I have more interviews with the manager, who had worked with someone in my past, and who recommended me highly. The conversation goes really well, and they tell me they're going to go to the next step. So... What do they do? They decide to give me another programming challenge, which I spent all of Mother's Day working on, and then today they told me they're going to pass.

I have several other stories like this, but this post is getting long enough as it is.

I guess I'm lucky I still have my current role, it's just tough because my direct co-workers are great, and I enjoy working with them. This entire search, and how long it has dragged on has been hard because I feel disingenuous sitting in meetings planning out my tasks for the next 6 months, and I really don't have any intention of being there that long. So it feels every day I'm lying to my friends.

The thing is, I really do need to go... 6-8 months ago I posted in this thread about issues I was having with my manager and the mind games he was playing with me. Since then his manager left, my manager at the time took that role, and he now has a lot more power to wield, and for some reason he seems to be micromanaging me even more.

I know I'll eventually find something, it just feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel right now. It's hard to get excited for any opportunity that comes in, no matter how much it seems to match my skillset because of the experiences I've had during this search. I'm also really struggling to find the confidence in myself, after several companies have said no. Half the reason I did poorly during the programming challenge was I had a mini panic attack in the middle of it, worried that if I didn't do well on it I wouldn't ever find anything. And of course that made sure I didn't do well on it.

Yet every morning it's the same... "You'd be perfect for this role we have in Boston, or Atlanta, or Seattle, or Sunnyvale..." and it depresses me even more to say no.

That really sucks Skraut. I don't have any advice, just...yeah I feel your pain. I hope it gets better soon.

jrralls wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good computer program to automate repetitive desktop actions? I can write a basic macro on excel, but the next step I have to take is transferring my cut and paste (multiple times for different rows) over to a computer program from 1981 that is running on an emulator on my desktop. It is very time-consuming and I’d love to find a program to help me automate this.

You might be able to do it in VBA, still, using this and the SendKeys function?

jrralls wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good computer program to automate repetitive desktop actions? I can write a basic macro on excel, but the next step I have to take is transferring my cut and paste (multiple times for different rows) over to a computer program from 1981 that is running on an emulator on my desktop. It is very time-consuming and I’d love to find a program to help me automate this.

I've used both TinyTask and AutoHotKey for repetitive stuff like that. Combined both of them to auto-play Hitman Go for me when I wanted the achievements for the Windows 8 version.

First, let me say I love my job. This is just a vent.
Sometimes I really don't like being a manager. I am a technical IT Operations guy who worked my way up through the ranks.
I pushed to be a manager so that there was someone in management that had hands on experience and could understand the operational and technical side of decisions that were made.
But what that actually means is that when there's an outage that I know how to solve, and I'm on the manager call, and I can fix it... I have to call the guy who reports to me. I feel like an asshole to call someone on my team on a Saturday.
The reality is I used to be that guy who got that call and my manager used to say "I have no idea what's wrong please help". But, when I call my guy I get to say "do X then do y, then execute z and we'll be back up". Because I already know what's wrong and how to fix it.
I sent that email to my team and asked them to get us up ASAP. I haven't heard back from the team yet, and I'm itching just to do it myself.
Them I got an email from my boss : "if you tell them what to do, how will they learn to troubleshoot and figure this out?"
Ugh. Sometimes I hate being in management.

Part of management is growing your team, and part of growing your team is letting them make their own mistakes (and similarly allowing them their own successes).

Yeah, it’s hard, but remember: in a couple of years, you won’t know how to solve the problems anymore and you’ll have to rely on the team you’ve built.

...and then you’ll complain about how you used be the technical guy but now you aren’t even though you still feel like you are...

I don't know what's worse: being told the promotion you applied for was given to someone outside the department (even though the application listing explicitly stated that it was in-department only), or also then being told that the choice came down to you or the outside person who got it.

Like, now I've got both the disappointment of not getting the promotion, but resentment feelings for both the hiring committee for not sticking to their own rules and for the outside person who applied while not fitting all the qualifications. And really, if it came down to me and someone from the outside who ultimately got it, it wasn't actually that close of a race, since a basic tenet of the application was ignored. So, don't try to tell me it was neck and neck (which is what I was told).

I think I'd almost rather not be told it could have been me "but..."

I feel like my time at my job is going to come to an end soon. One way or another.

I've enjoyed the job as I've been doing lead work and I'm finding I'm pretty good at that and enjoy that kind of work, but my employer is not as organized as I would like them to be and I don't get the impression there are tons of sales in the pipeline.

Starting to look for work is fairly triggering for me. The last decade of my life has been really challenging.

- Major car accident where I was in physical therapy for almost 2 years
- Lost my job right at the start of the Great Recession and was out of work for a year
- Got back on my feet, only to start having major health issues again
- Wife got a job out of the country, so we move
- We move back and my mom passes away weeks later
- I take the first job that seems reasonable so I can help pay for taking care of my father

So basically I've found myself at a job I like OK with a company that's not so great, in part just propelled by circumstance.

I look back at that decade of life events and I want to cry. I go onto LinkedIn and it feels like a haunted house to me, reminding me of all the people who were able to stay at their jobs, advance in their careers, etc. I feel so far behind and so the prospect of looking for work really depresses me.

Maybe I should be posting this in the depression thread.

I've been thinking about this a bit since I read it and then I read through your resume when you shared that for some feedback. With that in mind, I'm hoping it might help for you to know how that last decade also looks to a relative stranger readying your resume.

- You've worked consistently in web development for basically twenty years
- You've continued to develop your skills as the industry has changed over the same time
- You have both product and consulting experience
- You've taken advantage of a chance to work overseas which also undoubtedly gave you some interesting perspectives.
- You've worked with some of the most dominant brands in the world

Your future employer won't know many of those challenges until you feel a need to share them but since I've been on the site for a long time, I also know that despite all of those challenges you've survived and continued to learn new skills.

I'm not trying to discount what you are feeling and I'm sorry looking for a job feels so challenging but I see a lot of positives that I hope you can recognize too.
Good luck.

DSGamer wrote:

I feel like my time at my job is going to come to an end soon. One way or another.

I've enjoyed the job as I've been doing lead work and I'm finding I'm pretty good at that and enjoy that kind of work, but my employer is not as organized as I would like them to be and I don't get the impression there are tons of sales in the pipeline.

Starting to look for work is fairly triggering for me. The last decade of my life has been really challenging.

- Major car accident where I was in physical therapy for almost 2 years
- Lost my job right at the start of the Great Recession and was out of work for a year
- Got back on my feet, only to start having major health issues again
- Wife got a job out of the country, so we move
- We move back and my mom passes away weeks later
- I take the first job that seems reasonable so I can help pay for taking care of my father

So basically I've found myself at a job I like OK with a company that's not so great, in part just propelled by circumstance.

I look back at that decade of life events and I want to cry. I go onto LinkedIn and it feels like a haunted house to me, reminding me of all the people who were able to stay at their jobs, advance in their careers, etc. I feel so far behind and so the prospect of looking for work really depresses me.

Maybe I should be posting this in the depression thread.

Here is my take on it. You have been through a lot of hardship and you are still here. That's something that many others can't lay claim to. So you look on LinkedIn and find people who have been in the same career for the past 367 years and...well...for me that sounds extremely stagnating and boring! Who really wants to do the same thing for so long? Where is the excitement and challenge in that?

Embrace change! Be glad to move on to new adventures! And know that in so doing, you are not just one of the pack who is afraid to get out of the boat and swim rather than not even get into the boat in the first place.

You are NOT behind! What you have now is OPPORTUNITY!

(And I agree, looking for work sucks, but at least you aren't stuck, feeling like you can't go anywhere.)

Antichulius wrote:

And really, if it came down to me and someone from the outside who ultimately got it, it wasn't actually that close of a race, since a basic tenet of the application was ignored. So, don't try to tell me it was neck and neck (which is what I was told).

I’d believe the neck and neck, if I were you. Where you currently work isn’t really a “basic tenet of the application”; that doesn’t have anything to do with your abilities. I’m sorry that you didn’t get the job, and I’m sorry that it feels massively unfair. As I hiring manager, I feel pretty comfortable saying that it doesn’t reflect on your capabilities.

DSGamer: Never forget that LinkedIn is no different from other social media, except they are trying to impress employers just as much as colleagues. Nobody is posting their struggles and failures. Don't try to compare your life experience to someone else's carefully manicured humble brag.

kuddles wrote:

DSGamer: Never forget that LinkedIn is no different from other social media, except they are trying to impress employers just as much as colleagues. Nobody is posting their struggles and failures. Don't try to compare your life experience to someone else's carefully manicured humble brag.

Seriously. I don’t post up about my struggles with depression and imposter syndrome, things that have derailed me in life or anything even remotely about anything other than work, and work type accomplishments. LinkedIn is all about impressing potential employers, recruiters, people in the biz, not about airing out your life by design.

Everything I’ve read here on GWJ leads me to believe that you’re an accomplished software engineer, have worked on mastering your skill set (which in web dev is a continual process unlike say C/C++), and have managed to handle the curveballs life has thrown at you with at least some semblance of grace and dignity (even if it feels more like this).

athros wrote:

Seriously. I don’t post up about my struggles with depression and imposter syndrome, things that have derailed me in life or anything even remotely about anything other than work, and work type accomplishments. LinkedIn is all about impressing potential employers, recruiters, people in the biz, not about airing out your life by design.

Of course. Totally. I didn't mean it that way. I used LinkedIn strictly professionally and am frankly shocked when other people use it otherwise (getting in political discussions, etc.). I just meant that even looking at LinkedIn for me is rough because it's like a walk down memory lane of all my failures and mistakes. It's really tough thinking of the jobs I would have hung in with longer if not for anxiety. Or the people who were my peers who went on to be VPs and the like.

Everything I’ve read here on GWJ leads me to believe that you’re an accomplished software engineer, have worked on mastering your skill set (which in web dev is a continual process unlike say C/C++), and have managed to handle the curveballs life has thrown at you with at least some semblance of grace and dignity (even if it feels more like this).

This is very kind and I'll try to keep it in mind as opposed to what normally goes through my head. It definitely feels more like that GIF.

Rahmen wrote:

I've been thinking about this a bit since I read it and then I read through your resume when you shared that for some feedback. With that in mind, I'm hoping it might help for you to know how that last decade also looks to a relative stranger readying your resume.

- You've worked consistently in web development for basically twenty years
- You've continued to develop your skills as the industry has changed over the same time
- You have both product and consulting experience
- You've taken advantage of a chance to work overseas which also undoubtedly gave you some interesting perspectives.
- You've worked with some of the most dominant brands in the world

Your future employer won't know many of those challenges until you feel a need to share them but since I've been on the site for a long time, I also know that despite all of those challenges you've survived and continued to learn new skills.

The thing that makes it hard is that *I know*. I know all the places where I could have stayed longer, but got freaked out by the instability on the job. Or where anxiety got in the way of a promotion. Maybe this points in the direction of work I need to do with my therapist. I don't see things at all the way you see them, but I appreciate the kind words all the same.

New job is difficult with erratic time starts, but I have finally got a job I don't hate . Now all I need is proper mind drugs for seretonin and other deficiencies and I should be a normal eccentric weirdo.

I'd say it's been tough, but working 80 hours in a clean room (with few chairs) for a month was tough.
It's been some long weeks lately, thought - averaging 50 hours each. Trying to finish coding for my current project.
Lovely! Also, the Client has decided to saddle us with even more paperwork . . . . then refuses to adjust the deadlines to compensate for it. Well, they're gonna slip no matter what damp dreams they're having.

DSGamer wrote:

Of course. Totally. I didn't mean it that way. I used LinkedIn strictly professionally and am frankly shocked when other people use it otherwise (getting in political discussions, etc.). I just meant that even looking at LinkedIn for me is rough because it's like a walk down memory lane of all my failures and mistakes. It's really tough thinking of the jobs I would have hung in with longer if not for anxiety. Or the people who were my peers who went on to be VPs and the like.

I use LinkedIn as a bastion against my imposter syndrome struggle. My resumes are targeted to specific employers, my LinkedIn profile is my living resume. Everything work related is on there in some form.

I look at my accomplishments and say "Yeah, I did that" or "I remember that project...I had to drag it's corpse over the finish line" and such when it gets bad and I feel like I'm actually an imposter and worthless in my job. I see other peers who have gone on to better things and I see my failures, but they don't effect me as much anymore. That's taken loooots of therapy to be able to say "Yeah I f*cked it up here, but then I did this other thing!" and to try and not compare myself to other people (which I'm still working on. Stupid brain).

I don't have much else I can say other than I was there a few years ago, and if I can help, or you want to chat, hit me up in PM or on Discord (or both) and I'll make time.

Futile

I'm one week into my new job and not enjoying it. They've put me on a project that is doing literally exactly what I told them I didn't want to do. The sort of thing I dislike doing. When they offered the job, they told me I'd be on a different team. And because it's something I dislike doing, I have almost no knowledge in any of it whatsoever. There's a lead dev who's supposed to help but he's rarely there or available during work hours.

The extra commute is really straining things more than I expected too. It's only an extra 15 minutes each way, but that's enough to knock my connecting bus routes back further so it ends up being much bigger than that.

I'm very tempted to get in touch with the manager of my old job and just ask for a transfer to a different team. I know there's a team that's a lot closer to home, but don't know if any openings are available there. I should probably give it more than one week though.

Still applying for other positions as they become open, so maybe something else will happen soon.

That sucks halfwaywrong. Is there any indication that the current project you’re working on will only be a temporary thing, or does it look like they just straight up lied to you?

Yeah it's supposed to be just another couple of months. I'm not convinced it'll stay that way, or that I'll be doing what I was originally offered when this finishes up. They didn't exactly lie - the project was a last minute thing. However they could have chosen to tell me at least a few days earlier than they did.