And you are here why?

Hang out in the world of Software Development for pretty much any length of time, and you’re sure to hit a  DeathMarch  (•). You know, the kind that goes, “WE HAVE 17 DAYS TO RELEASE ALL HANDS OF DECK LATE NIGHTS MOAR COFFEE …”. Oh, there might ben occasional “justified” one — I recall an instance when a Very Important Client basically told us to add a feature within the month, or they’d switch, and switching meant that we’d be out of business. Result — lots of pain and suffering on our part, but it was that, or around 45 people being out of jobs. (And yes, we did, eventually, manage to rebalance our clients so that this wouldn’t happen again…) That said, most of them tend to be due to  some  form of screwup in the development process — be it requirements, expectations, or whatever. However,  there are those organizations (quite prevalent in #TechBro culture), where late nights are a way of life. Beware these! In particular, look out for two specifi...

It really does feel like this gif sometimes, doesn’t it? Seriously though, look around at the folks that you are working with. Realize that, at the best of times, you’re spending about half of your waking life with them. Are these the folks that you want to spend this much time with? Is this what you want to be doing for half of your waking life? Yes, I know, most of us in the world don’t have agency. But, if you  do  have agency,  do something about it!  Evict those  #CowboyDevelopers  from your organization. Get the malcontents to stop malcontenting. Make change happen — you have agency!

Being the first one in — fine, I’m ok with that. Heck, I’m  more  than ok with that,  as long as It doesn’t mess with your personal life (gym, kids, dog, s.o., whatnot), and You leave early . Seriously, you’d think we’d know better by now, that people are more effective when they’re rested, when they have a healthy work/life balance, when they’re enjoying  life , and not just  life at work …