I've been a software dev for about 15 years, my father was also one for another 20 before that. I've found that contracting (as in getting paid by the hour but with no benefits) has worked quite well for me. Except for one year when I went full time and ended up in that insane situation where you are just taken crazy advantage of. On the other hand I did work for New Zealand Police Electronic Crime Lab for a couple of years and found that indeed sometimes the code did save lives:/ Anyways my 2 cents...
Mat From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nat Russo Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2012 11:04 AM To: feistfans-l Subject: Re: Midkemia on tv Depends on too many factors to count; industry, work environment, specific manager/supervisor, workload, current phase of your career...(and yes, probably culture, although I know you were being funny, Jeff :) ) I've been a software engineer for the last 20 years. In that 20 year period I've gone through more layoffs than I care to count. It's a meat grinder of a profession where absolutely no loyalty exists. We're mercenaries, selling our "swords" to the highest bidder. I do have friends in the industry who routinely work 50-60 hour weeks, but I've found that you HAVE to set personal boundaries or your employer will chew you up and spit you out. I work *no more* than 40 hours a week. Period. End of discussion. I'm not saving lives, I'm writing code. The problem will be there the next day, and no one will die as a result. If it's a one-off situation that really deserves my attention, I'll consider it, but I better not get the feeling that the extra hours are slowly becoming routine or my boss will hear about it. There will always be another job...but I only have 1 family, and they get first shot at my quality time. Because of my experience and skill set, I get at least 3 calls per week from headhunters looking to place me into other, often better positions, so I'm fortunate enough to be holding most of the power. When my boss threatens my lifestyle, I just find another boss. And that usually comes with at least a 10% salary bump :) I have friends who work in the banking industry, and it's a very different situation there. 50 hour weeks are usually a minimum for those guys, in my friend's estimation. I have a friend who works on construction crews. His schedule is brutal...while he's employed. Nat ________________________________ This e-mail communication, including all attachments, may contain private, proprietary, privileged and/or confidential information and is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed. Any unauthorized use, copying or distribution of the contents of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, and have received it in error, please delete it and notify the sender immediately.
