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Re: Permanence and Programming as a "craft"by footpad (Abbot) |
on Apr 18, 2001 at 19:40 UTC ( [id://73536]=note: print w/replies, xml ) | Need Help?? |
Answer Hazy. Ask Again Later A little more than ten years ago, I had a somewhat similar choice. Fresh out of college, I was vying for entry-level (support) positions with two companies. Company A was local, a market leader in many categories. Company B was one of their fiercest competitors in certain areas and located some place I'd never been before. I received an offer from Company B while Company A was still dithering about. I had to decide between taking the offer in hand or hoping that a second one would appear. I took it, partly because it existed and partly because it would involve a number of new experiences. (The second offer did come through as I was packing the U-Haul to move to the new location.) I did well at Company B, moving quickly through the ranks until I had another choice. Accept a promotion into R&D to help develop the product we were working or one into Product Management to help lead that development. I chose the latter. A month later, I was laid off as Company B restructured, in part because they'd not been able to sucessfully compete with Company A. (None of the developers were laid off at that time.) I was devastated, in part because I'd allowed a lot of my personal sense of self to be wrapped up in the successes I'd enjoyed at Company B. If I'd waited for and accepted Company A's offer, I would likely have far more money than I do now, for their stock has performed admirably and they've only recently run into certain, well-publicized problems. In looking back, I stand by my original decision for two main reasons:
I believe that, as developers, we should take pride in our work and should strive to use craftsmanship as a guiding principle. That said, I also believe that:
In short, be a Monk: Take pride in your work and your accomplishments, but not to the detriment of what really matters. --f
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