Tell HN: Software Is So Toxic | Hacker News Reader

Tell HN: Software Is So Toxic

9 pointsalexfromapex7 comments

I have been in Software for over 10 years. If I could, I would have warned myself at the beginning to not go into tech. At the beginning you're underpaid and told you don't have enough experience. After you have experience, you're pressured to do the most possible work for the least amount of pay and bullied until you leave companies so they can replace you with younger people that don't know the tricks they pull. You're never compensated for the many hours you have to spend every few years outside of work on your own time learning the tech to stay relevant.

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When I started 50 years ago things were very different. Being even a humble programmer made you an overpaid genius. The difference is that everyone wanted some of that pie, and the work became commoditised and over subscribed. Such a shame.

There is a lot to complain about software as a profession (or lack thereof), but pay is not among the valid complaints. If anything developers are typically vastly overpaid for what they actually deliver.

For the most part software has proven a wonderful place for the grossly under qualified to hide while simultaneously complaining about how hard life is. There are numerous names for this we all know too well.

“At first you don't know much, so you’re not much use, and then you have to work really hard, and if that’s a shock to you, you’ll find the spot on the team is given to somebody else”. Sounds like most walks of life. If only I had been born as an international playboy!

Just read this comment of mine from 40+ days ago [1] and you will feel relieved that you are not alone.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39775930

What does your contract say? If you did unpaid hours, that's on you.

> bullied until you leave companies so they can replace you with younger people that don't know the tricks they pull.

Tell me about these youngsters. How did you find out that they don't know about the tricks?

Are you just making shit up?

Try working in food service or hospitality.

That is just capitalism

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