Software engineering.
Most people don’t have a clue what we do. Especially management. Most people think we’re code factory workers, just writing code all day. In reality, it is closer to being an artist than it is a factory worker. There’s a ton of thinking, discussion, design, and unfortunately politicking.
Hey collegue!
Fully agree with you. People think anything can be done with Software. But often not really and we just create a work around. Its always funny to see people think developing is easy and then get shattered by reality. Sometimes you just sit there, screaming for why it doesnt work!..then you see you set the wrong variable.
Sometimes you are an artist, sometimes a high mathematician, sometimes a wizard and sometimes you want to get an axe and hack your computer
Thats interesting. I am one of those people who assumed the job was pretty much just coding all day on some team project. What does your day to day routine look like?
It can vary a lot depending on the day and the company/job. Frequently there are meetings that are update/planning discussions, discussions with one or more other engineers on how to build a given feature, debugging existing code to figure out why it’s not doing the thing we want (which is a different but overlapping skill set with coding).
Ultimately there isn’t really a “typical” day because we wear a lot of different hats. My current job is more coding heavy because I’m at a small startup with only a couple of engineers. In a given week I’m probably doing 10% meetings, 50% coding/debugging/configuration, 20% code review (reviewing other people’s code), and 20% thinking/designing/experimenting with ideas. Those numbers vary a lot though. At a previous job I ended up spending an entire week just doing project management to alleviate my boss’ anxiety over a project (which was somewhat self defeating because it meant I wasn’t getting work done on said project). That job in particular had a lot of politicking and communication which was due to micromanagement.
A lot of what people don’t realize is that we aren’t just building a feature. We’re building a feature while thinking ahead to known or potential future features. How can we build feature A to enable making features B, C, and D easier/better/faster without also making feature E much more difficult or impossible? It’s about building flexibility into the system while also balancing against time and cost restrictions. We as engineers have things that we see as necessary while the business wants more features and it’s necessary to balance the two. At a healthy org that means that there’s a negotiation of priorities between the two forces. If you only focus on the technical stuff, you won’t ship features. If you only focus on the features, how fast you can deliver features will come to a grinding halt. Your system will also start breaking in unexpected ways which takes time away from building features.
It’s kinda a rambly response to your question but I hope it helps.
Did I know how printers work and can fix their printer.
Look, I have a computer science degree (utterly pointless qualification folks don’t get one) and I work in cyber security. I haven’t got a clue how those fuckers work, I don’t know get a brother or something they seem to be fine.
Printers are so cheap nowadays that the solution to every problem is to buy a new one. Paper jam? Out of ink? Random pages coming out with grayscale pictures of demonic forces? Lost the power cable? Buy a new one
People assume programmers know all about hacking. Because we “know about computers.”
Can you hack Roblox?
Can’t everybody?
“Accountants spend most of their time preparing tax”
No, hardly any time is spent on tax. Management accountants and auditors don’t do tax work at all.
That because I’m punk and a mosher I must be aggressive and do lots of drugs. i’m only aggressive to shit people who deserve it lol
Mosh pits are surprisingly wholesome if you’re not familiar with them. To an outside observer it just looks like a bunch of aggro idiots beating each other up. To the people in the pit it’s an amazing shared experience of like-minded people, there to enjoy the same thing, having a great time and helping each other up when they fall. The right pit is a sea of positivity, community and endorphins.
I like peaceful hippie jam band noodly noodling nowadays. However, I was born in a mosh pit. There is a time and a place and appropriate selections when it comes to more ”Cerebral Matters” , shall we say. It’s all about keeping the positive vibe a go go! Keep it surreal, friendly and safe. Btw, ya’ll new kittens. Doooo Not! Forget ya’lls safe word(s).
What about the drug part?
never done illegal drugs but sometimes I get zooted on z drugs bc I have insomnia
Used to be that because I was an expert on Apple platforms, that must mean I can fix a Windows computer. I hadn’t the first clue where anything was. I’ve since learned, however. Because of work. Oh well.
Skydiving
Skydivers are not adrenaline (epinephrine) junkies. Adrenaline actually makes you feel terrible. You know that rush and shakes you get when you get hungry? Yeah, THAT’S an adrenaline rush.
No, we go for the same thing runners do. Endorphins. Nature’s own anti-depressant.
I assumed you guys did it for the view. I’d do it but I’m afraid of heights.
This is very enlightening. Great way of framing the difference between the two.
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I actually do enjoy human interaction (to a reasonable degree).
And what do you do?
It’s tough to describe but I work in Theater & Performing Arts.
I’m having difficulty understanding what positions in theater and performing arts are stereotyped as anti-social, unless it’s some kind of euphemism?
Let’s just move along and for clarity, no euphemisms or double entendres. I just generally have a disdain for people in general. When one shows a nanoshred of awareness & acknowledgement of others, I am turned on. I mean not aroused like in that way, but mentally turned on. Connections with unmet members of likemindedness. Big mind boner for sure! Way better than food when your hungry. *Here in the west, our interpretations vary by many degrees.
I don’t know if you’re flirting with me or telling me to shut up
I could possibly be mentally flirting. I don’t think it’s a crime yet. So, I’’’’m gonna say to ya’ll. *Do attempt this move while one is still free to express and exercise it. But getting back to your initial question. Quite possibly maybe or perhaps not at all. I don’t honestly know yet.
I’m either too high or not high enough for this. Just tell me what position to get in and let’s get this over with. Lights off but socks stay on.
It’s frugal.
… It’s not. Yarn is expensive as hell, even more so if you want any type of durability or wearability or comfort.
It’s crazy – I have a really nice oversized jumper, and people who’ve known I knit have asked if I made it. Lol no, it would have cost like 10 times more. I bought it on sale (it’s machine made).
The same goes for many handcrafts. Have you seen the cost of one teeny skein of embroidery ribbon? And I always feel a bit sad when I see hand crocheted tablecloths or large cross stitch pieces at thrift shops for almost nothing. Someone spent hundreds of hours on that, and it’s being sold for the price of like 3 tiny skeins of floss.
If you don’t factor in the cost of my tools, I can build solid wood furniture cheaper than you can buy it. I’ve got a dining room cupboard and hutch in the works right now, made of walnut. I’ll get it done for about $1100 all up. The same piece of furniture from Vermont Wood Studios runs about ten grand.
A co worker asked my partner if she could knit her a sweater like the one she was wearing. She wore a gorgeous, fitted, bespoke sweater she made herself. She quoted her 1200 euro. Needless to say, she didnt get the commission.
I work in IT (Sysadmin). “Oh, you fix computers? Can you look at my laptop?”
I’ve had to be very direct with my family that I don’t fix computers (anymore, I used to do remote and hands on helldesk), I fix the deeper kind of stuff that keeps email working for an entire company, or makes sure new hires can log in to work stuff.
I’m an IT manager and today I had the director of HR bring me her new iphone asking if I can help her set it up. Um, no… first, that isn’t my job, and second, I have no idea how to setup an iphone. I assume it’s an easy process but I’ve never done it before and have more pressing matters to attend to instead of fiddling with her new phone.
Lol, been there. But my former CTO had one that I think takes the cake:
My (now former) CTO showed up to a C-suite/executive meeting shortly after he joined the company and they asked him to sort out the fucking A/V setup (read: projector, computer to put the slideshow on, clicker to advance the slides, hooking it all up, etc). In a hotel conference room that was “bring your own hardware”. With no warning.
And these chucklefucks expect perfection. We must have burned over a million on the executive conference room at our HQ. “The camera that automatically zooms into who is speaking isn’t fast enough at changing targets” type shit.
We’re a company of over 4000 employees. Every single C-suite/executive meeting before then they would book one of the senior members of our in-person internal tech support team for support for that shit, so they should have known better.
It wasn’t some joking hazing thing either. They legitimately just hadn’t fucking planned for how they were going to present their slideshow at this off site location and expected the CTO to just magic it together. Why they needed to do it offsite when they had a fancy ass overly expensive room built for conferences at the HQ? No fucking clue.
The things that come out at tech division happy hours are wild once the higher ups get a few drinks in them.
They legitimately just hadn’t fucking planned for how they were going to present their slideshow at this off site location and expected the CTO to just magic it together. Why they needed to do it offsite when they had a fancy ass overly expensive room built for conferences at the HQ? No fucking clue.
I work at a place with a banquet room, and consistently ask myself the same question. So many corporate meetings that show up with basically zero plan. I’ve had to tell clients “no” when they asked last minute if we could put up a projector and screen.
Sorry brotato, you should have mentioned the need for a projector during any of the six emails where I specifically asked if you needed a projector. The projector is already in use across the building; you said you didn’t need it six times, so we rented it to a different client instead. And even if it were available, that shit takes two people and fifteen minutes to put up. And I know you aren’t going to crawl around on the floor in your suit to help snap it together, so it’s just me here. And I’m not doing it by myself. So the answer is no, you can’t use our projector and screen at the last minute.
LMAO @ BROTATO!!!
The funny thing is, that people always assume that you can fix all kind of stuff just because you work in IT (or just know stuff about IT). In reality 90% of the time I have no clue what the fuck I’m doing and just pressing random buttons and reading the text next to the buttons hoping it fixes the problem.
“I’d be glad to, which UNIX do you use on it?” generally stops that conversation from progressing.
I wish. When I tell people I’ve been exclusively using Linux for more than 10 years they give me a blank look then repeat the question.
“What is a Linux?”
- QA tests software.
- QA reports issue with software.
- Developers review issue report.
- “Will Not Fix”, “Works As Designed”, “Cannot Reproduce”, “Works on my machine”
End Users: “This software is buggy, their QA must suck!”
As a developer I cherish Q/A and dread anytime they would start typing something into Teams.
“oh wow your photography is so nice what camera do you use?”
._. photography is 80% skill and 20% gear and yet, i never get asked “what technique did you use?”, it’s always about the camera i use, as if this entry level DSLR is framing and shooting on its own
What techniques do you use?
oh various ones! what i pick always depends on the lighting conditions, if the subject is stationary or moving, and the vibe i want for the photo.
i definitely prefer single thought out takes rather than rapid fire 20 photos with hope that one of them is the one (i don’t shoot sports often). And overall i really like framing things with the foreground to give a feeling of depth to the photo. In post processing i focus on making the photos look like i remember them to have been, coloured by memory and all that, rather than try to recreate realism 1:1. i’m being kinda vague but my photos are mostly on my PC and i use lemmy on mobile so can’t point to anything more specific, and tbf, a lot of my best takes are just patience and or luck
above all though, i like experimenting with how i shoot or edit :)
thanks for asking <3
I’m the opposite, lots of rapid fire photos, but I do photo a lot of animals. I don’t pose them either. I like candid shots of the pets doing there thing.
I got to sit through a photos and editing class as a para last year and I learned so much about it! I really wish film was easier to get developed because I have this beautiful 60 year old agfamatic that I adore using and now I actually know how to adjust for lighting and angle, different framing techniques, and everything, but I still can’t afford to develop the shots.
I took this photo with my iPhone 12 mini:
https://metapixl.com/p/Stoy/797570781570361213
It is a fantastic photo, I use it as my current lockscreen.
This photo was taken with my Lumix S5
https://metapixl.com/p/Stoy/795407386229307789
They are two very different photos, I hesitate to rank them in terms of how good they are.
A good camera gives the photographer more tools to get the photo they want, but you still need skills and experience to take good photos.
Damn. TIL I’m a bot and can’t view either link.
Ah, I am very sad to hear that, I hope you are a good bot like the T-800 in Terminator 2!
._. photography is 80% skill and 20% gear and yet, i never get asked “what technique did you use?”
How do you even answer that question? “Rule of thirds :)”? It’s not like you’re using a technique, it’s a mixture of many techniques. Do you just go into a Photography 101 lesson?
“What equipment do you use?” Has a simple, exact answer, which can open the door to more in depth conversation.
there’s a bit more to it than the rule of thirds
there’s always a leading style, technique, or idea behind the process that happens before you take the photo. and that process can be explained, to a degree
Yes, I know, that’s why I used it as an overly-reductive example. I’m saying you can’t just easily explain your technique. Even if you identify the leading style, a good photo is going to incorporate a number of principles and techniques. That’s why my alternative was launching into a Photography 101 lesson.
When someone asks you what equipment you use, they probably fall into one of two camps:
-They’re making smalltalk about your hobby, in which case again, that opens the door to a more in depth conversation if that’s the vibe. “I used X camera with Y lens, which works really well with this kind of framing at these settings.” You can even skip the equipment entirely and just focus on a particular effect and how you achieved it, explaining how it’s more to do with lens settings and composition than a specific camera.
-They’re interested in the hobby themselves, and looking for information that will inform what kind of equipment they will start using. A good photographer can make use of a disposable camera, but someone starting off needs a bit of guidance to find equipment that is good enough for serious work, but cheap enough for an entry level enthusiast.
People always assume I want to turn my hobby into a job. I love to bake - it helps me de-stress from my job. If I made it my job, I wouldn’t have something to help me de-stress anymore. I make enough money; I don’t need to extract the joy from everything in my life for the sake of making more money.
Hussle culture is damned annoying
I do not actually have keys to anything, nor am I allowed to wear headphones.
(Janitor)
Why no headphones? Seems like that would make the job more enjoyable.
…that’s why.
/s it’s a safety issue, kitchen workers aren’t allowed to use them either
The safety issue thing is bullshit. First of all, there isn’t any kind of sounds that would indicate any kind of danger other than the fire alarm (which also has lights and is loud enough that even noise cancellation doesn’t muffle it) where I work. Secondly, deaf people are allowed to do the job and they can’t hear anything ever.
It truly is all about “looking professional.” Why not make me clean toilets in a tuxedo, then?
I’m a web developer. People assume the following:
- I’m an expert with operating systems.
- I’m good with math.
- I eat junk food and drink energy drinks/soda.
- I’m a proponent and consumer of all new technologies.
- I like (insert) TV, Movie, or Anime.
Hey bro, can you hack my ex GFs Facebook?
Yeah, by social engineering. You would probably be better at that than myself though since you can get a girlfriend.
Wait, you’re saying you’re not a stereotype!? (kidding)
I’m knowledgeable about operating systems.
I’m good with math.
I eat junk food and drink energy drinks/soda.
I read about new techniques but am very wary of heavily marketed stuff.
I read a ton of Asian comics.People assume that I know how to do webpages, they don’t know what a web developer is. No, I don’t know l. Well barely but not really, I’m a data engineer goddammit.
I assume you wear programmer socks. DM pics?
I wear black GOLDTOE socks or leather sandals.
Hello? FBI? Yes, this post right here.
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