I received a comment today from J who asks:
“Why is it that you still work where you do rather than looking elsewhere? It's not like the market is cold...”
This is a very good question and don’t think for a second that the though doesn’t cross my mind. Certainly quitting and running away is one way to rid myself of some of the stress I currently endure. It could also be thought of as giving up.
There are so many reasons I want to stay where I’m at (there’s also reasons for leaving). One of the big ones is that I’ve recently been given the opportunity to take on the role of team/technical lead. Because of this, and the fact that there’s a lag between releases, I’m going to have the opportunity to choose the members of my team. Some people (Mr. Uninstall for example) I will never be able to remove as they are part of the client’s team. All I can do there is learn each time I work with them and try to figure out how to prevent issues that they cause. This alone will make me a stronger programmer in the end. Remember, the user, whether they actually sit and use the app or they are an IT department we turn it over to, is who we have to satisfy. If we can make the program more and more idiot proof the perception of the application, by either group of user, will be much more positive.
One of my current teammates recently said “…regardless of how difficult this client is, I’m very proud of the fact I have had a positive impact on the process and thoughts of this organisation…” Very, very well stated.
So the long and the short of why I don’t pack up and run from the situations that create these stories is because they are a challenge for me and ultimately they will make me better professionally. Now that won’t preclude me from looking for work elsewhere for reasons like technical environment (VS2005 perhaps?), commute, or money.
I’m the Igloo Coder and I’m maintaining my sanity through these situations with the help of my friends Shiraz, Cab Sav, and Islay.
posted @ Monday, January 23, 2006 9:37 PM