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So at work, I'm having the best conversations with a Java developer.
She's only a few years from retirement and has been with this company her entire development career.
She's only a few years from retirement and has been with this company her entire development career.
And talking with her, I realize, tech is screwed.
She is also self taught, that is why she has stayed at one place. Code interviews are not real life where you can research and get guidance.
She is also self taught, that is why she has stayed at one place. Code interviews are not real life where you can research and get guidance.
Tech is splintered.
She is the SME for a product that has no formal owner. It only gets work when there is a project.
Her work is a CMS that my team uses.
This work isn't seen as important enough for an actual product owner. But we bring in enough profit not to be killed.
She is the SME for a product that has no formal owner. It only gets work when there is a project.
Her work is a CMS that my team uses.
This work isn't seen as important enough for an actual product owner. But we bring in enough profit not to be killed.
So it is stuck in limbo.
No improvements. No cleanup. Just project work only.
No improvements. No cleanup. Just project work only.
This with going to Devops and Agile models doesn't work well.
Because who is supposed to be in the meetings with her?
She has responsibility but no power.
Her boss talks about empowering her, but that is just "Quick ship it, fix later" not actual power.
Because who is supposed to be in the meetings with her?
She has responsibility but no power.
Her boss talks about empowering her, but that is just "Quick ship it, fix later" not actual power.
And with going to Agile there is the problem of my team.
If there is any project management, the closet model is waterfall.
But it is rapid cycle waterfall. Releases are everything from a week to a month.
If there is any project management, the closet model is waterfall.
But it is rapid cycle waterfall. Releases are everything from a week to a month.
So talk if Agile and stories and not getting a full thing at once is really going against the grain with my team.
Who doesn't seem to know how to work with it.
I think it is a language and culture difference.
Who doesn't seem to know how to work with it.
I think it is a language and culture difference.
And the problem of that my team doesn't know they are front end developers.
And IT doesn't know that either.
No one seems to know that but her and me.
And IT doesn't know that either.
No one seems to know that but her and me.
And it pisses me off to think of all the websites maintained by office admins, interns, secretaries, and communications teams.
People who use WYSIWYG and just enough HTML and CSS to be dangerous.
Those that just "get it done". They don't know best practices or patterns.
People who use WYSIWYG and just enough HTML and CSS to be dangerous.
Those that just "get it done". They don't know best practices or patterns.
They work around sanitizers. They figure out how to embed changes. They just do it.
Because the "right way" takes too long.
Or they don't know the language of their developer to ask for it.
Because the "right way" takes too long.
Or they don't know the language of their developer to ask for it.
And so it is an arms race between enabling and hobbling this group for their safety.
A group no one wants to own.
A group no one wants to own.
They push to production daily.
Their code doesn't rot. Many times they don't even use dev, or stage. It is just YOLO to prod.
Their code doesn't rot. Many times they don't even use dev, or stage. It is just YOLO to prod.
So you have this ragtag band of yolo developers that don't know they are developers working with a Java developer who is having Devops and Agile pushed on her from management and management doesn't get why this project can't just be thrown on Jenkins like everything else.
While the platform itself is bloated and full of cruft no one will let her clean up.
Because it isn't important.
Because it isn't important.
But refactoring is important!
Cleaning up code is important.
Touching code is important.
Teaching others the code is important.
Cleaning up code is important.
Touching code is important.
Teaching others the code is important.
What good is a junior developer when you can't let them loose because everything is "Here be dragons!"
When everything needs a story and 3 hours of background conversations to explain why this special snowflake exists.
When everything needs a story and 3 hours of background conversations to explain why this special snowflake exists.
It must be the systems thinker in me.
I can see the whole stack.
And I am frustrated for my Java developer because I don't know how to help her besides talking through it and refining her talking points.
I can see the whole stack.
And I am frustrated for my Java developer because I don't know how to help her besides talking through it and refining her talking points.
I'm throwing Devops talks her way. Content management talks her way. Project management talks.
Anything and everything to help arm her.
Because I have less power than her here.
But I have done all of this before.
Anything and everything to help arm her.
Because I have less power than her here.
But I have done all of this before.
I can point out the direction but I can't do the work.
"After talking with you, I'm now excited for these conversations next year. Maybe I won't take early retirement..."
Her words excite me and also piss me off.
They might lose a 20 year Java developer early. Someone that knows their platform inside and out because it doesn't fit into the current tech models.
They might lose a 20 year Java developer early. Someone that knows their platform inside and out because it doesn't fit into the current tech models.
It is COBOL all over again.
Which I guess proves there is nothing actually new in tech.
Only the syntax and form factors change....
Only the syntax and form factors change....
