If you want to run with the big dogs, don’t piss like a puppy…

So, a very explicit title, but very true in what I am feeling like tonight.

Several years ago I was my geeky self “dating” a beautiful girl my age. And although I cannot remember the context, but that is what she said one night to me. And for some or maybe obvious reason it has stuck with me for many years.

So what is this al about. Well, its a rant about people these days… I might have mentioned previously how the world has changed and so has people. I still remember the days where, as a developer, you were giving, if lucky, a database diagram, a rough indication of what was needed and then you had to get on with it. But then also got swamped with 20 other issues and you either swam or sank.

These days it seems that unless you spoon feed someone nothing gets done. And then at the slight bit of pressure people crack up completely. What have we become. Maybe we need and end of world experience like all these apocalypse type movies or Zombie movies for people to grow some.

Work is not supposed to be easy, that’s why you get paid to do it. You are supposed to face big challenges everyday and you need to cope. True that sometimes you are actually completely overloaded, but in most cases that happens fairly infrequently.

Most companies, I think, at a certain size become far to lax and just let things slip. I’ve had far to many meetings today where that was the case. And then you sit there and think that how can we actually progress without some pressure. Yes, the business has to support you, and they usually do. But when things get a little hard for a short period, people just seem to throw in the towel.

But the nature of private sector is pressure and doing more with less. That’s how you get ahead of your competition. But without your staff understanding that and wanting to assist it doesn’t work. I truly blame technology and the ease of access for this. I love my tech, but because everything is instant and available, people employ that far to much in their daily lives. And they believe they are worth much more than what they are, and companies buy into that.

I will never forget working on a 386 when Pentiums were out for more than 2 years. Having to deliver on big projects. But I had to make it work and get things done. Late nights and so much overtime without compensation, but that’s how things were. Developers these days can’t event set up their own machines, let alone testing environments…

So why the rant, well, an email set this off… And I think it was pathetic from that person.. Shame, but maybe I’m being to harsh… NOT!!!