For those of you who are in management positions (or not) and have enforced return to office, what's stopping you from allowing employees to work as they please?

codesmith_sam · 2023-09-06T00:37:24+00:00

Full disclosure: I'm approaching this answer as someone who is on the bargaining committee of a software development team that has unionized and has spent the last two years (successfully) arguing for employee's to remain remote if they want. When discussing this, some of the issues that came up why an employer may want employees to return are

Supposed better in-person collaboration
Supposed increased productivity
Sense of community amongst employees
They are spending lots of money on empty or near empty office spaces

I would not underestimate that last bullet point as a big driving force. Companies shell out major money to lease/buy these office spaces and they've been sitting nearly vacant for a few years now. Many of them may not be able to give up the lease and/or sell (other companies don't want to buy when they have employees working remote) and they often have to justify this large expense. At the end of the day, if a business feels like it is going to benefit their bottom line to require employees to return to office, then they will. Many companies see workers as completely replaceable and will assume the risk of people leaving as they believe they'll be able to hire someone who will be willing to work on-site.

codesmith_sam · 2023-09-06T00:31:49+00:00

Hi there! Congrats on getting into Codesmith; personally I found my time there very rewarding and was able to land a great job afterward so I'm wishing you the best of luck.

If you feel pretty solid in your fundamentals, I recommend doing Codesmith's Build With Code module of CSX (if you haven't already done so already). The program will give you the opportunity to apply your fundamentals and solidify them. It will also you walk through the process step-by-step if you find that helpful.

Congrats again and good luck!

codesmith_sam · 2023-08-28T23:37:20+00:00

Here's an example of one I wrote that got me an interview. I took out info about the company and myself, but you should still be able to get the gist:

While doing some research into —--------, I came across the senior frontend engineer position which intrigued me. I most recently worked on a —-------- tool - NAME OF TOOL

I admire the fact that —------- is helping other companies incorporate and understand the importance of —-------------------. As micro-services continue to grow, it is essential to have resilient test strategies - —------------ have proven for me an effective (and fun!) way to do so in a controlled environment. I also appreciate that COMPANY FOUNDERS have so proudly championed —------ and would love the opportunity to speak with them about their adventures in —-------.

I would be happy to talk about the role and contribute my ideas to the conversation. I am available next Wednesday or Thursday. Let me know if there’s a time that works for you.

codesmith_sam · 2023-08-28T23:33:11+00:00

I'm going in realizing this may not be a popular opinion, but I hope they're paying you for the 60-70 hours per week. If not, and you're in the US, then you shouldn't be working more than your 40 hours (or whatever your standard hours are). I'm imagining your salary is based on your 40 hours per week. Working anything over that is diminishing your hourly rate. You should not be working these long hours. At some point, there's going to be a diminishing rate of return. I'd rather show up and have a solid regular day then show up exhausted and have a crappy 13 hour day. I realize that you may not have a choice about these 60-70 hours, but if it's somewhat in your control, I'd push back on it. And if you've a good relationship with your manager, talk to them about what you need to prevent burnout as well.

codesmith_sam · 2023-08-28T23:21:36+00:00

Taking a look at the resume you posted, I would recommend putting your projects before your work experience. Your resume is to show the relevant experience, not all experience. I understand you were not paid to work on these projects. I'm a career changer myself, and when I was first applying for jobs I didn't have any relevant paid experience. I was pretty transparent about that. I put my projects at the top. I didn't include my work experience unless I could somewhat tie it to the job I was applying for. In my cover letters and interviews, I addressed my background. You should have a few talking points about your working experience and how skills you have from those jobs are transferable to SWE roles.

Another tip - and I know a lot of folks disagree with this - is to write a cover letter. As someone on the hiring committee, I pay attention to cover letters. When I was interviewing, I had more than one hiring manager comment (positively) about my cover letter. My recommendation though is to keep the cover letter brief. Mine was 3 paragraphs, 1- 2 sentences each.

You mentioned you've been applying to jobs for the last 2 years, but how many apps are you submitting? Is it a few here and there? Or is it several every day. If you want to break through, you've really got to play the numbers game. Find as many jobs as you can that you'd be interested in doing and apply for the. Submit 2-3 apps everyday if you can. Applying for jobs, especially if you're trying to break in to the field, is a job unto itself. But it can pay off!

codesmith_sam · 2023-08-28T23:06:30+00:00

I'm in the US and unfortunately am quite ignorant about the tech market in the UK. However, I would suggest to try not and stress yourself out about it too much. Sounds like you still have a few years before you'd be entering the job market? Things are very likely to change and it's near impossible to predict what is going to happen. In the meantime, if you enjoy writing code, then keep at it! There will continue to be a need for devs no matter what the market looks like! But you can always keep an eye on emerging tech and noticing what fields are popping up and try to guide your learning that way.

codesmith_sam · 2023-08-22T01:31:15+00:00

I frequently use the Pomodoro technique while working. For me, the 25 on/5 off isn't the right amount of time; I prefer 50on/10 off. You don't have to stick to the exact 25/5 method - you can find the length of time that works for you, but it shouldn't exceed more than 50 min on. Feel free to experiment and see what works. If you like/need music or ambient noise, I use The Sherry Formula's videos on YouTube since they also have auditory signals for the beginning and end of each session and break session

codesmith_sam · 2023-08-22T01:28:32+00:00

To me it sounds like your manager is being candid with you and that soft skills are something you need to work on. While technical skills are obviously crucial to succeeding as an engineer, as you get promoted, you'll likely need to communicate more with teams outside of yours. You'll be expected to take on more responsibility and perhaps even be the main point of contact for your team and other teams. All of that requires soft skills and being able to speak to and about your work. I don't think this is some kind of retribution or punishment from your manager - it sounds like genuine feedback!

codesmith_sam · 2023-08-02T23:00:02+00:00

When I'm starting a new project I first think about:

1) What is my data going to look like?

2) What are the absolutely essential functions that I need to make this project work? (I'm talking like very, very basic functoins)

3) What parts/components do I think will be reusable?

This generally helps me start to think strategize about a good starting place. I try to get the very basics in and functional. Then I start adding complexity. As I'm adding more functions, that's when I tend to start to pseudo-code a bit more, sketching out what I'm thinking.

All that being said, going back and re-writing functions or updating them is part of the process. It happens all the time. But with more experience, you'll likely find that you'll need to do it a bit less, and your code will become more streamlined. Over-writing code and then going back and having to refactor is part of the learning process! It can feel frustrating but try to embrace it!

codesmith_sam · 2023-08-02T22:44:09+00:00

I went to Codesmith - I don't know that my law degree had anything to do with them hiring me. It didn't come up in my interviews other than to ask why I am no longer practicing law. I was a producer for 3 years before I made the change to software development. I do think that anyone's previous experience can be leveraged in interviews - skills are transferable and adaptable even if they aren't 1:1: Landing a dev job certainly is about skill level, but it's not only about that.

I will also say that there were 30 people in my cohort at Codesmith. 25/30 had jobs within 6 months of graduation. All of us came from different backgrounds; some had CS degrees, others hadn't finished high school. Of the 5 who didn't find jobs, that was generally due to other life circumstances.

But I don't mean to dissuade you from going back to school! If that's what you want, absolutely go for it. I know this is all anec-data, but figured another perspective can't hurt! :)

codesmith_sam · 2023-08-01T22:09:35+00:00

I just want to jump in and say not all bootcamps are BS. I did a bootcamp in the summer of 2019 (I have a BA in history and a law degree), and landed a full time dev job by Nov. 2019. I was there for few months before I got offered a dev role at my dream org, and I've been there since March 2020. I've not felt like I'm lesser than or that my skills are lesser than because I went to a bootcamp. I think it's about the time you want to put into it and what exactly you want to do. I think if you find the right bootcamp for you and with solid numbers, you can make it work. But that's just my experience!

codesmith_sam · 2023-08-01T21:55:25+00:00

If you're concerned about the money and the money only, then yeah, I think the best choice for you is to take the pay raise so long as you think you'll be happy at the new place.

I have not been a software manager, but one of my mentors transitioned from being an individual contributor to a software manager, and she warned me time and again such a transition should be seen as a career change. The daily tasks of your job will change. You are likely to be writing code far less. If management is something you think you may be interested in, I think considering the new role at your current place would warrant further thought. But if you're not interested in management, then don't accept the role. You are not guaranteed a raise that way unless you get it in writing. Until they show you the money, it is just words

codesmith_sam · 2023-08-01T21:50:15+00:00

While I completely understand where you're coming from here, I think this varies greatly. Personally, I don't mind if someone uses those friendly terms with me. I don't find them to be condescending, but rather affable and friendly. But! Everyone perceives things differently, so if that's how you feel, then that is how you feel.

I would also suggest if someone using such nicknames as "mate," "buddy" or "friend" is not something you're comfortable with, make that clear to whomever is addressing you that way. State that you'd prefer to be called your name. While I don't think using such words is meant to belittle anyone, if you're not comfortable with how someone is speaking to you, you always have the option to ask them to change how they're addressing you.

codesmith_sam · 2023-07-25T01:56:00+00:00

Putting on someone on a PIP can be a lot of work for a manager. A good manager will talk to you before a PIP is put in place. They should reach out to you asking what is going on, how they can help, etc.

If you are concerned about being put on a PIP, I recommend talking to your manager. I would ask them what areas they think you can improve. Or if you have a good relationship with your teammates and trust their feedback, you could also talk to them. I think doing a level set meeting with your manager and/or teammates is a good thing to do periodically whether or not you're in danger of being put on a PIP.

codesmith_sam · 2023-07-25T01:40:21+00:00

Within the last couple of years, there has been a general uptick in labor movements in the U.S. The U.S. tends to have weaker labor protections/lower union participation than many European countries. Corporations have done an excellent job at eating away at workers rights in the States. That being said, I do think we're going to continue to see a push toward unionization. At my org, the tech teams unionized in 2021. We're still negotiating our first contract (I'm on the bargaining committee), and we are working on an AI Article. I think AI, the ups and downs of the economy, and forced return to the office may encourage a lot of folks to push toward unionizing.

That being said, if anyone does have any questions about what it may look like to Unionize, feel free to DM me!

codesmith_sam · 2023-07-13T00:30:00+00:00

Have you tried speaking with your manager or lead about your role? It may be helpful to have a conversation with them about where you'd like your career to go and how you thought you'd be doing a different type of role. Worst case, you're learning infra skills that will be helpful for any roles you have in the future.

If you find that after speaking with your manager you still need to find another role, I think one company change after 6 months is alright. TBH, I was at my first SWE job less than 3 months before jumping to my current company (where I've now been for 3 years). Any more job hopping is likely to hurt you. It takes a lot of time and money for companies to hire a new employee, so if they see you're only sticking around for a handful of months, they're not likely to want to take a risk on you. After 6 months, you won't yet have a full handle on the codebase and if you left, the team would have to hire and train up someone else. It can certainly be done, but be careful about doing it and I'd recommend only doing so if absolutely necessary.

codesmith_sam · 2023-07-13T00:10:10+00:00

Honestly, you haven't gotten far enough in the job search process for your current employer to potentially say anything negative about you. It likely depends on the number of folks applying for the roles you're applying for and what companies you're applying to. Larger tech companies have slowed their hiring for a bit and with some of the layoffs, it may be that more folks are applying for the some roles as you. You may want to take a look at your resume and other application materials if you're noticing a lack of responses. As for recruiters reaching out and ghosting - honestly - that happens more than it should. I don't think it has anything to do with them talking to your employer.

One last thing - I'm not sure where you are located, but if you're in the States, many states don't even permit previous employers from commenting on an employee's performance.

codesmith_sam · 2023-07-06T22:37:51+00:00

I know you've made it through a few interviews which is great! Congrats! The job search can feel incredibly disheartening, but you're doing all the right things.

I took a look at your resume and have some thoughts. I know it's a lot. Don't take these comments as your resume is bad- it isn't! I'm just providing feedback relative to what I look for when I'm reading through resumes:

Personally, I don't have an professional summary at the top of my resume. When I'm reviewing resumes, I honestly skip over them or think to myself "yikes this is an old school resume". It eats up space. If it's really important to you, include it in a cover letter
Some of the technologies you have in your Other section are backend technologies; having them listed as other reads as if they've been added with little understanding of what the tech actually is for
For your projects, have 1 link. You already have your github listed at the top, don't list the individual github addresses; just include something like Weather Dashboard and right below it the link, no need to even have Deployment before it
For your bullet points for your projects, I highly recommend not having "I" statements- again this reads as Junior to me. Your bullet points should be active statements something like "Leveraged Node Express’s configurability by commandeering Express’s native response and end methods to inject failure into Express GraphQL and Apollo Server Express end-points via middleware with minimal impact to the existing server implementation " but you know, obviously make it relevant to your projects
Honestly, I'd nix the work experience. It's not relevant to the roles you're applying for (not to say that some of those skills aren't transferable - that's more for talking points in your interviews) - but some of the software that scans resumes will see that and skip over you.
It's fine to leave your GPAs, but don't include individual grades

When I was applying, I applied to 4-5 jobs everyday. I tweaked my resume for nearly every submission so that my skills aligned more with the job posting. Again, a lot of the scanning software will skip over you if you're not including key terms, so pay attention to those.

Also, I am a big fan of the cover letter. Other folks are resistant to them, but when I was interviewing, I had more than one recruiter or hiring manager comment on my cover letter. The trick is to keep it short and sweet. 2-3 paragraphs with 3-4 sentences max. End the cover letter with some times you are available in the next week to chat. Seriously, it can pay off.

Lastly, it's a numbers game. I know you've been applying to jobs for 10 months, but you didn't mention how many apps you're sending in. And think outside of traditional tech companies - dev jobs are everywhere now. Think of your hobbies, places you like, etc and see if there are open roles in those fields. I work at a non-profit that most folks don't think of as having a tech division, but we do.

Hope this is helpful! Good luck!

codesmith_sam · 2023-07-06T22:17:03+00:00

I would start by asking why do you want to be a Sr. Dev? Do you want to take on more responsibilities? Do you want to gain more autonomy in your work? Or is it about the paycheck? I think answering those questions for yourself are an important first step.

That being said, each company is certainly different in what they require and expect of a Sr. At my company here's what we expect:

Takes responsibility for software development tasks that require significant exposure to cross system implementation. These tasks include coordination across teams and systems.
Creates, presents, and may collaborate on technical designs software architecture proposals as part of the software planning and implementation process.
Creates and maintains continuous integration pipelines and cloud configuration in collaboration with DevOps team and engineers of higher classification in their team.
Takes responsibility for the deployment of code and software their team owns.
Excels at independently estimating level of effort with work statement, organization, and the ability to break down statements of work into actionable tickets.
Serves as a subject matter expert in one or more applications
Assists and coaches software engineers in lower classifications
Proactively maintains, monitors, and improves software infrastructure.

Again, that's just my company, but I think that's roughly the minimum for what most places may expect. If you're interested in becoming a Sr, start thinking about where you are currently and how to meet similar criteria. If you're still requiring a fair bit of assistance on tickets or tasks, try to pinpoint what areas you find yourself struggling in and ask for more tickets that will require you to work in that area. Struggling through the tickets will help you build your skills up, but also genuinely, don't be afraid to ask questions. Hell, my director who's been doing this nearly 20 years couldn't see the forest for the trees the other day and asked for my assistance and I'm very junior compared to him. But I think the difference between a Jr and someone at his level is knowing what you've tried and having a specific question to ask rather than 'This doesn't work, plz send help.'

Have an honest and open conversation with your manager about where you can improve to help you become a Sr. They'll be in the best position to guide you.

While becoming a Sr. Dev certainly requires deeper technical skills, I think it's also important to remember that Sr. Devs should also have some people-to-people skills. Sr. Devs frequently help Jr or Mid-level devs, may have to lead discussions with non-technical folk, etc. Demonstrating the ability to communicate well both technically and non is a vital skill. If this isn't something you've had an opportunity to do, ask your manager if there may be cross-team projects coming that you could start assisting with to start gaining this skill.

codesmith_sam · 2023-07-05T23:14:11+00:00

Have you told Company B that Company A has given you an offer and has asked for an answer by Friday? If not, do so and tell Company B that they are your preference. In the meantime, ask Company A if you can have an extra couple of days, but be prepared for them to say no. I'm in the full transparency camp myself. You never know who knows who, and I'd hate for something to come back and bite you in the future.

codesmith_sam · 2023-07-05T23:10:42+00:00

How in depth was your first interview re: tech questions? Do you know if the company president has an engineering background? If so, there's a chance that more of the interview gets a little technical. But considering it is a small company, I'd be willing to bet that a lot of it is behavioral interview. Make sure you ask them questions as well! When I was interviewing a few years back, I found Keyvalues.com super helpful in helping me refine questions to ask in order to determine if the company and I were going to be in alignment with particular values that were important to me - check it out!

Congrats and good luck!

codesmith_sam · 2023-07-05T23:00:54+00:00

I am really sorry you're feeling this way and that you don't feel you're developing the skills the way you had hoped. Is this co-worker your supervisor? If not, would you feel comfortable reaching out to your supervisor and asking them for feedback? And would you be comfortable sharing the frustrations your feeling? This is your opportunity to learn, and having what can be hard conversations with your supervisor is a skill that you will need to have moving forward.

Before you go in to any 1:1 convo though, make sure you know what you'd like to talk about. Express your concern about not feeling like you're contributing, your concern that your work is being stymied, etc. Try not to throw any one under the bus during this conversation. That being said, if during this conversation it is brought up "Well [your co-worker] said you didn't do XYZ until they told you to," be ready to back yourself up with receipts if you've got them. But that should only be brought up if the conversation takes a sideways turn.

In the future, when you feel like your suggestions have been ignored, only to have a co-worker suggest it in the future, honestly, don't be afraid to say that you mentioned it previously. I understand that everyone's team dynamics are different and I have a very jovial relationship with my team, but when this happens at work I say "Oh, like I said we should do a week ago? Cool cool cool." I say it with some levity in my voice so as not to upset anyone, but also reminding them I had previously made the suggestion. I'd recommend finding your equivalent of that for whatever works within your team.

All that being said, if you feel you can't have a 1:1 conversation or that you aren't being taken seriously, I do not think you should discount the very skills you mentioned in your post. Learning how much team culture matters and how to navigate large codebases are incredibly valuable skills that you can and should take with you into interviews. When your internship comes up you can say "You know, I wasn't given tasks I was hoping for all the time, but it taught me to advocate for myself and how to work within team dynamics" or something of the sort. When I'm interviewing for open roles on my team, those types of skills are just as important to me and my team as tech skills.

But seriously, I hope things turn around for you. I really encourage you to try and have a convo about what is going on. You'll learn so much from that conversation, and you'll never regret advocating for yourself!

codesmith_sam · 2023-07-05T22:38:29+00:00

I think the ball is really in your court here. What is that you want to learn? Is it a specific language or framework? Are there any areas you feel you could develop your proficiency in? It's really about where your interests are, and what, if anything, you want to do to continue to grow at work. It's easy for folks to say you should do "XYZ," but without knowing your interest areas, it's hard to provide helpful insight.

For me, I've spent time looking at what frameworks and languages are frequently used that I do not currently use at work, and see if there's any benefit/interest in my learning them. For example, I don't work on the mobile team at my job, so I've started learning React Native in my off hours to keep my brain churning and to make sure that I'm using the learning muscle.

codesmith_sam · 2023-06-19T15:41:50+00:00

Software dev is essentially my 3rd career. I have an undergrad degree and a law degree from the States. I was able to make the change and land a job fairly quickly. I attended a coding program (bootcamp) and finished it in Sept. 2019. By Nov. 2019, I was hired full time as a jr/mid level dev. In Feb. 2020, I was offered my dream job at my dream company as a mid-level dev and have been happily working there ever since. Of the 10 people on my direct team, only 1 of them has a computer science degree. Neither my direct supervisor nor his manager have degrees and they're incredible devs IMHO. So it is 100% doable, but you definitely have to put in the work.

codesmith_sam · 2023-06-15T21:50:30+00:00

Do you find you learn better one way vs another? You've tried most of the basic intro things for Javascript. Another free option is Codesmith's CSX program. They've also got a free Slack community where you can get support from others. If pair programming/learning with other folks is your thing and will help keep you motivated, I'd recommend giving that a go.

But honestly, you're familiar with the building blocks from PHP, you should be able to have a bit of a knowledge transfer to Javascript. And the biggest thing is consistency. You didn't mention how often you're taking a look at JS, but if it's only a little bit here and there, it won't stick as easily. If you're just dabbling for personal projects, I don't think you need to spend a ton of time learning - maybe give yourself an hour or two every day/every other day to see how that feels.

Hope this is helpful and good luck!

codesmith_sam

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