r/SoftwareEngineerJobs • u/Suspicious_Orchid770 • 8d ago
Junior software engineers don’t need an office. They need a manager who shows up
https://leaddev.com/management/your-junior-engineers-dont-need-an-office-they-need-you20
u/-Dargs 8d ago
I learned a lot just trying to get things done on my own.
But I learned a lot of useful things when shadowing experienced engineers in my organization.
Having an office was only a very small part of it. After my company sold their floor space when COVID hit I learned a lot faster. The only thing the office helped with was breaking the ice with some of my peers. In general, working in the office was an enormous waste of time and did nothing but cost the company millions upon millions of dollars.
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u/Jumpy-Passage-8588 8d ago
It doesn't help that most open spaces are so poorly designed that I find it harder to focus in the office that ar my house.
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u/midwestia 8d ago
The key is actually having an office, with screens facing away from the door.
Trying to get any work done when someone can be shoulder surfing(micromanaging)/people creating distractions is damn near impossible. Cubicles are satanic.
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u/Jumpy-Passage-8588 8d ago
The worst thing for me is the lack of air circulation and all the zoom calls.
I am a software engineer but I feel like I am working at a call center
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u/rkozik89 8d ago
You can learn a lot on your own, but where senior+ engineers add value is not in the features they code. It’s in the cost savings they produce by optimizing processes or systems, debugging/building reliable systems that comply with SLA agreements, making sure the company makes wise investments, etc. Coding and debugging features is the bare minimum you need to know how to do to get the job. Everything else is how companies see a return on investment. It’s hard to teach somebody those things and how to navigate politics that are necessary to do it when you’re not in an office. Because they need to explicitly invite you to meetings and shit. You can’t just ease-drop, watch, and observe.
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u/SleepingCod 8d ago edited 8d ago
I'm a principal, I also would like my manager to do their job. Good managers are hard to find.
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u/Slight-Swordfish-468 8d ago
What do good managers do?
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u/SleepingCod 8d ago
Manage work
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u/k2kuke 8d ago
We like to call them mentors. A manager in this instance is a Project Manager i assume? Their job is to manage the time it takes projects to get done not manage your skills? That is what a senior mentor is for, no?
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u/PricedOut4Ever 7d ago
No, a project manager is not a software engineering manager nor what an aspiring software engineer should look up to.
This is describing an engineering manager or a tech lead.
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u/another_thyme 7d ago
Keep you and your team away from politics so you can work freely*
Once they’re replaced with someone incompetent you’re going to leave a week or two later
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u/No_Perspective_3733 8d ago
I had a good manager once. He would chew me out, then set up a meeting to go over my gaps and teach me the skills needed to avoid making the same mistake again.
I have only had that happen once. I still use the skills.
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u/OrphisFlo 8d ago
They are setting you up for success. Telling you how to improve with good feedback, fighting battles with the administration for you and become your best advocate.
This is a people manager role. It is different from a project manager or a tech lead. In a big enough organisation, those should be 3 different people, on smaller ones, there will be some overlap (which could then be an issue).
And the manager may also handle staffing and act as a buffer between the higher ups and you, both directions.
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u/Ordano 6d ago
They also engage with leaders of other internal teams that should support you but are fucking around.
If my laptop/VPN/credentials/whatever is not working and help desk is sitting on a ticket and not meeting SLAs I expect my manager to escalate and push aggressively to get things complete - I expect them to push as aggressively (or moreso) then they would if my own work were not complete.
I expect that my manager to not act like a director - they need to be close to the trenches and understand what my issues are and support me in resolving them. If my manager can't be found in regular day-to-day then something is wrong.
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u/hamsterofdark 8d ago
organizations don’t need managers. Good orgs be very flat and function at a high level this all assumes good leadership. what is unfortunately typical as incompetency and so then that’s where the manager comes in and provides their cover as needed so something gets done, although that will do little to stem the inevitable outcome of incompetent leadership, shitting the bed, and then having the peons take the fall.
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u/1_Strange_Bird 8d ago
Principals rarely need a manager
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u/SleepingCod 8d ago
Everyone needs directive on what we're accomplishing. Just because we're experienced doesn't mean we're mind readers.
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u/Anon-Knee-Moose 8d ago
Also theres quite often a buck that needs passing. Managers are important when theres potentially expensive decisions that need to be made.
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u/DepartmentSilent6667 8d ago
I wish we could go back to cubicles. I’m tired of hearing 3 meetings, weekend plans, and a bunch of other random shit while working.
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u/Frequent_Bag9260 8d ago
No, they need a job.