I have a job that is financially viable at a small, good, profitable firm… that has less stellar engineering management (not bad people wise)… and I care deeply about my craft. I’m a child hood coder with also a deep “Protestant Work Ethic.”
I have semi-checked out at work, it’s mentally taxing to know the systems could be better. I also know after 5 years my hard work and going the extra mile” will not be rewarded so I coast with my above-average reviews… but I feel guilt and mental anguish and stress and worry I’ll be found for a fraud (not imposter syndrome way, in a “I could do better and will be punished for not” way)
For some of us it’s a passion not a paycheck. Although the pay is nice.
I used to mentor for a south-eastern group, Iron Yard.
All the good candidates had proven themselves in other disciplines. Our top candidates my first year mentoring were a master carpenter and a PhD in Jazz.
The typical Bachelor’s in Communications-to-Coder just never panned out at a real-world level.
If you don’t collect statistics, or provide bad service so people don’t bother calling even if you do collect statistics you’ll juice the numbers quite favorably.
For what it’s worth in my area “crime is down,” petty crimes like shoplifting and theft - but violent crimes involving guns are up (brandishing, shootings), but then murder itself is down.
So of course the headline is “crime is down” and when you bring up all the random idiots brandishing weapons in traffic or heroin addicts nodding off by the Starbucks you’re now magically a right wing idiot because of petty word games.
For what it’s worth it doesn’t matter if the metropolitan as a whole is statistically “good,” if my narrow slice is poorly managed it’s poorly managed and no overly broad statistical group changes on the ground lived reality.
My employer’s algorithm for 2020-2024 was, I kid you not, “published rate - 2%” for our cost of living raises. I’m willing to gamble they will not lower my wage during a recession, and we’re a small, profitable, fiscally conservative firm.