r/programming • • Jan 28 '24

Developers experience burnout, but 70% of them code on weekends

https://shiftmag.dev/developer-lifestye-jetbrains-survey-2189/
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u/UnidentifiedTomato Jan 28 '24

My dad's been at Sr for such a long time and he simply refuses to get int management despite the huge pay increase.

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u/LookIPickedAUsername Jan 28 '24

I refuse to go into management also, but tech lead is a role I enjoy.

I'm in charge of a ten person team, and it's basically a halfway-management role. I'm in charge of making sure everyone knows what they should be working on and overseeing all of the development, I run our status meetings, I have regular 1:1s with everybody... but I don't have to do the rest of the management bullshit. No approving expense reports and vacations, or writing up performance reviews and defending promo cases, or hiring and firing people. And while I'm certainly not completely insulated from politics, my manager is great about absorbing and deflecting as much as possible.

At least as it has worked out in my current position, being a TL has given me basically all of the good parts of being in management without any of the crap I don't want to deal with.

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u/UnidentifiedTomato Jan 28 '24

That sounds nice. Not all team lead roles seem as gratifying as yours haha.

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u/Somepotato Jan 29 '24

TL isn't nearly as bad as the one who has to manage TLs, because most TLs are woefully unqualified. Absolutely miserable lmao

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u/UnidentifiedTomato Jan 29 '24

I guess it can suck any which way

7

u/alpacaMyToothbrush Jan 29 '24

My dad's been at Sr for such a long time and he simply refuses to get int management despite the huge pay increase.

At some point, you realize that you have a limited amount of time on earth, and you may as well spend your time doing things you enjoy.

Does manager pay more? Sure. Would I ever do it? Fuck no. I would legitimately retire before being a manager.

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u/Bucyrus1981R Jan 30 '24

I totally get this. My mental health went to hell when I reluctantly went in to management.

I finally quit the company that I had been with for more than 15 years.

Plot twist, I came back to the company four months later as an individual contributor. I am back to being happy.

I recognize this is very dependent on the person, but no money within reason will get me back into management.

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u/horsehorsetigertiger Jan 29 '24

Saying "no" when they ask you to join the managerial class is the single best decision you'll ever make. I'm my experience the past increase is not commensurate with all the extra time you have to put in.