[deepGem]

I don't get the "9 to 5 wouldn't make you a great engineer"

As an experienced engineering manager this is what I've come across - Some of the engineers who put a 9 to 5 clause, are usually the obstinate engineers, who are not very productive during the hours of 9 to 5, but won't make up by working extra hours. The motto is 'This is all I'll deliver, live with it'. Perhaps, this bias factors in and a generalization emerges 'All 9 to 5 engineers are stubborn, non-creative, non-committed'. This is a huge fallacy because, again based on my limited experience, I have worked with some of the most productive, creative and committed engineers who mostly worked 9-5, but sprang to action in the middle of the night when a high priority production bug had to be looked into.

[jschwartzi]

Yeah, it's not about being unwilling to occasionally work overtime. The thing 9-to-5'ers are railing against is that overtime is being taken for granted. It's that projects are planned with unrealistic deadlines assuming we'll burn our lives away meeting them.

[deepGem]

But don't the managers take the required estimates from engineers and plan accordingly ? Unless there is a strong deadline set by the market or by the customers.

[ManlyBread]

They also can say that the estimate is unreasonable and demand to cut the hours because they're the ones who get a final say.