| "What I want is a remote dev job where I close tickets. That is, one where the gig really is cash for functioning solution that meets spec, code standards, and QA. My ideal world would be where I log in somewhere, pull a respectably specified ticket with clear acceptance criteria, and then pull request myself to at least a modest quality of life. Does anyone know of any remote work where the hassle is just engineering related? I will specify that I am not interested in simply transitioning the interpersonal bullshit to a Skype-based model, so team-intensive remote work won't suit this requirement. My greatest thanks for any insightful thoughts or resources you guys can provide." I have been contracting for the last 10 years and I have a contract like this now. It's great, I've been completing tons of work for the company, but it's not the norm. I report directly to the CTO of the company and talk to him almost daily. I have no daily standups and almost no meetings. Everything is as needed. IE: If we need to meet with someone in the company. we schedule a short meeting. Everything else is through our main ticketing system. "pull a respectably specified ticket with clear acceptance criteria, and then pull request myself to at least a modest quality of life" If you want a better quality of life, choose companies that don't rely on software as their main source of income and have been in business at least 5 years. I usually only choose companies that utilize software, but the main product is not the software itself. My motive is that I have side businesses that I also run during the day. Consulting companies are probably the worst in terms of work/life balance. I worked for a consulting company that had hundreds of clients and multiple projects all going on at the same time. The pressure was crazy. They originally hired me to get a project done in 3 months (down from the original estimate of 1 year). When I started working on it, they told me I had 7 weeks and pushed me every day until it was done. Luckily, I was able to figure out some better ways of completing the required tasks and got it done in time. As far as pull a "respectably specified ticket" goes, this might be difficult. Most of the time, people don't know exactly what they want and part of your job (unless it's a very large company with a layer in between you) is to decode someone's request and translate it to software. It will almost never be as easy as seeing a ticket with perfect requirements. But it really does sound like you should be contracting. You won't need to be part of any gatherings or useless meetings, because a company is paying you hourly. |
My motive is that I have side businesses that I also run during the day."
This post really resonates with me.
People on here always tout the idea that you don't want to work for a company where software isn't the main product because then you're in a 'cost center' so it drove me into a job at a faang company. Now that' I've been at one for a few years I see that it's just full of people chasing clout so they'll work themselves into the ground.
Trying to work on side projects is futile when you're expected to work lots of unpaid overtime so if you have any ambitions outside of work you won't fit in well. I wish I had known this earlier on.