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I worked in programming back then, and you have the best response of all the others. I have not worked in the field for a long time, but everything seems the same back then as it does now, as you represent it happening. Back the the day, of course we spent a boatload more time in the design phase, lots of meetings to see what needs to be done. That's just common sense. How can you program if you don't know what to program? But then, as you get into the project, you create an excel spreadsheet with all the questions that you have, and then get them answered. But I would HATE to have to go to a scheduled meeting every week to discuss it. I prefer to just go over and ask the people, when it was convenient for me and them. However, I had always worked in smaller companies, where it was easy to just walk over and talk to the person, no matter what level they were, from receptionist to CEO. But I recognize that in a huge company like Google, things have to be different. But personally, I would never elect to work in companies like that. It's not my skill set. I'd commit suicide in a company like that. I'd rather work in programming in a sewer company or a retail store company with 20 stores, where they had a computer department of 5 or 10 people. That's just me. I hate being a cog in a machine. I like variety and talking to all different levels and different departments, when I chose to do so. Nobody in a small or medium sized business is going to have mandatory meetings 20 hours a week. That's just not reality. Just no way in hell, back then or now. As I said, I have not worked in the industry for a long time, but I think you can generalize this, that working for a small or medium sized company is going to be as he said. But even back in the day, if you worked in IBM or some huge company with 50 or 100 programmers, even then, it was like the author said he hated - much more strict and regulated, even back then. I never worked in them, but I was in the industry and talked to those that did work in them, and read industry journals. But even at Microsoft, there was a f-ck of a lot more rigidity. Maybe not if you were a superstar programmer, but if you were low on the food chain, you were going to be strictly regulated. Maybe Microsoft not as much as IBM, but still. Not like working in a 3-15 person department at a small company, where you pretty much have full autonomy, and your time is your own. So, things really are not too different, actually. I see that you worked about FAANG, but even now, would you think working at a small company with 3-15 tech people, would be more like the author said? Just by common sense? I'm sure you agree with me. |