[fallous]

Very much this. I have a long-standing saying that I share with those that want to bypass the "explain your goals to me" portion of the conversation and want to skip to "just do what I asked."

"Be very careful what you ask for because if I really dislike you I'll give you EXACTLY what you ask for and you'll find out quickly how much you didn't want that."

[cqqxo4zV46cp]

This comment got me excited for something that’d actually be useful to say to people, instead it’s needlessly hostile.

[rpmisms]

It's easy to say with a smile an a laugh, but definitely depends on your organization. I do tell people almost exactly this in my solo dev role, but more win the context of "I literally don't have the time to redo this, so let's get it right the first time".

[mmcnl]

I think it's an engineer's responsibility to present likely outcomes with their likelihood without judgment. Opinions are usually not needed unless asked.

[kevan]

> III. Professional Obligations

> 1. Engineers shall be guided in all their relations by the highest standards of honesty and integrity.

> ...

> b. Engineers shall advise their clients or employers when they believe a project will not be successful.

There's nuance around how hard you should push back on bad requests and where ownership/accountability and decision-making responsibility ultimately lie but providing professional judgement/advise/opinions is definitely in bounds for engineers.

[1] https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics

[rpmisms]

I am not an accredited engineer, but I should probably read those guidelines. Thanks!

[rpmisms]

No, I'm not a machine. I'm the only one who can do the work, so maybe listen to me when I tell you it's a bad idea.