Ask HN: Why can't I find work with a well-documented code base?

[joeq]

I've been at a variety of places. Some startups, some star companies you've heard of. Yet at each of these places, the documentation is minimal, the code is terribly written with tribal knowledge needed everywhere, and management keeps aggressively trying to push out features before they're ready. Have I just been getting bad luck here? Or is well-written, well-documented, well-tested code something that doesn't really exist?

[anonymousdev]

Well this is the state of the industry. There certainly are companies with well-written, well-documented, well-tested code but they don't hire because they don't need to. Their code is easy to change and maintain, so why pay more people? This is all most project managers know - absolutely never improve the process or the tools, just throw more people at the problem, so that's why you were there.

[joeq]

Considering leaving the industry because of this. Which is a shame because I really do care about good software.

[GFischer]

Don't (unless you really don't like writing software).

The answer I've come up with is either become a project manager (not working out so far, nobody wants to hire a PM without PM experience here, no matter the certifications), or start your own company (which might be the right answer in your case).

To be honest, I think both documentation and test cases are overrated, I do believe in lots of user testing and feedback, which is the most important thing (and that's why I believe any methodology that encourages frequent user feedback is a good thing).

What I'm writing about applies for the usual business or customer facing apps, I don't know about other fields (maybe for scientifical or medical or whatever apps it's a whole different story).

[edoceo]

Haha. Yea, I've seen those patterns too. Since 1995. Its like nobody reads the books we all talk about.

[joeq]

Yep, Code Complete, Mythical Man-Month. They are so highly regarded, but nobody seems to follow them!

[SamReidHughes]

One of those is highly regarded.

[GFischer]

Can you ellaborate? Which one is which? I guess the Mythical Man-Month is the well-regarded one?

[yen223]

Documentation, like code refactoring and unit tests, don't directly add value for the client. Most companies don't place a high emphasis on these.

[atmosx]

Isn't that a weird thing? Every recruiter post I'm seeing talks about how to write unit test, write clear comments, choose methods (functions) name with care, document your code even if it looks silly and again write tests!.

It's like what everyone wants, but then neither needs...

[joeq]

It seems as absurd to me as constructing a building without laying down foundations and having proper blueprints.

[yen223]

This is the perfect analogy - people might choose a house based on its size or its location. But nobody buys a house because it has strong foundations. Not that foundations aren't important, mind you.