job ethics question
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Would you stay on a project that is doomed to failure due to "warp drive requirments" by a customer who doesn't understand the laws of physics and insists on dictating implementation mechanisms, thus sabotaging any chance of success? or would your professional integrity cause you to look elsewhere for work? Sure their money spends as well as anyone's, but how important is personal job accomplishment/satisfaction?
Background is that the proof of concept deliverable is achievable if the customer sticks to functional requirements and stays the hell out of dictating implementation specifics. They are the consumate "it can't be that hard" morons who wont' listen to those of us who've been doing this for 10,20,30 years.
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@Kent-Dorfman I worked with a customer that would sometimes log in and make random changes in the features while I was coding them (it was a remote server job), because they had an idea in a middle of a dinner. I said my goodbyes and never looked back.
If money is all someone's after that's fine, but if you have any pride at all in your craft it's simply not worth the mental agony. There's money elsewhere too. The way I see it I spend about third of my life working, and I don't want to look back one day and see that I've spent all that time just dealing with people like that.
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@Chris-Kawa Thanks for the input. That's possibly the environment this could become. It's still early on, but experience has taught me to be a pessimist about such things.
Thanks!
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@Kent-Dorfman
Money can’t buy happiness, night sleep, pride and reputation - even if the opposite is often said. The fact that you raise the question here makes me believe both that the project is fishy and that you will take the right decision anyway! -
@Kent-Dorfman this question is a bit more complicated than it might appear at first. IMO, the primary issue is...what were you hired for? Specifically, was there an agreement that you were entirely (or primarily) responsible for implementation, and the customer would stick to requirements?
As far as whether to stay or not, that depends on a variety of factors. Do you have other options at present? Always put your interests first; you know the customer will put theirs first. Is the project truly "doomed to failure," or might it come to fruition with some unnecessary application of blood, sweat and tears? How important is putting this project on your resume?
If this is too analytical, then just go with your gut. Guts are rarely wrong.
Good luck.
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This post is deleted!
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better late than never...finally quit this boondoggle...now I can mend my soul.
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@Kent-Dorfman I hope it works out for you. We're in a fortunate time and space where we have some latitude when it comes to job selection. I hope your next position is everything that your last one wasn't.
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@mzimmers
Thanks, man!Gonna play in my woodshop, throw some acrylic paint at a canvas or two, and hit the WV mountains with my camera on my motorcycle.
Only real computer engineering stuff I may mix in is more playing with the STM32 microcontrollers I've been experimenting with for different tasks....Well, that and harrassing people on tech forums. LOL
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@Kent-Dorfman woodworking is good for the soul. From years past:
Lots of fun...
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@mzimmers said in job ethics question:
@Kent-Dorfman woodworking is good for the soul. From years past:
Lots of fun...You get it...
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@Kent-Dorfman said in job ethics question:
better late than never...finally quit this boondoggle...now I can mend my soul.
Congrats, and all my best wishes!
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@mzimmers
Amazing artwork, admirable!
Envy is the most honest compliment :-) -
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@Axel-Spoerl thanks, Axel. For me, woodworking is a lot like programming in Qt -- lots of trial and error, and in the end you have something nice, but you're left with the feeling that you could have done something just a little better...
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