9
grimtar
7y

I don't know if this is exactly a rant. But - I am sure somewhere out there has run into this situation before.

I've been a developer (professionally) for a 3 years. And in that time I've stayed with that same company.

Over that time its become incredibly apparent that my boss (senior developer) isn't exactly keen on new technologies, source control (I had to push hard for this. And even then he doesn't use it properly), or any kind of project management. It's only he and I.

I've started interviewing other places and while I have no problems answering their technical questions. I'm worried my lack of experience in a team is becoming a problem.

We don't work on projects together. We don't do code reviews. He does not ask my opinion on anything. We are basically two separate teams. I want to improve as a developer. I love the rest of the company and I enjoy what I'm working on. I just feel I'm hindering my growth as a developer.

Anyone have any advice? I know I can find a project to contribute to on github or something. But honestly that's intimidating to me for some reason. I am self taught. And don't have any experience in working with teams.

Comments
  • 5
    If you have the feeling you are not growing, change the company. And yes, it might feel that your lack of teamwork hinders your success in interviews. Yet you only get experience with teamwork once you start teamworking.

    In an interview, you very likely will be asked why you want to work for their company, and then you can just say: "I want to work in a team as this is something I lack in my current company", it both means you are honest about your lack of experience yet that you want to change to get there. True enough, your lack of experience may keep some doors closed because a company only wants that mythical 10-times-rockstar-coding-ninja, yet some doors will open. And not even trying means that you are stuck in your current situation forever. And if it hasn't improved in three years, will it ever?
  • 3
    I'm sort of in a similar situation. I'm in a team of 5, but one doesn't really program and one is a rotating work-study student. I'm the only developer by title. I've been more successful than you at getting my boss using new techs and source control (the other colleague not so much), but we all pretty much work by ourselves on different projects.

    I do wonder if I'm missing out on being part of a collaborative project at work, but I see it as a positive because I don't have to deal with anyone else's BS.

    As much as it might be intimidating to try collaborating on Github, I think that'd be the best way to grow the way you want to. The worst thing that could happen is someone rejects your pull request 😜.

    It's important to be happy at your job. If you're happy, don't leave over a minor regret.
  • 1
    @spongessuck

    He isn't against -me- using new tech. Just he has no plans to learn them themselves. I have had to remote while on vacation to fix a minor bug if he had the wherewithal. To learn what knockout.js is. I realize that's not new. But new to him.

    Our mutual boss claims he has something in the world to alleviate my problems. I suppose I'll give that a shot. Maybe I'll take the github plunge.

    Thanks!
  • 0
    I'm in same boat.
Add Comment