149
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
I estimated this would take one month,
At this point into your text I was fully prepared to tell you how ridiculously short that timeframe is to develop an app on your own that does this. But it ...
75
votes
How to move forward with unfulfilling internships
If this is actually reflective of life in the software industry
It's reflective of normal working life. Jobs don't exist to make people feel 'fulfilled'. Most people work to get paid.
So people ...
58
votes
How to move forward with unfulfilling internships
Is this experience reflective of life in the software industry?
Yes. And No.
From a company perspective, interns cost money. They are around for a very limited time. You need to invest a lot of money ...
51
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
1 month is about 150 hours, so you've estimated twice what another developer estimated. That is within the normal margin of error for software projects.
Unless you both independently develop this ...
42
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
I didn't realize just how conservative it was compared to another iOS engineer's estimate of 60-80 hours when he told me
It's a common tactic to try and get estimates lessened to say someone else ...
42
votes
Company offering me the same job again just 10 days after rejecting me in final VP round
The interview process is a two-way street. It is an opportunity for both parties to learn about each other.
If you were uncomfortable with the VP's answers to your questions then you should take that ...
40
votes
How can I support parallel development on a code porting project?
First of all, that VB application should be under source control.
Second, you'd need to find a way to create an application that is a mix of .net and VB6. It's not something that I know about, but if ...
39
votes
Accepted
In software engineering, what exactly is meant by collaborative tone?
"Collaborative tone" is not well-defined, true... but anyone who has worked on a team and alone can tell you there are vastly different approaches that make one successful at each.
Consider ...
39
votes
Accepted
How can I support parallel development on a code porting project?
There needs to be a clear plan, with documented milestones for the rewritten project, and this needs to be done in conjunction with the ongoing development of the legacy codebase. This shouldn't just ...
30
votes
Company offering me the same job again just 10 days after rejecting me in final VP round
Now since I knew I did quite well in the technical rounds, the only
reason for me getting rejected was the final interview with VP where I
asked him uncomfortable questions about work pressure and ...
27
votes
How to react after all your work being thrown away due to a merger?
There are three things going on here.
First off, it sounds like you've heard some rumors that your existing project will stop development. Don't be a rumor monger, and instead get some direct ...
21
votes
How to move forward with unfulfilling internships
It sounds as if no one is willing to invest in you because you're only going to be around for 8 months. But out in the workforce, you're also going to find places that are not going to give you this ...
18
votes
In software engineering, what exactly is meant by collaborative tone?
What kinds of things should I have said
The truth.
The purpose of a job interview is to determine whether you are a good fit for the position, and whether the position is a good fit for you. It's not ...
18
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
You can't avoid over-estimating or under-estimating the work, because there is no right answer. Your estimate must take into account a lot of variables that you can't know in advance, and other ...
15
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
To avoid overestimation, here are my suggestions:
Get input from experienced software engineers before giving the customers the estimated costs
If you work in a company with many experienced software ...
14
votes
Accepted
Can I Ever Become a Decent Programmer?
I suspect you're worried about the wrong thing. I have a background in AI, ML/data mining, and software development with a PhD and 35 years in industry and research, so my perspective might be useful ...
13
votes
Company offering me the same job again just 10 days after rejecting me in final VP round
Since you are uncertain about whether you want to take this job, the best way forward is to make further investigations. I would be uncertain in your situation too. In the VPs position I might give a ...
9
votes
How can I support parallel development on a code porting project?
The idea of moving a piece at a time to "better" technology is commonly called the Strangler Fig pattern. Check out https://paulhammant.com/2013/07/14/legacy-application-strangulation-case-...
9
votes
Accepted
What is a high percentage way to prepare for a 30 minute data structures and algorithms interview at a startup?
Any thoughts on how to strategically prepare in the week I have until then would be appreciated
Not to sound rude but IMHO, you can't learn that in a week.
You either know your data structures and ...
7
votes
How can I advocate for a change that a very admired colleague opposes?
Bring up your concerns directly with your manager in a non-accusatory tone.
From your question I am inferring a couple of things:
You were brought in as a senior, while the rockstar isn't. So at ...
6
votes
How to react after all your work being thrown away due to a merger?
Did you get paid during the time you were working on this product? If so, your work was rewarded according to what you agreed to. You have no complaint here!
That being said, it can be a bit ...
6
votes
How might I avoid significantly overestimating the time required to deliver a potential client's software project?
If you can properly justify your estimate with sound reasoning, and show this to your client(s), then this is what matters most.
What follows is a particular experience I had which, I hope, will help ...
6
votes
How to move forward with unfulfilling internships
"...eventually devolved into mostly unfulfilling work that make me question my career choice as a whole" get used to (ignoring) that feeling, I'm pretty sure it comes up in all careers from ...
5
votes
In software engineering, what exactly is meant by collaborative tone?
In software engineering, what exactly is meant by collaborative tone?
To me this translates to an estimate of a person's reception of feedback and willingness to change course when working with ...
5
votes
How can I support parallel development on a code porting project?
You really, really need that VB application in source control. As Clumsy cat mentioned in a comment on an answer, you don't need the VB developers to use that repo (though it would be helpful), nor do ...
5
votes
Offered a great job, but I'm in the interview process of my dream job at Google?
Is it legal to do this?
That depends on your contract with the startup should you decide to accept their offer.
Would it cause harm to my career?
You will definitely burn bridges with the startup ...
5
votes
How can I advocate for a change that a very admired colleague opposes?
I would suggest to consider carefully what you're trying to achieve here, from your personal point of view. Your description seems familiar. In my opinion, a great programmer is able to write clear ...
5
votes
How can I advocate for a change that a very admired colleague opposes?
It's unlikely that you're going to impact things.
Because you are hired as a senior developer, I assume you are experienced, and your voice may be more listened to compared to a junior.
You should ...
4
votes
How to handle everyone pushing work onto me
As a senior developer and team lead, I can share my insights on a situation like this. If there is a heavy workload and time pressure, it is not easy to integrate a new developer into the team.
...
4
votes
In software engineering, what exactly is meant by collaborative tone?
"Collaborative tone" is not a formally defined phrase and has no specific meaning in software engineering.
It's just a reason that someone gave you as to why you weren't successful getting a ...
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
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