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Old old organization makes me feel like I'm stuck in my career. I'm hanging out with boomer programmers when I'm not even 30.

I wouldn't call myself an exceptional programmer. But the way the organization does it's software development makes me cringe sometimes.

1. They use a ready made solution for the main system, which was coded in PL/SQL. The system isn't mobile friendly, looks like crap and cannot be updated via vendor (that you need to pay for anyway) because of so many code customizations being done to it over the years. The only way to update it is to code it yourself, making the paid solutions useless
2. Adding CloudFlare in the middle of everything without knowing how to use it. Resulting in some countries/networks not being able to access systems that are otherwise fine
3. When devs are asked to separate frontend and backend for in house systems, they have no clue about what are those and why should we do it (most are used to PHP spaghetti where everything is in php&html)
4. Too dependent on RDBMS that slows down development time due to having to design ERD and relationships that are often changed when users ask for process revisions anyway
5. Users directly contact programmers, including their personal whatsapp to ask for help/report errors that aren't even errors. They didn't read user guides
6. I have to become programmer-sysadm-helpdesk-product owner kind of thing. And blamed directly when theres one thing wrong (excuse me for getting one thing wrong, I have to do 4 kind of works at one time)
7. Overtime is sort of expected. It is in the culture

If you asked me if these were normal 4 years ago I would say no. But I'm so used to it to the point where this becomes kinda normal. Jack of all trades, master of none, just a young programmer acting like I was born in the era of PASCAL and COBOL

Comments
  • 9
    Learn cobol and pascal.

    You can make $250k+ a year in most places.

    Like you said, you work with an aging demographic.

    Once you learn the language, design and architect a path forward for the organization. Last I knew AWS supports cobol and other custom runtimes in lambda...

    When you get promoted to CTO remember the old guys and how much they helped you get to where you are.
  • 3
    @sariel I agree, those cobol guys are making FAANG salaries
  • 2
    I was in a similar situation back in 2019. Jumped ship. 100/100 would do it again
  • 2
    Didn't know you worked in the same company as me xD

    But yeah, we are 2 IT guys for 100 users.

    I know sql, BI, C# and all the new stuff...

    My 'senior' does not know anything except cobol.

    Trying really hard to push new and innovative stuff in production but he always manage to block it or just deny's the problem he caused.
  • 0
    @sariel But as I said Im not an exceptional progammer. I cant expect myself to master COBOL/PASCAL and join companies where those skills are very important.
  • 1
    @Ten91 I have to sooner than later. It is eating up my mental health.
  • 1
    @Grumm At least someone in the same boat as me! BI and Crystal report. Making ERD before building a system and thinking will this design work with Crystal Report easily?

    feelsbadman. Everyone is already talking about no sql, docker and devops. Im still answering late night chat from users that dont know how to turn open task managwr.
  • 1
    @DwightSchrute Well your 6* is kind of devops already.

    Next, no sql and docker are really for specific cases.

    I work a lot with Dynamics AX so I don't really care about no sql.

    Docker may be worth a try. We use a lot of VM's.

    (20-30)

    Using docker can lower the amount of resources needed i guess. But hey, my 'partner' will never allow me to try this out :(
  • 1
    @DwightSchrute @Grumm Devopish without the pay... :)

    Yeah docker is much more convenient.. they dont let me implement it too, not proven enough blahblah
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