Pros & cons of being the only developer in the company [on hold] Unicorn Meta Zoo #1: Why...
A Paper Record is What I Hamper
std::is_constructible on incomplete types
finding a tangent line to a parabola
What is the best way to deal with NPC-NPC combat?
Mistake in years of experience in resume?
What do you call the part of a novel that is not dialog?
Do I need to protect SFP ports and optics from dust/contaminants? If so, how?
PIC mathematical operations weird problem
What *exactly* is electrical current, voltage, and resistance?
Retract an already submitted recommendation letter (written for an undergrad student)
My admission is revoked after accepting the admission offer
Is accepting an invalid credit card number a security issue?
Arriving in Atlanta after US Preclearance in Dublin. Will I go through TSA security in Atlanta to transfer to a connecting flight?
"Whatever a Russian does, they end up making the Kalashnikov gun"? Are there any similar proverbs in English?
Is Bran literally the world's memory?
Why did C use the -> operator instead of reusing the . operator?
My bank got bought out, am I now going to have to start filing tax returns in a different state?
What is it called when you ride around on your front wheel?
Are all CP/M-80 implementations binary compatible?
Married in secret, can marital status in passport be changed at a later date?
How to not starve gigantic beasts
What is a 'Key' in computer science?
What is the least dense liquid under normal conditions?
Why is an operator the quantum mechanical analogue of an observable?
Pros & cons of being the only developer in the company [on hold]
Unicorn Meta Zoo #1: Why another podcast?
Announcing the arrival of Valued Associate #679: Cesar ManaraBeing a company's only web person, how should I expect to be treated?“Senior developer” interviewed by junior questions, Or: where is the beef?New college grad hired as a hardware developer; how do I deal with being told I'm now a Front-End Web developer?How unusual is my workplace/circumstance?Getting a junior developer to be more self-reliantWorking at a first startup issuesCommunicating with a manager who has no programming experienceHow can I provide a development estimate for work that will be performed by others?How to deal with exhaustion when I just started a new jobThrown in the deep end — what are the signs it's time to leave?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty{ margin-bottom:0;
}
I work in a tiny (~10) company. I am the only developer in this company and have to deal with all the IT related stuff such as servers, SEO etc. Of course, I also program which should be my main task.
Now, my question is, what are the pros and cons of working alone as a developer?
Furthermore, I consider myself a junior since this is my first real job. Will working alone now be a problem in the long run?
developer company
New contributor
put on hold as primarily opinion-based by gnat, IDrinkandIKnowThings, NotMe, Thomas Owens, UnhandledExcepSean 11 hours ago
Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
|
show 1 more comment
I work in a tiny (~10) company. I am the only developer in this company and have to deal with all the IT related stuff such as servers, SEO etc. Of course, I also program which should be my main task.
Now, my question is, what are the pros and cons of working alone as a developer?
Furthermore, I consider myself a junior since this is my first real job. Will working alone now be a problem in the long run?
developer company
New contributor
put on hold as primarily opinion-based by gnat, IDrinkandIKnowThings, NotMe, Thomas Owens, UnhandledExcepSean 11 hours ago
Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
If you really know your stuff and your job description then it shouldn't really matter.
– noob
12 hours ago
Ask for more money. You'll get it.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
@Fattie That won't happen right now. I earn really little 'cause it's one of those test period contract
– Twothousandandseven
12 hours ago
Hi, welcome to The Workplace. I think this question doesn't belong here as it is highly personal opinion the answer anyone can give to you. Anyway, try to learn as much as you can and leverage your condition of being the only IT guy to ensure you are getting paid what you deserve.
– Sebastian Aguerre
12 hours ago
@SebastianAguerre Thank you for you comment. I think that the final decision (working alone or not) is surely subjective, but I asked for objective pros and cons. How do I know the pay I deserve?
– Twothousandandseven
12 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
I work in a tiny (~10) company. I am the only developer in this company and have to deal with all the IT related stuff such as servers, SEO etc. Of course, I also program which should be my main task.
Now, my question is, what are the pros and cons of working alone as a developer?
Furthermore, I consider myself a junior since this is my first real job. Will working alone now be a problem in the long run?
developer company
New contributor
I work in a tiny (~10) company. I am the only developer in this company and have to deal with all the IT related stuff such as servers, SEO etc. Of course, I also program which should be my main task.
Now, my question is, what are the pros and cons of working alone as a developer?
Furthermore, I consider myself a junior since this is my first real job. Will working alone now be a problem in the long run?
developer company
developer company
New contributor
New contributor
New contributor
asked 12 hours ago
TwothousandandsevenTwothousandandseven
1183
1183
New contributor
New contributor
put on hold as primarily opinion-based by gnat, IDrinkandIKnowThings, NotMe, Thomas Owens, UnhandledExcepSean 11 hours ago
Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
put on hold as primarily opinion-based by gnat, IDrinkandIKnowThings, NotMe, Thomas Owens, UnhandledExcepSean 11 hours ago
Many good questions generate some degree of opinion based on expert experience, but answers to this question will tend to be almost entirely based on opinions, rather than facts, references, or specific expertise. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
If you really know your stuff and your job description then it shouldn't really matter.
– noob
12 hours ago
Ask for more money. You'll get it.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
@Fattie That won't happen right now. I earn really little 'cause it's one of those test period contract
– Twothousandandseven
12 hours ago
Hi, welcome to The Workplace. I think this question doesn't belong here as it is highly personal opinion the answer anyone can give to you. Anyway, try to learn as much as you can and leverage your condition of being the only IT guy to ensure you are getting paid what you deserve.
– Sebastian Aguerre
12 hours ago
@SebastianAguerre Thank you for you comment. I think that the final decision (working alone or not) is surely subjective, but I asked for objective pros and cons. How do I know the pay I deserve?
– Twothousandandseven
12 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
If you really know your stuff and your job description then it shouldn't really matter.
– noob
12 hours ago
Ask for more money. You'll get it.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
@Fattie That won't happen right now. I earn really little 'cause it's one of those test period contract
– Twothousandandseven
12 hours ago
Hi, welcome to The Workplace. I think this question doesn't belong here as it is highly personal opinion the answer anyone can give to you. Anyway, try to learn as much as you can and leverage your condition of being the only IT guy to ensure you are getting paid what you deserve.
– Sebastian Aguerre
12 hours ago
@SebastianAguerre Thank you for you comment. I think that the final decision (working alone or not) is surely subjective, but I asked for objective pros and cons. How do I know the pay I deserve?
– Twothousandandseven
12 hours ago
If you really know your stuff and your job description then it shouldn't really matter.
– noob
12 hours ago
If you really know your stuff and your job description then it shouldn't really matter.
– noob
12 hours ago
Ask for more money. You'll get it.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
Ask for more money. You'll get it.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
@Fattie That won't happen right now. I earn really little 'cause it's one of those test period contract
– Twothousandandseven
12 hours ago
@Fattie That won't happen right now. I earn really little 'cause it's one of those test period contract
– Twothousandandseven
12 hours ago
Hi, welcome to The Workplace. I think this question doesn't belong here as it is highly personal opinion the answer anyone can give to you. Anyway, try to learn as much as you can and leverage your condition of being the only IT guy to ensure you are getting paid what you deserve.
– Sebastian Aguerre
12 hours ago
Hi, welcome to The Workplace. I think this question doesn't belong here as it is highly personal opinion the answer anyone can give to you. Anyway, try to learn as much as you can and leverage your condition of being the only IT guy to ensure you are getting paid what you deserve.
– Sebastian Aguerre
12 hours ago
@SebastianAguerre Thank you for you comment. I think that the final decision (working alone or not) is surely subjective, but I asked for objective pros and cons. How do I know the pay I deserve?
– Twothousandandseven
12 hours ago
@SebastianAguerre Thank you for you comment. I think that the final decision (working alone or not) is surely subjective, but I asked for objective pros and cons. How do I know the pay I deserve?
– Twothousandandseven
12 hours ago
|
show 1 more comment
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
You already named some cons, having to deal with servers, SEO etc. Some more may be:
- No other developers for exchanging and helping each other with technical stuff, you are always on your own with technical topics
- Everything slightly IT related may come to your desk, this may be stuff from a design for letters in MS Word to anything you can imagine
- It's harder to justify necessary purchases (licenses or even trainings for you) to people that don't really know what it's good for
Pros I can think of:
- You can make yourself indispensable as it's more or less impossible to replace you without a quite long transition process
- You are really integrated into the company instead of sitting in your iIToffice without contact to the non-tech part of it. You probably can understand your co-workers needs better.
If you like being some kind of IT janitor with all this different tasks, this is the perfekt niche for you. If you want to evolve as a developer and probably climb the job ladder, you might want to look for something else.
New contributor
1
It's a good point that you will get stuck with "IT rubbish" unfortunately
– Fattie
12 hours ago
1
A couple of your points are more about being the only IT person, not the only developer. It doesn't necessarily follow that being the only programmer means you're the only tech savvy employee. Regarding your 3rd con, I could also see the opposite happening: it being easier to get what you need from people who can't argue for alternatives.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
@BSMP OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Regarding the purchases, they can't argue for alternatives but for "it worked without this" and that's what will happen from my experience.
– supersoft
11 hours ago
OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Right, but that's still because they're the only IT person at that company, not because they're the only developer. They could hire an IT support person and OP would still be the only developer there.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
add a comment |
Con: You have no one to learn from
Pro: You have a job at least
Maybe there are more Cons, but the first one is so huge it's not worth continuing. Basically, it's an acceptable alternative to unemployment, but it will slow or even stop your learning. You won't get good at this profession working in a vacuum, no-one does. I wouldn't recommend this unless it's all you can get. Even as a senior, I still hugely value working with other people and learning from them.
Keep your job for now, but look out for an environment where you have learn from others more senior to you.
4
Hmm, software is hugely self-directed. A sink or swim situation is one of the best ways to learn fast.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
As far as learning is concerned he may not be able to learn by others but if company can't afford another developer maybe they will think about investing in the one they have in hopes of getting the job done. Also there are various free sources to learn if OP really wants to learn.
– noob
12 hours ago
1
While it's true that you can get into software effectively without other people, it's incredibly useful to have some peers with whom you can discuss ideas and problems.
– supersoft
12 hours ago
3
People can learn in many different ways, and there's something to be said for being solitary at some points in one's career, but @NathanCooper is correct. It's not good for juniors to be a department of one. Exposure to other ways of working really helps you develop broad and deep skills. Being a "lone wolf" makes you good at dealing with adversity, but it will eventually put your career in a bad light.
– teego1967
12 hours ago
@Fattie take into account that he is a junior. Surely he can learn a lot of stuff by himself, but considering that he has to deal with a huge amount of different stuff with some (probably) tight deadlines, he might learn to do stuff the wrong way. Of course he can also learn wrong stuff from other people, but I believe it is less likely.
– GustavoMP
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
I was a sole developer at a company for several years and, while my use of various tools and languages did improve through use, I was making some big mistakes in design; the applications would always work, but I would do things like rolling my own XML parser. This was pre-StackOverflow days, so finding good communities to help make software engineering decisions was not great. Developers need other developers to grow; Stack Overflow, Code Review SE, or the Software Engineering SE site might be able to replace this, but I still don't think it would be as beneficial as an experienced developer being around. If you stay on, make great use of the people in these communities.
That said, being the sole developers can be extremely rewarding. Your contributions can be huge and greatly impact things; this is an awesome feeling because you'll be able to see the value you bring to the company. Your sense of accomplishment should be huge. I was able to conceive, research, and implement my own solutions to things I thought could be better with very little oversight. IT WAS WONDERFUL. You will not get that same latitude at most large companies even if you advance to a more senior position. If you do a good job, you will also be hard to replace which makes your job quite secure.
add a comment |
I’ve wound up more or less doing that for over 10 years of my career and would recommend riding it out for a bit, but plan on it being short term. An environment like that can lead to a more rounded understanding of what you do and even as a junior, you are that company’s expert and have more freedom than you likely will otherwise. If you were someday considering leadership, broader understanding won’t hurt you there either.
It won’t take terribly long before the focus lost on your core career skills and lack of mentorship slow you down. Google and StackOverflow are nice, but piecemeal learning on individual issues will be no substitute for a team. If you’re holding out for this company to grow, the odds of it ever even hitting 25 people are pretty low so there’s little chance there’ll ever be more than a couple of you. And if it does manage to really take off, you MIGHT bubble up with it or there may just be more layers inserted between you and the top.
Overall…it’s a rounding out experience but unlikely to be a good move for more than a year or so.
add a comment |
Just to expand a bit on the other answers, being the sole developer (as opposed to the jack of all trades of IT, which will ruin your focus) can be an interesting experience for learning, as opposed to simply a stagnation sentence.
Take into account some established teams don't necessarily follow worthwhile practices, so you get to avoid that possibility entirely if you're fresh in the business where you can't go cherry picking those.
Being the sole developer among people who just want things done lets you implement stuff however you want, and with the right mindset this can either benefit or doom you.
This is by all means a double edged sword because:
- You have freedom to try out new things under your own clearance
- Consequentially, you also have freedom to do an awful job.
You need to plan to move on eventually:
- You will reach the stagnation phase at some point. You don't want that.
- The idea is that the sole developer actually has a team: themselves and "the next guy". Keep your work sensible, not just for you but others.
- A sole developer that never moved on is simply someone who has blown up a hole on the ship, shaped like themselves. Now they're the cork; and a pricy one.
Another thing worth mentioning is that, as contradictory as it may sound, being in solitude and having to think for yourself for a while may give you desirable traits as a leader and overall problem solver, as portrayed in this speech by William Deresiewicz at the WP Military Academy; here's an excerpt:
[...] Institutions are being guided by people who are good at keeping the routine going, but bad at thinking; specifically, bad at thinking for themselves. The solution, then, seems to be to teach people this trait. However, “thinking” isn’t something that can be taught, it must be done alone.
Ideally, a great sole developer will make themselves replaceable and eventually move on to become a very valuable asset within a team with their experience in decision making.
So you are basically telling me to keep working as lone developer but eventually move into a team? Do you think decision making experience and leader trait can also be gained through personal projects? (In which I work alone, of course)
– Twothousandandseven
10 hours ago
As mine and other answers have stated, yes it is going to do you good for a limited time to keep going specially if you are a self-learner. It's hard to find equal comparison to the weight of decisions made at work, which impacts not only you, but your employer and the next guy. You'll have more interesting opinions in a team if you have these experiences on you and you'll (ideally) appreciate even more the great value of having colleagues to not only learn from but teach to.
– lucasgcb
10 hours ago
add a comment |
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
You already named some cons, having to deal with servers, SEO etc. Some more may be:
- No other developers for exchanging and helping each other with technical stuff, you are always on your own with technical topics
- Everything slightly IT related may come to your desk, this may be stuff from a design for letters in MS Word to anything you can imagine
- It's harder to justify necessary purchases (licenses or even trainings for you) to people that don't really know what it's good for
Pros I can think of:
- You can make yourself indispensable as it's more or less impossible to replace you without a quite long transition process
- You are really integrated into the company instead of sitting in your iIToffice without contact to the non-tech part of it. You probably can understand your co-workers needs better.
If you like being some kind of IT janitor with all this different tasks, this is the perfekt niche for you. If you want to evolve as a developer and probably climb the job ladder, you might want to look for something else.
New contributor
1
It's a good point that you will get stuck with "IT rubbish" unfortunately
– Fattie
12 hours ago
1
A couple of your points are more about being the only IT person, not the only developer. It doesn't necessarily follow that being the only programmer means you're the only tech savvy employee. Regarding your 3rd con, I could also see the opposite happening: it being easier to get what you need from people who can't argue for alternatives.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
@BSMP OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Regarding the purchases, they can't argue for alternatives but for "it worked without this" and that's what will happen from my experience.
– supersoft
11 hours ago
OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Right, but that's still because they're the only IT person at that company, not because they're the only developer. They could hire an IT support person and OP would still be the only developer there.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
add a comment |
You already named some cons, having to deal with servers, SEO etc. Some more may be:
- No other developers for exchanging and helping each other with technical stuff, you are always on your own with technical topics
- Everything slightly IT related may come to your desk, this may be stuff from a design for letters in MS Word to anything you can imagine
- It's harder to justify necessary purchases (licenses or even trainings for you) to people that don't really know what it's good for
Pros I can think of:
- You can make yourself indispensable as it's more or less impossible to replace you without a quite long transition process
- You are really integrated into the company instead of sitting in your iIToffice without contact to the non-tech part of it. You probably can understand your co-workers needs better.
If you like being some kind of IT janitor with all this different tasks, this is the perfekt niche for you. If you want to evolve as a developer and probably climb the job ladder, you might want to look for something else.
New contributor
1
It's a good point that you will get stuck with "IT rubbish" unfortunately
– Fattie
12 hours ago
1
A couple of your points are more about being the only IT person, not the only developer. It doesn't necessarily follow that being the only programmer means you're the only tech savvy employee. Regarding your 3rd con, I could also see the opposite happening: it being easier to get what you need from people who can't argue for alternatives.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
@BSMP OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Regarding the purchases, they can't argue for alternatives but for "it worked without this" and that's what will happen from my experience.
– supersoft
11 hours ago
OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Right, but that's still because they're the only IT person at that company, not because they're the only developer. They could hire an IT support person and OP would still be the only developer there.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
add a comment |
You already named some cons, having to deal with servers, SEO etc. Some more may be:
- No other developers for exchanging and helping each other with technical stuff, you are always on your own with technical topics
- Everything slightly IT related may come to your desk, this may be stuff from a design for letters in MS Word to anything you can imagine
- It's harder to justify necessary purchases (licenses or even trainings for you) to people that don't really know what it's good for
Pros I can think of:
- You can make yourself indispensable as it's more or less impossible to replace you without a quite long transition process
- You are really integrated into the company instead of sitting in your iIToffice without contact to the non-tech part of it. You probably can understand your co-workers needs better.
If you like being some kind of IT janitor with all this different tasks, this is the perfekt niche for you. If you want to evolve as a developer and probably climb the job ladder, you might want to look for something else.
New contributor
You already named some cons, having to deal with servers, SEO etc. Some more may be:
- No other developers for exchanging and helping each other with technical stuff, you are always on your own with technical topics
- Everything slightly IT related may come to your desk, this may be stuff from a design for letters in MS Word to anything you can imagine
- It's harder to justify necessary purchases (licenses or even trainings for you) to people that don't really know what it's good for
Pros I can think of:
- You can make yourself indispensable as it's more or less impossible to replace you without a quite long transition process
- You are really integrated into the company instead of sitting in your iIToffice without contact to the non-tech part of it. You probably can understand your co-workers needs better.
If you like being some kind of IT janitor with all this different tasks, this is the perfekt niche for you. If you want to evolve as a developer and probably climb the job ladder, you might want to look for something else.
New contributor
edited 12 hours ago
New contributor
answered 12 hours ago
supersoftsupersoft
5032211
5032211
New contributor
New contributor
1
It's a good point that you will get stuck with "IT rubbish" unfortunately
– Fattie
12 hours ago
1
A couple of your points are more about being the only IT person, not the only developer. It doesn't necessarily follow that being the only programmer means you're the only tech savvy employee. Regarding your 3rd con, I could also see the opposite happening: it being easier to get what you need from people who can't argue for alternatives.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
@BSMP OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Regarding the purchases, they can't argue for alternatives but for "it worked without this" and that's what will happen from my experience.
– supersoft
11 hours ago
OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Right, but that's still because they're the only IT person at that company, not because they're the only developer. They could hire an IT support person and OP would still be the only developer there.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
add a comment |
1
It's a good point that you will get stuck with "IT rubbish" unfortunately
– Fattie
12 hours ago
1
A couple of your points are more about being the only IT person, not the only developer. It doesn't necessarily follow that being the only programmer means you're the only tech savvy employee. Regarding your 3rd con, I could also see the opposite happening: it being easier to get what you need from people who can't argue for alternatives.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
@BSMP OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Regarding the purchases, they can't argue for alternatives but for "it worked without this" and that's what will happen from my experience.
– supersoft
11 hours ago
OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Right, but that's still because they're the only IT person at that company, not because they're the only developer. They could hire an IT support person and OP would still be the only developer there.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
1
1
It's a good point that you will get stuck with "IT rubbish" unfortunately
– Fattie
12 hours ago
It's a good point that you will get stuck with "IT rubbish" unfortunately
– Fattie
12 hours ago
1
1
A couple of your points are more about being the only IT person, not the only developer. It doesn't necessarily follow that being the only programmer means you're the only tech savvy employee. Regarding your 3rd con, I could also see the opposite happening: it being easier to get what you need from people who can't argue for alternatives.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
A couple of your points are more about being the only IT person, not the only developer. It doesn't necessarily follow that being the only programmer means you're the only tech savvy employee. Regarding your 3rd con, I could also see the opposite happening: it being easier to get what you need from people who can't argue for alternatives.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
@BSMP OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Regarding the purchases, they can't argue for alternatives but for "it worked without this" and that's what will happen from my experience.
– supersoft
11 hours ago
@BSMP OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Regarding the purchases, they can't argue for alternatives but for "it worked without this" and that's what will happen from my experience.
– supersoft
11 hours ago
OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Right, but that's still because they're the only IT person at that company, not because they're the only developer. They could hire an IT support person and OP would still be the only developer there.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
OP mentioned they have to deal with all IT issues. Right, but that's still because they're the only IT person at that company, not because they're the only developer. They could hire an IT support person and OP would still be the only developer there.
– BSMP
11 hours ago
add a comment |
Con: You have no one to learn from
Pro: You have a job at least
Maybe there are more Cons, but the first one is so huge it's not worth continuing. Basically, it's an acceptable alternative to unemployment, but it will slow or even stop your learning. You won't get good at this profession working in a vacuum, no-one does. I wouldn't recommend this unless it's all you can get. Even as a senior, I still hugely value working with other people and learning from them.
Keep your job for now, but look out for an environment where you have learn from others more senior to you.
4
Hmm, software is hugely self-directed. A sink or swim situation is one of the best ways to learn fast.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
As far as learning is concerned he may not be able to learn by others but if company can't afford another developer maybe they will think about investing in the one they have in hopes of getting the job done. Also there are various free sources to learn if OP really wants to learn.
– noob
12 hours ago
1
While it's true that you can get into software effectively without other people, it's incredibly useful to have some peers with whom you can discuss ideas and problems.
– supersoft
12 hours ago
3
People can learn in many different ways, and there's something to be said for being solitary at some points in one's career, but @NathanCooper is correct. It's not good for juniors to be a department of one. Exposure to other ways of working really helps you develop broad and deep skills. Being a "lone wolf" makes you good at dealing with adversity, but it will eventually put your career in a bad light.
– teego1967
12 hours ago
@Fattie take into account that he is a junior. Surely he can learn a lot of stuff by himself, but considering that he has to deal with a huge amount of different stuff with some (probably) tight deadlines, he might learn to do stuff the wrong way. Of course he can also learn wrong stuff from other people, but I believe it is less likely.
– GustavoMP
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
Con: You have no one to learn from
Pro: You have a job at least
Maybe there are more Cons, but the first one is so huge it's not worth continuing. Basically, it's an acceptable alternative to unemployment, but it will slow or even stop your learning. You won't get good at this profession working in a vacuum, no-one does. I wouldn't recommend this unless it's all you can get. Even as a senior, I still hugely value working with other people and learning from them.
Keep your job for now, but look out for an environment where you have learn from others more senior to you.
4
Hmm, software is hugely self-directed. A sink or swim situation is one of the best ways to learn fast.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
As far as learning is concerned he may not be able to learn by others but if company can't afford another developer maybe they will think about investing in the one they have in hopes of getting the job done. Also there are various free sources to learn if OP really wants to learn.
– noob
12 hours ago
1
While it's true that you can get into software effectively without other people, it's incredibly useful to have some peers with whom you can discuss ideas and problems.
– supersoft
12 hours ago
3
People can learn in many different ways, and there's something to be said for being solitary at some points in one's career, but @NathanCooper is correct. It's not good for juniors to be a department of one. Exposure to other ways of working really helps you develop broad and deep skills. Being a "lone wolf" makes you good at dealing with adversity, but it will eventually put your career in a bad light.
– teego1967
12 hours ago
@Fattie take into account that he is a junior. Surely he can learn a lot of stuff by himself, but considering that he has to deal with a huge amount of different stuff with some (probably) tight deadlines, he might learn to do stuff the wrong way. Of course he can also learn wrong stuff from other people, but I believe it is less likely.
– GustavoMP
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
Con: You have no one to learn from
Pro: You have a job at least
Maybe there are more Cons, but the first one is so huge it's not worth continuing. Basically, it's an acceptable alternative to unemployment, but it will slow or even stop your learning. You won't get good at this profession working in a vacuum, no-one does. I wouldn't recommend this unless it's all you can get. Even as a senior, I still hugely value working with other people and learning from them.
Keep your job for now, but look out for an environment where you have learn from others more senior to you.
Con: You have no one to learn from
Pro: You have a job at least
Maybe there are more Cons, but the first one is so huge it's not worth continuing. Basically, it's an acceptable alternative to unemployment, but it will slow or even stop your learning. You won't get good at this profession working in a vacuum, no-one does. I wouldn't recommend this unless it's all you can get. Even as a senior, I still hugely value working with other people and learning from them.
Keep your job for now, but look out for an environment where you have learn from others more senior to you.
answered 12 hours ago
Nathan CooperNathan Cooper
2,69241525
2,69241525
4
Hmm, software is hugely self-directed. A sink or swim situation is one of the best ways to learn fast.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
As far as learning is concerned he may not be able to learn by others but if company can't afford another developer maybe they will think about investing in the one they have in hopes of getting the job done. Also there are various free sources to learn if OP really wants to learn.
– noob
12 hours ago
1
While it's true that you can get into software effectively without other people, it's incredibly useful to have some peers with whom you can discuss ideas and problems.
– supersoft
12 hours ago
3
People can learn in many different ways, and there's something to be said for being solitary at some points in one's career, but @NathanCooper is correct. It's not good for juniors to be a department of one. Exposure to other ways of working really helps you develop broad and deep skills. Being a "lone wolf" makes you good at dealing with adversity, but it will eventually put your career in a bad light.
– teego1967
12 hours ago
@Fattie take into account that he is a junior. Surely he can learn a lot of stuff by himself, but considering that he has to deal with a huge amount of different stuff with some (probably) tight deadlines, he might learn to do stuff the wrong way. Of course he can also learn wrong stuff from other people, but I believe it is less likely.
– GustavoMP
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
4
Hmm, software is hugely self-directed. A sink or swim situation is one of the best ways to learn fast.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
As far as learning is concerned he may not be able to learn by others but if company can't afford another developer maybe they will think about investing in the one they have in hopes of getting the job done. Also there are various free sources to learn if OP really wants to learn.
– noob
12 hours ago
1
While it's true that you can get into software effectively without other people, it's incredibly useful to have some peers with whom you can discuss ideas and problems.
– supersoft
12 hours ago
3
People can learn in many different ways, and there's something to be said for being solitary at some points in one's career, but @NathanCooper is correct. It's not good for juniors to be a department of one. Exposure to other ways of working really helps you develop broad and deep skills. Being a "lone wolf" makes you good at dealing with adversity, but it will eventually put your career in a bad light.
– teego1967
12 hours ago
@Fattie take into account that he is a junior. Surely he can learn a lot of stuff by himself, but considering that he has to deal with a huge amount of different stuff with some (probably) tight deadlines, he might learn to do stuff the wrong way. Of course he can also learn wrong stuff from other people, but I believe it is less likely.
– GustavoMP
11 hours ago
4
4
Hmm, software is hugely self-directed. A sink or swim situation is one of the best ways to learn fast.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
Hmm, software is hugely self-directed. A sink or swim situation is one of the best ways to learn fast.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
As far as learning is concerned he may not be able to learn by others but if company can't afford another developer maybe they will think about investing in the one they have in hopes of getting the job done. Also there are various free sources to learn if OP really wants to learn.
– noob
12 hours ago
As far as learning is concerned he may not be able to learn by others but if company can't afford another developer maybe they will think about investing in the one they have in hopes of getting the job done. Also there are various free sources to learn if OP really wants to learn.
– noob
12 hours ago
1
1
While it's true that you can get into software effectively without other people, it's incredibly useful to have some peers with whom you can discuss ideas and problems.
– supersoft
12 hours ago
While it's true that you can get into software effectively without other people, it's incredibly useful to have some peers with whom you can discuss ideas and problems.
– supersoft
12 hours ago
3
3
People can learn in many different ways, and there's something to be said for being solitary at some points in one's career, but @NathanCooper is correct. It's not good for juniors to be a department of one. Exposure to other ways of working really helps you develop broad and deep skills. Being a "lone wolf" makes you good at dealing with adversity, but it will eventually put your career in a bad light.
– teego1967
12 hours ago
People can learn in many different ways, and there's something to be said for being solitary at some points in one's career, but @NathanCooper is correct. It's not good for juniors to be a department of one. Exposure to other ways of working really helps you develop broad and deep skills. Being a "lone wolf" makes you good at dealing with adversity, but it will eventually put your career in a bad light.
– teego1967
12 hours ago
@Fattie take into account that he is a junior. Surely he can learn a lot of stuff by himself, but considering that he has to deal with a huge amount of different stuff with some (probably) tight deadlines, he might learn to do stuff the wrong way. Of course he can also learn wrong stuff from other people, but I believe it is less likely.
– GustavoMP
11 hours ago
@Fattie take into account that he is a junior. Surely he can learn a lot of stuff by himself, but considering that he has to deal with a huge amount of different stuff with some (probably) tight deadlines, he might learn to do stuff the wrong way. Of course he can also learn wrong stuff from other people, but I believe it is less likely.
– GustavoMP
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
I was a sole developer at a company for several years and, while my use of various tools and languages did improve through use, I was making some big mistakes in design; the applications would always work, but I would do things like rolling my own XML parser. This was pre-StackOverflow days, so finding good communities to help make software engineering decisions was not great. Developers need other developers to grow; Stack Overflow, Code Review SE, or the Software Engineering SE site might be able to replace this, but I still don't think it would be as beneficial as an experienced developer being around. If you stay on, make great use of the people in these communities.
That said, being the sole developers can be extremely rewarding. Your contributions can be huge and greatly impact things; this is an awesome feeling because you'll be able to see the value you bring to the company. Your sense of accomplishment should be huge. I was able to conceive, research, and implement my own solutions to things I thought could be better with very little oversight. IT WAS WONDERFUL. You will not get that same latitude at most large companies even if you advance to a more senior position. If you do a good job, you will also be hard to replace which makes your job quite secure.
add a comment |
I was a sole developer at a company for several years and, while my use of various tools and languages did improve through use, I was making some big mistakes in design; the applications would always work, but I would do things like rolling my own XML parser. This was pre-StackOverflow days, so finding good communities to help make software engineering decisions was not great. Developers need other developers to grow; Stack Overflow, Code Review SE, or the Software Engineering SE site might be able to replace this, but I still don't think it would be as beneficial as an experienced developer being around. If you stay on, make great use of the people in these communities.
That said, being the sole developers can be extremely rewarding. Your contributions can be huge and greatly impact things; this is an awesome feeling because you'll be able to see the value you bring to the company. Your sense of accomplishment should be huge. I was able to conceive, research, and implement my own solutions to things I thought could be better with very little oversight. IT WAS WONDERFUL. You will not get that same latitude at most large companies even if you advance to a more senior position. If you do a good job, you will also be hard to replace which makes your job quite secure.
add a comment |
I was a sole developer at a company for several years and, while my use of various tools and languages did improve through use, I was making some big mistakes in design; the applications would always work, but I would do things like rolling my own XML parser. This was pre-StackOverflow days, so finding good communities to help make software engineering decisions was not great. Developers need other developers to grow; Stack Overflow, Code Review SE, or the Software Engineering SE site might be able to replace this, but I still don't think it would be as beneficial as an experienced developer being around. If you stay on, make great use of the people in these communities.
That said, being the sole developers can be extremely rewarding. Your contributions can be huge and greatly impact things; this is an awesome feeling because you'll be able to see the value you bring to the company. Your sense of accomplishment should be huge. I was able to conceive, research, and implement my own solutions to things I thought could be better with very little oversight. IT WAS WONDERFUL. You will not get that same latitude at most large companies even if you advance to a more senior position. If you do a good job, you will also be hard to replace which makes your job quite secure.
I was a sole developer at a company for several years and, while my use of various tools and languages did improve through use, I was making some big mistakes in design; the applications would always work, but I would do things like rolling my own XML parser. This was pre-StackOverflow days, so finding good communities to help make software engineering decisions was not great. Developers need other developers to grow; Stack Overflow, Code Review SE, or the Software Engineering SE site might be able to replace this, but I still don't think it would be as beneficial as an experienced developer being around. If you stay on, make great use of the people in these communities.
That said, being the sole developers can be extremely rewarding. Your contributions can be huge and greatly impact things; this is an awesome feeling because you'll be able to see the value you bring to the company. Your sense of accomplishment should be huge. I was able to conceive, research, and implement my own solutions to things I thought could be better with very little oversight. IT WAS WONDERFUL. You will not get that same latitude at most large companies even if you advance to a more senior position. If you do a good job, you will also be hard to replace which makes your job quite secure.
answered 11 hours ago
UnhandledExcepSeanUnhandledExcepSean
3,51511323
3,51511323
add a comment |
add a comment |
I’ve wound up more or less doing that for over 10 years of my career and would recommend riding it out for a bit, but plan on it being short term. An environment like that can lead to a more rounded understanding of what you do and even as a junior, you are that company’s expert and have more freedom than you likely will otherwise. If you were someday considering leadership, broader understanding won’t hurt you there either.
It won’t take terribly long before the focus lost on your core career skills and lack of mentorship slow you down. Google and StackOverflow are nice, but piecemeal learning on individual issues will be no substitute for a team. If you’re holding out for this company to grow, the odds of it ever even hitting 25 people are pretty low so there’s little chance there’ll ever be more than a couple of you. And if it does manage to really take off, you MIGHT bubble up with it or there may just be more layers inserted between you and the top.
Overall…it’s a rounding out experience but unlikely to be a good move for more than a year or so.
add a comment |
I’ve wound up more or less doing that for over 10 years of my career and would recommend riding it out for a bit, but plan on it being short term. An environment like that can lead to a more rounded understanding of what you do and even as a junior, you are that company’s expert and have more freedom than you likely will otherwise. If you were someday considering leadership, broader understanding won’t hurt you there either.
It won’t take terribly long before the focus lost on your core career skills and lack of mentorship slow you down. Google and StackOverflow are nice, but piecemeal learning on individual issues will be no substitute for a team. If you’re holding out for this company to grow, the odds of it ever even hitting 25 people are pretty low so there’s little chance there’ll ever be more than a couple of you. And if it does manage to really take off, you MIGHT bubble up with it or there may just be more layers inserted between you and the top.
Overall…it’s a rounding out experience but unlikely to be a good move for more than a year or so.
add a comment |
I’ve wound up more or less doing that for over 10 years of my career and would recommend riding it out for a bit, but plan on it being short term. An environment like that can lead to a more rounded understanding of what you do and even as a junior, you are that company’s expert and have more freedom than you likely will otherwise. If you were someday considering leadership, broader understanding won’t hurt you there either.
It won’t take terribly long before the focus lost on your core career skills and lack of mentorship slow you down. Google and StackOverflow are nice, but piecemeal learning on individual issues will be no substitute for a team. If you’re holding out for this company to grow, the odds of it ever even hitting 25 people are pretty low so there’s little chance there’ll ever be more than a couple of you. And if it does manage to really take off, you MIGHT bubble up with it or there may just be more layers inserted between you and the top.
Overall…it’s a rounding out experience but unlikely to be a good move for more than a year or so.
I’ve wound up more or less doing that for over 10 years of my career and would recommend riding it out for a bit, but plan on it being short term. An environment like that can lead to a more rounded understanding of what you do and even as a junior, you are that company’s expert and have more freedom than you likely will otherwise. If you were someday considering leadership, broader understanding won’t hurt you there either.
It won’t take terribly long before the focus lost on your core career skills and lack of mentorship slow you down. Google and StackOverflow are nice, but piecemeal learning on individual issues will be no substitute for a team. If you’re holding out for this company to grow, the odds of it ever even hitting 25 people are pretty low so there’s little chance there’ll ever be more than a couple of you. And if it does manage to really take off, you MIGHT bubble up with it or there may just be more layers inserted between you and the top.
Overall…it’s a rounding out experience but unlikely to be a good move for more than a year or so.
answered 11 hours ago
John SpiegelJohn Spiegel
1,770212
1,770212
add a comment |
add a comment |
Just to expand a bit on the other answers, being the sole developer (as opposed to the jack of all trades of IT, which will ruin your focus) can be an interesting experience for learning, as opposed to simply a stagnation sentence.
Take into account some established teams don't necessarily follow worthwhile practices, so you get to avoid that possibility entirely if you're fresh in the business where you can't go cherry picking those.
Being the sole developer among people who just want things done lets you implement stuff however you want, and with the right mindset this can either benefit or doom you.
This is by all means a double edged sword because:
- You have freedom to try out new things under your own clearance
- Consequentially, you also have freedom to do an awful job.
You need to plan to move on eventually:
- You will reach the stagnation phase at some point. You don't want that.
- The idea is that the sole developer actually has a team: themselves and "the next guy". Keep your work sensible, not just for you but others.
- A sole developer that never moved on is simply someone who has blown up a hole on the ship, shaped like themselves. Now they're the cork; and a pricy one.
Another thing worth mentioning is that, as contradictory as it may sound, being in solitude and having to think for yourself for a while may give you desirable traits as a leader and overall problem solver, as portrayed in this speech by William Deresiewicz at the WP Military Academy; here's an excerpt:
[...] Institutions are being guided by people who are good at keeping the routine going, but bad at thinking; specifically, bad at thinking for themselves. The solution, then, seems to be to teach people this trait. However, “thinking” isn’t something that can be taught, it must be done alone.
Ideally, a great sole developer will make themselves replaceable and eventually move on to become a very valuable asset within a team with their experience in decision making.
So you are basically telling me to keep working as lone developer but eventually move into a team? Do you think decision making experience and leader trait can also be gained through personal projects? (In which I work alone, of course)
– Twothousandandseven
10 hours ago
As mine and other answers have stated, yes it is going to do you good for a limited time to keep going specially if you are a self-learner. It's hard to find equal comparison to the weight of decisions made at work, which impacts not only you, but your employer and the next guy. You'll have more interesting opinions in a team if you have these experiences on you and you'll (ideally) appreciate even more the great value of having colleagues to not only learn from but teach to.
– lucasgcb
10 hours ago
add a comment |
Just to expand a bit on the other answers, being the sole developer (as opposed to the jack of all trades of IT, which will ruin your focus) can be an interesting experience for learning, as opposed to simply a stagnation sentence.
Take into account some established teams don't necessarily follow worthwhile practices, so you get to avoid that possibility entirely if you're fresh in the business where you can't go cherry picking those.
Being the sole developer among people who just want things done lets you implement stuff however you want, and with the right mindset this can either benefit or doom you.
This is by all means a double edged sword because:
- You have freedom to try out new things under your own clearance
- Consequentially, you also have freedom to do an awful job.
You need to plan to move on eventually:
- You will reach the stagnation phase at some point. You don't want that.
- The idea is that the sole developer actually has a team: themselves and "the next guy". Keep your work sensible, not just for you but others.
- A sole developer that never moved on is simply someone who has blown up a hole on the ship, shaped like themselves. Now they're the cork; and a pricy one.
Another thing worth mentioning is that, as contradictory as it may sound, being in solitude and having to think for yourself for a while may give you desirable traits as a leader and overall problem solver, as portrayed in this speech by William Deresiewicz at the WP Military Academy; here's an excerpt:
[...] Institutions are being guided by people who are good at keeping the routine going, but bad at thinking; specifically, bad at thinking for themselves. The solution, then, seems to be to teach people this trait. However, “thinking” isn’t something that can be taught, it must be done alone.
Ideally, a great sole developer will make themselves replaceable and eventually move on to become a very valuable asset within a team with their experience in decision making.
So you are basically telling me to keep working as lone developer but eventually move into a team? Do you think decision making experience and leader trait can also be gained through personal projects? (In which I work alone, of course)
– Twothousandandseven
10 hours ago
As mine and other answers have stated, yes it is going to do you good for a limited time to keep going specially if you are a self-learner. It's hard to find equal comparison to the weight of decisions made at work, which impacts not only you, but your employer and the next guy. You'll have more interesting opinions in a team if you have these experiences on you and you'll (ideally) appreciate even more the great value of having colleagues to not only learn from but teach to.
– lucasgcb
10 hours ago
add a comment |
Just to expand a bit on the other answers, being the sole developer (as opposed to the jack of all trades of IT, which will ruin your focus) can be an interesting experience for learning, as opposed to simply a stagnation sentence.
Take into account some established teams don't necessarily follow worthwhile practices, so you get to avoid that possibility entirely if you're fresh in the business where you can't go cherry picking those.
Being the sole developer among people who just want things done lets you implement stuff however you want, and with the right mindset this can either benefit or doom you.
This is by all means a double edged sword because:
- You have freedom to try out new things under your own clearance
- Consequentially, you also have freedom to do an awful job.
You need to plan to move on eventually:
- You will reach the stagnation phase at some point. You don't want that.
- The idea is that the sole developer actually has a team: themselves and "the next guy". Keep your work sensible, not just for you but others.
- A sole developer that never moved on is simply someone who has blown up a hole on the ship, shaped like themselves. Now they're the cork; and a pricy one.
Another thing worth mentioning is that, as contradictory as it may sound, being in solitude and having to think for yourself for a while may give you desirable traits as a leader and overall problem solver, as portrayed in this speech by William Deresiewicz at the WP Military Academy; here's an excerpt:
[...] Institutions are being guided by people who are good at keeping the routine going, but bad at thinking; specifically, bad at thinking for themselves. The solution, then, seems to be to teach people this trait. However, “thinking” isn’t something that can be taught, it must be done alone.
Ideally, a great sole developer will make themselves replaceable and eventually move on to become a very valuable asset within a team with their experience in decision making.
Just to expand a bit on the other answers, being the sole developer (as opposed to the jack of all trades of IT, which will ruin your focus) can be an interesting experience for learning, as opposed to simply a stagnation sentence.
Take into account some established teams don't necessarily follow worthwhile practices, so you get to avoid that possibility entirely if you're fresh in the business where you can't go cherry picking those.
Being the sole developer among people who just want things done lets you implement stuff however you want, and with the right mindset this can either benefit or doom you.
This is by all means a double edged sword because:
- You have freedom to try out new things under your own clearance
- Consequentially, you also have freedom to do an awful job.
You need to plan to move on eventually:
- You will reach the stagnation phase at some point. You don't want that.
- The idea is that the sole developer actually has a team: themselves and "the next guy". Keep your work sensible, not just for you but others.
- A sole developer that never moved on is simply someone who has blown up a hole on the ship, shaped like themselves. Now they're the cork; and a pricy one.
Another thing worth mentioning is that, as contradictory as it may sound, being in solitude and having to think for yourself for a while may give you desirable traits as a leader and overall problem solver, as portrayed in this speech by William Deresiewicz at the WP Military Academy; here's an excerpt:
[...] Institutions are being guided by people who are good at keeping the routine going, but bad at thinking; specifically, bad at thinking for themselves. The solution, then, seems to be to teach people this trait. However, “thinking” isn’t something that can be taught, it must be done alone.
Ideally, a great sole developer will make themselves replaceable and eventually move on to become a very valuable asset within a team with their experience in decision making.
answered 10 hours ago
lucasgcblucasgcb
4689
4689
So you are basically telling me to keep working as lone developer but eventually move into a team? Do you think decision making experience and leader trait can also be gained through personal projects? (In which I work alone, of course)
– Twothousandandseven
10 hours ago
As mine and other answers have stated, yes it is going to do you good for a limited time to keep going specially if you are a self-learner. It's hard to find equal comparison to the weight of decisions made at work, which impacts not only you, but your employer and the next guy. You'll have more interesting opinions in a team if you have these experiences on you and you'll (ideally) appreciate even more the great value of having colleagues to not only learn from but teach to.
– lucasgcb
10 hours ago
add a comment |
So you are basically telling me to keep working as lone developer but eventually move into a team? Do you think decision making experience and leader trait can also be gained through personal projects? (In which I work alone, of course)
– Twothousandandseven
10 hours ago
As mine and other answers have stated, yes it is going to do you good for a limited time to keep going specially if you are a self-learner. It's hard to find equal comparison to the weight of decisions made at work, which impacts not only you, but your employer and the next guy. You'll have more interesting opinions in a team if you have these experiences on you and you'll (ideally) appreciate even more the great value of having colleagues to not only learn from but teach to.
– lucasgcb
10 hours ago
So you are basically telling me to keep working as lone developer but eventually move into a team? Do you think decision making experience and leader trait can also be gained through personal projects? (In which I work alone, of course)
– Twothousandandseven
10 hours ago
So you are basically telling me to keep working as lone developer but eventually move into a team? Do you think decision making experience and leader trait can also be gained through personal projects? (In which I work alone, of course)
– Twothousandandseven
10 hours ago
As mine and other answers have stated, yes it is going to do you good for a limited time to keep going specially if you are a self-learner. It's hard to find equal comparison to the weight of decisions made at work, which impacts not only you, but your employer and the next guy. You'll have more interesting opinions in a team if you have these experiences on you and you'll (ideally) appreciate even more the great value of having colleagues to not only learn from but teach to.
– lucasgcb
10 hours ago
As mine and other answers have stated, yes it is going to do you good for a limited time to keep going specially if you are a self-learner. It's hard to find equal comparison to the weight of decisions made at work, which impacts not only you, but your employer and the next guy. You'll have more interesting opinions in a team if you have these experiences on you and you'll (ideally) appreciate even more the great value of having colleagues to not only learn from but teach to.
– lucasgcb
10 hours ago
add a comment |
If you really know your stuff and your job description then it shouldn't really matter.
– noob
12 hours ago
Ask for more money. You'll get it.
– Fattie
12 hours ago
@Fattie That won't happen right now. I earn really little 'cause it's one of those test period contract
– Twothousandandseven
12 hours ago
Hi, welcome to The Workplace. I think this question doesn't belong here as it is highly personal opinion the answer anyone can give to you. Anyway, try to learn as much as you can and leverage your condition of being the only IT guy to ensure you are getting paid what you deserve.
– Sebastian Aguerre
12 hours ago
@SebastianAguerre Thank you for you comment. I think that the final decision (working alone or not) is surely subjective, but I asked for objective pros and cons. How do I know the pay I deserve?
– Twothousandandseven
12 hours ago