I'm a programmer, my boss is a dumbshit, ask me anything.

[Catch22Dem]

I'm so effing frustrated I can barely function!

[mcscajun]

1. So...he's asking for a robust database, and he'd like it in Mauve,

if you don't mind?

(paraphrasing an old Dilbert strip)

Take a deep breath, count slowly in Hex to a number of your choice, and remind yourself why you wouldn't train your brain for his.

[Catch22Dem]

8. He asks for shit all the time, but...

It's just buzzwords he sees in magazines. He doesn't even know what he's asking for or what it means.

[mcscajun]

13. Precisely!

I used to call it MBM -- management by magazine.

Have you thought of bribing the mailroom? :) (I KNOW you've already considered manager-cide.)

[Catch22Dem]

18. Well get this...

My co-worker approached our bosses boss last week and asked him if he knew what we were spending all our time working on. He said he did, so she asked him what it was. His reply was wrong, of course, so she told him what 4 of his employees had been working on for 2 months. Needless to say he was fucking LIVID! He had a talk with our boss today. Not sure what will become of it, but this asshole is just twisting in the wind. Out of 16 people in our group only ONE guy is on the bosses side. He thinks this guy is gonna take him straight to the top and the opposite is proving to be true.

Manager Suicide is more like it. This dude's killing his own damn self.

[mcscajun]

27. Well I hope the noose tightens soon, especially for your vocal

co-worker. The mega-boss will appreciate her actions, but your own boss will want her head on a pike.

[katinmn]

Well, just give him whatever. He won't know the difference.

[Catch22Dem]

20. I wish

He actually does know enough to be dangerous.

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

2. What language?

[Catch22Dem]

9. Unfortunately

ColdFusion, JS, HTML, VB

However, on my own, I've gotten up to speed on C# and .NET. No thanks to my company.

[Moochy]

17. 2 out of 4

Ouch, the middle two arent so bad. Can you put all of the Intellectual property into the middle two layers? just as a challenge :)

sometimes when bosses are painfully dumb it can be fun to just use it to your advantage. :)

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

19. Do you work for a software company?

I have been in IT for (cripes!) 10 years now, support, training, SQA, analysis... and just stated some minor coding this year. I've worked for a couple of software companies... very different atmosphere. I really enjoy the business side of IT and found s/w companies to be limiting in that regard.... unless it's an ERP.

I'm sorry that your boss sucks and/or blows. I am extremely lucky to be where I am, especially given the current market. I love what I do and the people I work with. If you were further north, I'd offer to get your resume to the right people; we're almost always looking for developers.

[Catch22Dem]

21. No

Not a software company. My primary focus is to design, implement, and maintain web-based database applications. So, I'm the application programmer as well as the DBA. It sucks too, because instead of handling the DB and letting someone else work the UI, I have to do both. Not fun.

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

26. I guess that depends... the fun part, I mean.

That's what we do, too - web based apps and data warehousing. But, we're laying the groundwork and making the rules. Having a great team makes a world of difference and the experience gained is well worth the hard work. Once the major project work is done , we'll transition more into standard roles.

Best of luck to you... hope things get better!!

[FloridaPat]

3. At least you have a paycheck coming in. I've been out for 7 months

so far this year. 4 months last year and 9 months the year before. I am sooo sick of programming, *, and foreign programmers.

[Catch22Dem]

10. Puts things into perspective

Thanks, you make an excellent point.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

4. Nearly every tech guy I know has a shitty boss....

:wtf:
Duckie

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

5. I am a tech 'guy' and I have a cool boss...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

11. Sorry. Most tech people I know are dudes.

No offense intended.
Duckie

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

23. Awww... none taken. But, there are those of us 'geeks' who are gals...

:hi:

[Catch22Dem]

12. For the most part it's true

As a tech guy/girl, you can really only have 3 types of bosses.

1. Another tech guy. This can be good or bad.
2. A computer illiterate who THINKS he's a genius.
3. A true manager who allows his employees to get the job done while he/she runs interference for you.

[Deja Q]

22. We're expendable to them. Exploitable.

It's always the bottom line that matters in our "society".

[Moochy]

6. Let me guess

Revising functional specs as you go?

Um, skipping a QA phase in order to speed up the schedule?

Geeks want to know...

[sendero]

14. Or how about that all time favorite...

... it was going to take 6 months with a team of 4, we'll add 4 people and get it done in 3.

Yes, dumbass, sure that will work. :)

[Catch22Dem]

15. Yes all of the above, and more.

He likes to come up with projects that need to be done right away that no one has asked us for. It's just shit he thinks EVERYONE will thank him for. Instead, no one wants it, no one ever uses it, and everyone is pissed because we're not working on the shit they actually HAVE asked for.

[Left_Winger]

7. Love the 'Liberal Veteran' sticker

just ordered one.

[Catch22Dem]

16. Well thank you very much!

I actually just got my own in the mail and rode across four states with it on my back window. :D

[Left_Winger]

24. Which branch were you in?

I was a Marine (1975-79).

[Catch22Dem]

25. USAF 1992-2000

A Marine? Were you ever in Okinawa? I was there for 4 years. Great place.