this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2024
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Programming

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submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by stembolts to c/programming
 

Edit : I appreciate all the PoVs and I will reply to everyone. This is important to me. Just going to go rest a bit and I'll be back.

Edit : Leaving the self-insulting language in, but yeah.. Point taken, I should stop being so mean to myself. And to add another FYI, I've been on this codebase for about 3 months, which I probably should have mentioned.

I have no idea what is wrong with me. I get tasks, I work on them, they NEVER seem to close. Meanwhile everyone around me is left and right solving their issues. I reach out for a second opinion because I must just be stupid, and every time I reach out the person is never able to assist in any meaningful way.

It's like my tasks always have blockers that everyone around me seems perplexed by, I get a lot of, "Wow, that's crazy," or, "Yeah your job does seem to have a lot of unusual blockers."

I'm at the point where I'm in a daily meeting where I explain what I'm working on to a senior dev because obviously they noticed I'm a person on the team with sometimes zero points in a whole month. It's so discouraging to have to go to a daily meeting because apparently I'm stupid? The thing is, when I explain what I'm blocked by, every person has said, "Oh weird, this seems like a really confusing task." Or, "Damn I've never seen anything like that."

So obviously I look at other peoples' tasks.. what are they working on? And their tasks are SO simple and straightforward, yet I've NEVER had a task like that, all my tasks were opened years ago, remained open for months or years, then were assigned to me. And they're all fucky. Wth.

Tbh I'm running out of things to write because I don't want to justify it, because I feel like I should be doing better. What the hell is wrong with me?

I have wanted to change jobs for close to two years now.. but you've all interacted with recruiters.. they never help, and job search is impossible as a person with anxiety and possibly autism?

I love coding, I hate my coding environment.. Anyone else ever have this type of issue in programming?

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I probably can't solve your issue entirely, but if it helps, one thing I note from your post is that most of your stress seems to come from YOU trying to be too hard on yourself. Did anyone call you stupid? Yes, you did. Did anyone say that you should just quit? Yes, you did. Stop being so mean to your coworker! Yes, even/especially if that person is you!:-D

Second, to get accurate information, LISTEN to your teammates!

I get a lot of, “Wow, that’s crazy,” or, “Yeah your job does seem to have a lot of unusual blockers.

Especially those more senior than you!

when I explain what I’m blocked by, every person has said, “Oh weird, this seems like a really confusing task.” Or, “Damn I’ve never seen anything like that.”

(emphasis added)

What they gave to you to do is on them, but how you handle it is on you. Don't stress yourself out too much.

Third, yes you got called into a meeting with a senior dev. USE that to your advantage. If you were really were stupid, this is your time to get that crucial feedback - if accurate, then better to get out now before you get too deep and find it even more difficult to change careers. However, it seems to be the case that it is NOT accurate, and that information is INCREDIBLY HELPFUL, and you may want to treat that great feedback with the value that it has instead of dismissing it?

Also, that senior dev can help you boost your skills. How many people get that opportunity? Free training, woot! Even/especially if it is not related merely to technical skills but skills on how to exist in a job environment.

Fourth, you might also want to touch base with whoever created that ticket. They might even say "oh yeah that is still there? I totally forgot about that. Nowadays that would make zero sense, ever since we implemented that XYZ thing about a year and a half back. Just ignore it and go on to something else." YOU could be the one knocking those tickets out of the park, resolving each one simply as "Won't Do" citing "owner said so". Okay, I doubt they will all be so easy, but it's a thought.

And you seemed like you needed an ego booster. Sorry, I don't know how to do that well, but the least I could do is spend some time on your issue, so that you know that you are not alone. I hope these musings help some too:-D.

[–] stembolts 3 points 10 months ago

Yeah, it's an anxiety / self-esteem thing I suspect. I'm working with medical outside of work, but I'm in a country with poor healthcare support and basically nil mental health support so we'll see how that goes. I already have a significant amount of medical debt from going to the doctor for a stress-related vision loss.. medical debt which I just ignore because I felt that a ten-thousand dollar bill for seeking medical help and getting tests was stupid so I refuse to pay or interact with the debt-collectors. For the record, the outcome of this 10k bill was, "Idk, doesn't make sense, you're discharged after we monitor you overnight."

Anyway, healthcare tangent aside, I am too hard on myself. Meditation is the main thing I've found that helps.

Your thoughts definitely help, new perspectives are invaluable. I just have my one.