Ask HN: Failed interview, feeling unemployable and depressed

Re:Ask HN: Failed interview, feeling unemployable and depres... by eropple on Tuesday August 23, 2016 @10:02PM (#12349161)

Amongst non-nerds, I totally agree; lots of people slow-play it (and so do I) in polite company. But nerd among nerds? This may be true for you specifically, but early in my career I regularly got stomped by the old heads for reasons that in retrospect really do seem like "this might be different and I don't know it therefore CHARGE!". And today I am often constrained to shave a graybeard when I go talk to a new prospective client or whatever when said graybeard wants to you-don't-know-Jack me.

Me, I'd think we would be better than moose, butting heads to prove our dominance, but...not always?

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Re:Ask HN: Failed interview, feeling unemployable and depres... by mikekchar on Wednesday August 24, 2016 @02:09AM (#12350049)

Things are changing a bit in the industry, but programming teams have historically been wolf packs. You have the alpha dominant one that withstands the challenges of the young up and coming pups. Sometimes the alpha needs to nip their heels to get them in line.

This shape can work well if you have a good alpha. It provides direction and confidence in the team. It can be a great antidote to team staffed entirely with prima donnas. When done well, it actually provides a safe place for people to learn and experiment because the alpha is the only one that takes political risks. On more democratic teams I've seen many junior/intermediate developers absolutely melt down when they suddenly discover that they aren't as good as they thought they were.

I thought this was an interesting set of anecdotes about dog roles: http://www.massachusettsdogtrainer.com/page11.php

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