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Ask HN: How do I know if im a slow developer?

by bananamansion on 1/17/22, 1:54 PM with 21 comments

• by jason_slack on 1/17/22, 4:06 PM

  I am often slower than other developers. However, I produce far fewer inconsistencies (bugs...), my code is highly reusable, and my documentation skills make it easy for someone to come behind be and know what is going on without asking any (or very few) questions.

  Perhaps you were not a good fit there but another place you will be an amazing fit. Keep your head up.

  Quality over quantity.

• by rkk3 on 1/17/22, 3:30 PM

  > got fired in 2020 march for my last job at a startup

  I think being March 2020 && At a Startup, are probably much more explanatory here than any reason they gave you. A lot of companies, and most startups, did substantial layoff's then don't take it personally.

  There are probably things you can learn from the experience though. It's possible you were mis-aligned with what your manager wanted; maybe they wanted you to duct tape fixes ASAP & you were over-engineering a more long term elegant solution. Or maybe you just weren't great at showing the value you were contributing to the rest of the team. etc. etc.

• by emptybottle on 1/17/22, 3:32 PM

  It depends on the project and the team/environment, but I’ve always found the old saying “slow and steady wins the race” to be true.

  Better to work slowly and take the time to communicate, collab on reviews and write decent documentation than just slap things into production as quickly as possible.

  Of course the company has to value that kind of approach.

• by dusted on 1/17/22, 7:08 PM

  Sounds like a shitty company if they just straight out fire you because of that. They should have worked with you first, tried to identify the reason for this mismatch of expectations.

  Speed depends on external factors too, did you have the resources available to succeed ? Was the problem well defined and well understood by you ? Were someone available to ask if you needed additional information? Were your manager following up on your issues? Did requirements change, was this expected and understood? Were your expectations aligned with regards to prioritizing production speed versus quality versus documentation?

• by 908B64B197 on 1/17/22, 6:43 PM

  > 2020 march for my last job at a startup

  Yeah, don't sweat it. Most likely it was a cash flow problem.

• by liveware on 1/17/22, 2:29 PM

  Was it your first job? How did you perform compared with other developers?

  Expectations vary between workplaces. This isn't a pattern until it has happened at multiple companies.

  The people who have been fired from teams I've worked with have either had trouble completing tasks or been unable to collaborate with others.

• by ozzythecat on 1/17/22, 4:36 PM

  How long does it take to you to produce something? How often do you commit code? If it’s taking a long time, are you waiting to complete an entire feature from beginning to end, or do you commit along the way? Can others see your progress along the way? Do have interactions with other team members, or are you hidden away, out of sight, while others are more engaged? When you get blocked, do you ask for help? Do you take initiative to figure out what to do next, or do you rely on someone else to spoon feed you exactly what task to work on?

  Did you feel like you were a good fit at that company? Whenever you were fired, was it a surprise? Did you feel like you should have been delivering more or more often, or was it a surprise?

• by giantg2 on 1/17/22, 8:00 PM

  I'm a slow dev when it's something new. My company only cares about speed. I'm still a midlevel dev after 10 years and probably always will be.

  Just look for a non-tech company, but don't expect to get to a senior level or higher.

• by labarilem on 1/17/22, 2:22 PM

  Maybe you're not slow compared to other developers. Maybe they were expecting you to work lots of extra hours?

• by aristofun on 1/17/22, 4:58 PM

  Give some example of a task description and a timeframe that you've delivered it. Then we can estimate.