iamacp.com – I Am A Computer Programmer
All about the daily work issues of a Java/J2EE Computer Programmer

Just when you can’t think anything can’t get worse it can and will.  Anything possible can and will go wrong working on a project almost seemingly at once. These are a list of the possible reasons why everything can go wrong at once when working on a project.

• Not Enough Information - Have you tried to program blind? It does not work. If you do not understand the task at hand there is no way that you can successfully code a project to completion. Trying to code with just a vague understanding of the task does not work. I have tried countless times to code blind but I always end up having to ask a ton of questions to successfully get the needed info to complete the project.

• The Chain Of Information – Knowing who to ask for the right information can be downright confusing sometimes. If you’re stuck on something you may have to ask a ton of people just to get the right answer to your question or something fixed. This is not fun at all. For example I was on a chat the other day where 10 people were involved over a 5 hour time frame just to get the answer to something which impacted my project from succeeding

• Configuration Hassles - In large companies dealing with improperly set up configurations and broken configurations sometimes happens more often than not. It’s not surprising when there are dozens of people working on different aspects at a time of the same system.

• Too Many Dependencies – I have worked on complicated systems where many components are so tightly coupled that if one component breaks it breaks the rest of the system. This is not really a good idea to code to that degree. It is not smart to code like that in critical systems.

These are just some of the many reasons why everything can go wrong at once.

I have always been a firm believer it moving for the right opportunity. It has served me well the past few jobs. I just ran across this job for a Ajax Web Developer for $240k. The only catch is that the job is in Iraq. You could not pay me all the money in the world to put my life in that kind of danger. Who would have thought that being a computer programmer was a dangerous job?

Wow, it’s hard to believe that 2008 came and went in a blink of the eye. This year was truly a turning point in my career for the better. I now find myself in a better situation than where I was just a few months ago. 2008 was the year I found happiness in my career and learned some valuable lessons about IT.

In 2008 I had the following accomplishments:

•    I started my blog which gave me a chance to share my knowledge of IT with the world.
•    I left my old dead end job in August to pursue further growth.
•    I got a contract with a large company in Tampa in September.

This had several other positive effects on both my personal and professional life including:

•    This allowed me to live one of my dreams of living in Florida that I’ve had for years.
•    It allowed me to make quite a bit more money as a consultant that I did as a permanent employee.
•    I work less hours usually for greater pay.
•    I get treated far better than I did as a permanent employee.
•    I actually got a chance to drive cross country which was awesome.
•    I discovered that just how much easier it is to meet people in Florida compared to Indiana.

The best pieces of advice I learned in 2008 was the following: Jobs will come jobs will go.  Loyalty to a employer is worthless.  Companies really only care about themselves. Do whatever it takes to find happiness in both your career and personal life.