[thechat] Sigh - work sucks - rant

[Chris Evans]

This may be OT, but I figured, its OT for thelist, so this must be on topic
for this place.  I just posted a generic related post to thelist, but let me
adjust the vent...

(well suited for a weblog- any good CF 'blog code out there?  Maybe I should
write some...)

I'm burning out at work. I never thought web stuff would get to be a grind -
after all, I honestly think we are changing the world. I know - I have seen
the world change because of the work I do.  But I'm getting bogged down at
work like a dinosaur in the tar pits. I've lost momentum, grown lethargic.
Three years ago, I fought clean, crisp, fresh battles.  People want to *use*
the site, not *view* the site - Just because you CAN doesn't mean you
SHOULD - Make thing work everywhere - degrade as much as you can.  I've been
working with same people for three years, from bringing the site online 'til
now - we average 5 million page views a day, peaking at 12 million, and it
grows every day.  The same internal people month after month, year after
year have the same fights every project.  Their thoughts are:  "sales keep
growing - you must be wrong".  I think - "we could double our growth if you
would listen to anybody who knows what they are talking about".  In the end,
compromise.  It isn't what I want or what is right, but it isn't as bad as
we first thought it would be. This, to me, is a victory.  Imagine the one
person at Microsoft arguing against Smart Tags.

But I'm tired.  Spiritually exhausted.  I'm tired of fighting the same
battles, day after day, project after project.  I've lost so much already.
But if I stop fighting, I know things will get unspeakably worse. And if
things go bad, nobody internally will know.  They will blame the drop in
sales on the economy, and eventually, the sales will flatten for the
browser/resolution/usability they design for.  Nobody will know what they
could have had.  A year later, they'll go Microsoft .NET, because it's
easier and a consultant said that would be best.

Sigh.  I was there at the creation, but I grow weary and everyday, I grow
wearier.  But I continue.  Tomorrow is Monday, I have another meeting, and I
will still fight.

But tonight, I'll work on some better code for FuseNews.  Just in case.  And
drink some beer.  And sigh.


Chris Evans
chris at fuseware.com
http://www.fuseware.com