Emotional Intelligence of Software Developers

N

Nicole21

New Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2021
Messages
3
Reaction score
4
Hi all,

I am currently in the last stages of completing my Comp Sci Honours.

If anyone has some time (and is willing to support a person who’s 5 mins away from a mental breakdown) please can you assist me by completing my research survey.

The topic is on "the emotional intelligence of software developers". It only takes 15 minutes, is MCQ, and is completely anonymous.

If you are willing to participate, please DM me your email address or post it here. This survey is only for software developers in software project teams that have been working for 2 years or more.

You can also click this link to complete the survey now: Questionnaire

Thanks,
Nicole
 
Welcome to "Software"

Our collective emotional state goes from...

c4jt321.png


To

image-4.gif
 
Nicole21 said:
Hi all,

I am currently in the last stages of completing my Comp Sci Honours.

If anyone has some time (and is willing to support a person who’s 5 mins away from a mental breakdown) please can you assist me by completing my research survey.

The topic is on "the emotional intelligence of software developers". It only takes 15 minutes, is MCQ, and is completely anonymous.

If you are willing to participate, please DM me your email address or post it here. This survey is only for software developers in software project teams that have been working for 2 years or more.

You can also click this link to complete the survey now: Questionnaire

Thanks,
Nicole
Click to expand...

Careful of doxing yourself by posting links that contain some of your personal information on a public forum..

Nonetheless, will complete your survey :)
 
Here's a snipper for you...
We are late with a project.
The company FAILS TO perform the following:

* Back things up. Server shat its guts last week.. all work lost, except for what was on our machines... because they went for the CHEAPEST SSDs they could find and they died... they knew it was inevitable.
* CANNOT ENSURE THE SIMULATOR on the SERVER IS RUNNING WHEN I EFFING NEED TO WORK...

But OH NO... NO ANNUAL LEAVE FOR YOU BECAUSE WE'RE BEHIND... while others get 3 weeks off
 
PaulMurkin said:
Here's a snipper for you...
We are late with a project.
The company FAILS TO perform the following:

* Back things up. Server shat its guts last week.. all work lost, except for what was on our machines... because they went for the CHEAPEST SSDs they could find and they died... they knew it was inevitable.
* CANNOT ENSURE THE SIMULATOR on the SERVER IS RUNNING WHEN I EFFING NEED TO WORK...

But OH NO... NO ANNUAL LEAVE FOR YOU BECAUSE WE'RE BEHIND... while others get 3 weeks off
Click to expand...
Wednesdays... am I right?
 
MagNorthDigital said:
Wednesdays... am I right?
Click to expand...
This was this morning...
I ask a question... because genuinely I am stressed about my best friend going through surgery. I asked because I forgot where in the version control tool they FORCE me to use, the settings are. Ja I am tired so I forget. No I have to get pulled in a Teams meeting and get spoon fed like a toddler, yet I figured it out in front of them... simple little thing called forgetting. Bear in mind we're working on a new server so ALLES MOES VERANDER (f0k weet why we can't just put things back the way they were).

So cool, I think I can now proceed to do something about being so far behind.... WRONG...
The host simulator is dead... nobody tells me, so I ask... is this thing working.... Answer: "No its down"

HOE DE MOER MOET EK WERK AS DIE FOKKEN KAK ALTYD FOKKEN AF OF STUKKEND IS?

And the company won some kind of award last week.... :laugh:

I just closed the laptop, will try again tomorrow, because if I have to battle one more minute with these people I will either punch a hole in the laptop screen or tell my manager to go get rekt!
 
Having worked in dedicated IT companies as well as a sole IT person or as a small team in non-IT companies, I'd describe developers as having pretty low EQ when it comes to emotionally interacting with other people and situations.
But having said that most developers are a lot more confident in their skills and work than people in other fields, they'll in general stick up for themselves and the people around them and will try and help out everyone less skilled than themselves.
Although they'll help out the people they get really naffy when the company wants them to work overtime for no compensation, or doesn't give them an increase ("because the company did poorly that year") while the CEO still gets his R20m bonus etc.
 
animal531 said:
Having worked in dedicated IT companies as well as a sole IT person or as a small team in non-IT companies, I'd describe developers as having pretty low EQ when it comes to emotionally interacting with other people and situations.
But having said that most developers are a lot more confident in their skills and work than people in other fields, they'll in general stick up for themselves and the people around them and will try and help out everyone less skilled than themselves.
Although they'll help out the people they get really naffy when the company wants them to work overtime for no compensation, or doesn't give them an increase ("because the company did poorly that year") while the CEO still gets his R20m bonus etc.
Click to expand...
Applies to most other companies too...
 
@PaulMurkin
This might not be what you want to hear, but it might be what you NEED to hear.

Firstly, asses the things you can control, and the things you cannot control.

The surgery, and your personal feelings outside of slinging code. That is separate. Yes absolutely pay mind to it. But realize that life and work is a venn diagram that should have VERY little overlap.

As far as tooling goes, you have exactly 2 choices, use theirs or use yours. If you are used to git and bash, and they are used to powershell and a git gui, then either find a way to use yours or use theirs.

They picked that tool or procedure, cause it's worked in the past, or it's all they know. This is a case of accept and work within the limitations, or take on the task of improving the tool chain.

Next up, Hanlon's razor. never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

They are not performing their function (the sim host being down) not to make your life difficult, but because they are unable, unwilling or incapable. Otherwise it just requires time, and effort (it's a server ffs)

A better question would be, when will it be back up, or what can I do to help it get back up faster. Make it clear that, that is your blocker. And that you cannot perform your work correctly if you do not have the required resources. That is fair, to you and to them.

Furthermore, as you say, how should you work if the resources you need is down or unavailable. Put it on record. Not to HR, that's a waste of time, drop an email to your senior and tell them, listen, I can't work because... x y z.

It sounds like there is a lot of talk in your company, but no process, and definitely no communication or solid roadmap. So you'll either have to start that fire, or demand that someone else does.

Fail to plan, plan to fail.

Remember, I say these things, not because I have a vested interest in your work or company, I say these things cause seeing another dev where I have been a thousand times, sucks. And I wish someone told me what to consider.
 
animal531 said:
Having worked in dedicated IT companies as well as a sole IT person or as a small team in non-IT companies, I'd describe developers as having pretty low EQ when it comes to emotionally interacting with other people and situations.
But having said that most developers are a lot more confident in their skills and work than people in other fields, they'll in general stick up for themselves and the people around them and will try and help out everyone less skilled than themselves.
Although they'll help out the people they get really naffy when the company wants them to work overtime for no compensation, or doesn't give them an increase ("because the company did poorly that year") while the CEO still gets his R20m bonus etc.
Click to expand...
Overtime with no comp? You're asking me to pay you, to work for you? How about no. If you want free labor, ask your kids, wife or dog. I am none of those.

Not getting an increase at least equal to inflation? Time to pack up and be on your way. Loyalty is dead. Be loyal to yourself, and your retirement one day.
 
PaulMurkin said:
Ja, blame me for things I have no control over or am not allowed to access.. That's just swell.
I told them about the SSD issue in 2019... gaan by die een oor in, en uit by die ander...
We were fined R100k for that incident...
Click to expand...
He is not blaming you, @_kabal_ is telling you to (politely) be the change you want to see.

Unpolitely, if you don't tell them to go screw themselves, then you are on some level cool with it, you are willing to tolerate it.

We develop real thick skins over time.
 
Nicole21 said:
Who knew my survey would spark these types of discussions.
All in all, I'm not against it.
Click to expand...
This is the boots on the ground view that you're only going to get by asking the hard questions. Although you are seeing a very small sample size.

Intrinsically emotional intelligence among developers is very much in lockstep with the other engineering fields. A comfort zone built over years. Comfort in process, language, mindset and world view.

You have set yourself the daunting task of trying to quantify something as visceral and fleeting as emotion, and furthermore in a field where the subjects literally have to construct patterns, paths and stories on a daily basis, in order to get their job done.

That speaks to a very particular psyche, and personality types.

I am a ux/ui designer by trade, but I dev as well, and roughly a third of my job is DX, and the other quarter is design. :ROFL:

I wish you all the best with your Honours, you have made it much further than most. Know that your time, effort and knowledge will be incredible in practice, of that I have no doubt.

God speed on your journey.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X