“Easier than it seems” is a business novel about what programmers are still capable of.
one
- Listen, Sergey, you already got me. Just name the time you make a report.
- I do not want to make a report in this form, it is wrong. Not a report, but some kind of nonsense. Galya, can't you see yourself?
- I see the task that I, as the head of the information technology department, was set by an internal customer. You, by the way, also work in the department of information technology, and the execution of tasks is your direct responsibility!
- Even if the task is complete nonsense? Even if the report is not needed by anyone, and no one will look at it?
- And this does not concern you at all! Do you understand a lot in accounting? The report is needed by the chief accountant! Valeria is a professional in her field, and she knows exactly what she wants from automation.
- Maybe even discuss? I have not worked for the first day, have seen various accountants, and imagine what they really use in their work, and what they put in a dusty box.
- Name the term, then maybe we will discuss it. I have to tell the customer when he gets the result.
- I need to think.
- What is there to think about ?! You have just crucified what an experienced specialist you are, how much you know and can do, but you cannot name the term? Again you want to bring me? I can not stand for so long, because you really got! Writhing from yourself it is not clear who, and for half a year of work in the company, I only did that I set everyone up against our department with “I will think it over”!
- I therefore take time to think - because of the rich experience. And I advise you, since you are now the head of the department. Especially if you remember that you are not a programmer ...
Galina, who had inexplicably transformed from an economist to the head of the information technology department a month ago, blushed with indignation, went blotched, and the tone of her voice turned into a screech.
- Are you starting again? What did I do to you? I do all the dirty work - I communicate with the management, I manage projects, I justify for your eternal deadlines, I protect you! Do you know how many people want to fire you? Almost everything already! There is not one meeting, so that someone does not say “Sergey refuses to do my task, help, Galya” ...
- I see how you help ...
- What should I do? Tips to listen to your foolish, and fly with you from work? To stay at home and learn?
“For the good of the cause, I ...”
- Enough! I say - you do. I am the boss, not you! I do not agree - go to the director! Do not do what I say - I will deprive of the award, I have the right to do so! After 15 minutes, I wait for the deadline for developing a report for accounting.
The door behind Galina slammed shut.
2
In the office of programmers there was silence, broken only by the noise of working computers. The second programmer, Stas, who had spent the whole scene of the scandal, pretending that he was not there, was in no hurry to turn away from the monitor. Recently, conversations on the topic “you got me, Sergey” took place more often in the presence of Stas, and he knew from experience that you need to give your partner time to catch his breath and come to his senses.
Finally, the silence became uncomfortable - as if Stas did not approve of Sergei, or pity him, not being able to say anything comforting.
- You will achieve, and the truth will expel you. - Stas voted, continuing to look at the multicolored code on the monitor.
- Yes, no difference, to be honest. You know me, I will find a job as well, maybe even better.
- It is clear that you will find, and there again will be the same. After all, you yourself said that you left all previous places because of conflicts with superiors. It’s not my business to advise, of course, but you didn’t think it was your own fault?
- What is to blame? Here you sat here, heard everything, read the task. Do you agree that I am right?
- In principle, yes, I agree, but I don’t see much trouble in making this unfortunate report. They will leave you alone when you do, and you can do something useful.
- You're wrong. If you go on about it, then the order in the account will never be - just one mess. All of their reports, molds, bows and buns are not the real need of the same accounting, or supply, production — anything, but just an imitation of vigorous activity and patches on a poor architecture, which they themselves invented.
- They came up, and we did ...
- Done, and we will continue to do, while silently agree to all this nonsense. And we will make patches for patches, crutches for crutches and, most importantly, we will always be guilty.
- What is to blame?
- Yes, in everything, in their failures and mistakes. Have you seen at least one manager who missed something and said, “Damn, it's my fault, I'm just a boot”?
- It seems not heard.
- And something like "we have no accounting, this is the reason, I set the task for programmers, they did not"?
- I do not go to large meetings, but I heard from Galina, and you showed the correspondence. But what does this prove? Maybe it's just that you do not solve the tasks?
- Damn, Stas, what are you like a little. You're a programmer, not a manager, you have to speak in numbers and facts, not emotions and assumptions. Open the system and see how many tasks I have not solved. None is not.
- You break my head now. Why then do you argue and prove, almost every time, that the task is not to be solved, that there is only one harm from it and no benefit? Anyway, then you do it.
- To at least someone other than me, in this company began to think. They can begin to think only when faced with resistance. If you just do what they say, then there is no reason to think at all. I do not know how else to explain ... Oh, I know. Here you play computer games?
- Yes, sometimes, in a smartphone.
- Do you play strategy? Where it is necessary not just to run and shoot, but also to think and plan how to pass the level.
- Yes.
- It happens that you can not pass the level?
- Of course. The further, the more difficult, and the choice of options more.
- What do you do when you can not pass the level?
- Yes, nothing special, I try again.
- This is after the first failure. And when it doesn't work ten times, what are you doing?
- I delete the game. - laughed Stas.
- I am not talking about that. After unsuccessful attempts to you comes to mind the idea that you are doing something wrong, and you need to change tactics? To rebuild armies, or whatever you have, build a building in another place, or build nothing at all, but take 5 soldiers and flee to fight while the enemy builds infrastructure?
“Of course, it's obvious.”
- In the game it is obvious to you, and it is obvious to all people, but in life what?
- That's what I wanted to explain to you - the influence of resistance on tactics of behavior. When you cannot complete a level in a game, this resistance is not important for the game itself, for the opponent. Resistance does not allow you to move forward towards the goal of winning the game. And you change tactics - try other options, approaches, techniques, etc. But the main thing: you start thinking in the right direction - what am I doing wrong? Where is the mistake? In my plan for passing the level or in its execution? Maybe you just need to move your fingers across the screen faster? You have to think about it, without options!
- Well, the option with the removal always remains. - laughed Stas.
- If we draw the analogy further, then there are more options. For example, there are workarounds - use any codes for passing, or hack the game. In the end, you can go to complete idiocy - write a letter to the developers, with the requirement to change the game - to make it easily passable, for you personally! After all, you paid money for it! Why the hell did you have to have difficulty with what you paid money for?
- You called this version idiotic, and he, it seems, looks like life more than anything else ...
- That's it! That is the problem! For all people in our company, the main way is a detour! The programmer resists, asks stupid questions - right away “Haaaalayaya, they don't solve my task, help me!”
- This is a letter to the developers ...
- Yes, it is. And who do you think will think about something, if there is no resistance, restrictions and difficulties?
- Well, judging by your story - no one.
- And not only by the story, in life it happens, you see it yourself.
- It turns out that you are the only hope of the company for a bright future. - smiled Stas.
- The only hope of the whole world! - having inflated cheeks and, finally, smiling, supported Sergey.
- Automation problems everywhere, after all, the same. And you, devotee devil, do not want to be with me at the same time. Now, if Galina, nevertheless, understood and supported me, maybe there would be a sense ...
- Speaking of Galina - she is waiting for a task deadline. Come on, philosopher, round out, otherwise you will remain without pants.
- Damn, for sure!
3
The evening a week before the New Year turned out to be, as in the films - warm, slightly below zero, and snow with large flakes. Wonderful weather, if you want to take a walk, or sit by the fireplace, looking out the window, but if you need to get to the house in rush hour by car, then the whole fabulous charm of the weather passes by.
After passing for two hours in a traffic jam, which was too much for a small, in general, city, Sergey finally got to the house. After a stormy and emotionally overloaded day, he wanted only one thing - comfort. Dinner, slowly, tell Tanya about her problems, hear the words of support and participation, and another sweet and pleasant lie: everything will be fine, I love you, you are my best, you will find a way out of any situation, I believe in you.
Sergey went to the kitchen, Tanya was sitting at the computer. She answered the greeting dryly, without emotion, without even turning her head in his direction. It became clear:
again .
- The day today was just awful. - Sergey began from afar, in the hope that this time it will be all right, and he will have nothing to do with it.
- I see.
- Not a company, but a zoo. Where did they just dial them.
- Yeah.
- How was your day?
- Fine.
- What's new?
- Nothing.
- You wanted to go buy a dress. Went off?
- Not.
- Why? Change your mind?
- Yes, changed my mind.
This game is always terribly exhausting. Interestingly, all women are? Or just me so lucky? Why not immediately say what bothers you? Why all this performance? Now he must begin to elicit what has happened, and she will say that everything is in order, showing with her appearance that everything is in complete disarray.
- Something happened? - Sergey decided to start.
- Nothing.
- Why is it so sad? - after a short pause, Sergey made the second step in a process known in advance.
- I'm not sad, I'm normal.
- Well, I see.
“I don't know what you see there.” I'm not sad.
- Maybe you just say what happened without all this performance? - Sergey rudely violated the rules.
- I have nothing to tell you, nothing happened to me.
- OK, as you want. - Sergey came out of the kitchen, and went to the TV. The performance was not yet finished, now there was an intermission - according to the scenario there was now a pause so that the actors gained strength for the next act.
- Maybe you still say what happened? - Sergey looked into the kitchen in half an hour. - If I offended you with something, then not on purpose.
- Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing, as always.
Hooray! Victory! The ice has broken!
- I mean, nothing happened? And what should have happened?
- Nothing should, Seryozha, nothing. Nothing should happen in our life. Let others happen.
So, already better, getting to the point. Some of the girlfriends, apparently, posted photos from the trip, or a new dress, or from the next restaurant.
- Tell me? Something on the Internet found?
- There is no need to look here, it’s enough to enter the social network. Lera and her husband are now in Thailand, and in the summer they were in Spain, in the spring they are going to Paris. Larisa's husband bought a jeep. And so nothing, everything as usual, do not worry, Seryozha. Tell me how they hurt you at work.
- Forget nothing, nothing special, everything is as always.
- Well, nothing happened to you. So we talked.
- We will go to the sea in the summer too. And we have a good car, she is only four years old.
- Yes, yes, convince yourself, everything is fine with us, nothing needs to be done and changed, the main thing is that you should not worry.
- I'll think of something, raise the salary ...
- How many times have I heard this, you can already have a diary of your promises. And what in fact? Four years you get the same, although changed three jobs. But the promises were ...
- I really try, you will not deny it. I’m changing my job, because I see hopelessness, there are no ways to raise salaries, why then waste time?
- To sense that you are trying? How many years must it take for something useful to come out of your efforts?
- If you don’t try, don’t try and don’t look, then there’s definitely nothing, will it not? Maybe you know what to do? Or do? Or stop doing? Come on, you have a rich career experience. How many times have you raised your salary? Let me remember ... Zero?
- Come on, come on, make me guilty, you love it.
- I do not make you guilty, just asking. If I do not know how to get more, can you tell me?
- No, I will not.
“Then why tell me that I'm doing something wrong?” I try, as I can, I try to change something, to find opportunities. What is my fault?
- There is no your fault, apparently I will have to accept. People will travel, buy good things and big cars, make expensive repairs in the apartment, buy cottages. And we will sit and read about it on social networks.
- No, we'll think of something. I have one idea, until I speak, so as not to jinx it, but it can work.
- What's an idea? Bank rob?
- No, for work. I will not tell yet.
Sergey didn’t have any idea, but it was unbearable to remain in a state of quarrel - he couldn’t work, all thoughts were busy searching for another encouraging lie. Each such lie gave him a pause, during which the relationship with Tanya looked the way he wanted - warm, comfortable, without sharp corners and scandals.
On the other hand, sometimes it was unbearably anxious not to give any hope, but simply to agree. To recognize yourself as worthless, unable to achieve anything in this life, is an ordinary person. How much easier would it be to live? Search for nothing, worry about nothing - just live and that's it! As it is, as it turns out.
It's not so bad, if you think about it. Yes, he does not receive windfalls, but does he have enough car for a comfortable life, a two-room apartment, a middle-class car? Of course, I want more, I always want to, and the world around me does not allow us to forget about it - there are so many reasons to feel defective around, not only on TV, but also among friends. Maybe die easier? And such an idea sometimes flashed.
On the other hand, sometimes I didn’t want to reduce the quarrel to the shaky illusions of the world in order to create for myself an incentive, at least some. To one goal in my head sat - "I'll prove it to you!". Consciously and stubbornly promise nothing more, not say anything at all, go into silence mode, even if Tanya, having softened, tries to reconcile herself. To work at night, as it happened at the university, not sparing yourself and not looking for a reason for her pity, just forbid yourself to be sorry!
Sergey tried to live in such a harsh regime a couple of times, and he knew that Tanya would last one or two days, until she began to convince him herself - everything is not so bad, take care of yourself, do not be so killed and work at night, everything somehow get settled. And he will melt, talk, lay out all his anxieties and insults, and again everything will return to normal.
My head was spinning, I just wanted to forget and not think about anything. Everything tomorrow. The main thing is not to lose the fuse, a sense of the importance of the problem, not to return to a state of delicate balance and a desire not to rock the boat.
Sergey chose a method that was not the most original - he took out a smartphone, and wrote to his boss a letter: “Galina, tomorrow we need to meet, there is an important issue for discussion.
To be continued.