Amazon

I get to witness some good software processes that help to ensure work quality.

You are encouraged to voice out your thoughts and opinions, but of course, back them up with data and constructive solutions always.

There are endless stuffs to work on: challenges to overcome, unchartered work that no one has done before. If you are a self-starter, one who thrives in "no one knows this, you have to figure it out yourself" situations, you've got this.

Take it in a positive way; there are many problems in this world that no one has a clue how to solve. Someone has to take them on head-on after all.

I cannot say much for the rest of Amazon; however, there is no talk-down approach from management in my current team. Counting my blessings on this.

Yes, we are frugal, no free lunches, but we have occasional Friday happy hours and team activities to bond us.

Most importantly, we get to meet some of the smartest, hardworking folks in Amazon.

It is true that our work performance is measured by how many lines of code one is changing, how many code reviews one has done, how many tickets one has solved, and many more.

Most say data don't lie, true to that. But do consider that data don't speak the stories or reasons behind it.

A doctor who has a death rate in his hand does not mean he is not a good doctor. He might be sought after because many terminally ill patients go to him for final hopes.

Likewise, a developer who did not do much code changes might be too busy working on one of the "no one wants to get involved" tickets that don't get measured in the performance metrics.

My point is we are humans, not just some data points. Improve on that.

To each manager, their agenda or unattempted work is always the top priority.

Please restrain yourself and do not make a developer outside your team commit to your agenda or plans. Please respect that each team has its priorities and schedule to follow. Talk to the team manager and work out the best compromise.

Also, managers should give back when one team has put aside their priorities to help another team's agenda. Return the favor and help them back when their priorities have been delayed because of their goodwill.