In my culture, there is a saying. 

Fate protects fools, little children and ships named "Enterprise"

I hope that saying proves true as I place myself squarely in the first category.  I have decided to stay in my current work place, despite the record of the past year, or that nobody ever stays in the job I find myself in for more than 12 months, or that everyone who's left has assured me the world beyond is so much more pleasant to live in, where the grass actually is greener.  Not that I doubted it was - the grass in our workplace makes Modor look like Centre Parcs. 
I remember the teams late Lead Developer, Matthew, God rest his soul... I remember one day he stood over the conference table in the centre of our room and started explaining the situation he was in.  He was caught in a political battle with a manager from the business side of the company.  Allegations were being made about Matt's work and some of the higher ups were taken in by them.  He'd been arguing his case for days if not weeks now, and before I go any further I should explain to all that don't know Matt that he's a damn genius.  I don't know of a better developer, and I'm not being figurative there - he can produce at least three times the output I can, and I'm not below average myself.  He's a guru on a fair range of technical aspects and there seems no limit of how much skill he can absorb.  So it's fair to say he had not fallen short of any reasonable expectation - but there were heads rolling higher up (a permanent state of affairs), and in a bid to deflect heat, some of those in the firing line had pointed the finger at him.  So there he stood, pouring his frustration out to the only people in the building capable of understanding his breakdown of the situation when his nose started trickling blood into spattered patterns on the light wood table top.  That just about sums up the job of lead developer.  I should also point out that Matt is a pretty chilled out person in life, and to get him this worked up is not easy.

So am I stepping into that?  Well no - I'm not quite that stupid.  Things have got a lot better the last 2 months.  There's a lot less politics making it's way into our room, and that which still comes through seems easy to handle in the wake of the months that precede it.  All the developers now enjoy the safe enclosure of a closed door policy and several procedures that maintain a distanced and professional record of requests and work, so problems of that nature can be swiftly resolved in future.  And it's getting better.  More procedures, stable team (touch wood), and a better package.  It's still a mad place to work, and we are still very much aware that while the pressure has been told to build up outside our door -  it's still there.

This may have been a terrible decision.  I may be taking on more than I can handle.  But there's been a bit or carrot dangling and in fairness, working here has jumped my position, experience, and pay far faster than any sane work place would have.  Plus, if I do suffer a complete breakdown at the hands of the burn out mentality, when I come out of rehab, and eventually take a new job in another office - it'll seem like heaven to me.  As the song goes, "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere!".  Between me and you, I think I handle trial by fire well... and to give them their dues, the rewards for those who come up with the goods can be more than fair.

So... because I want to see the recent positive turns work out, because I don't want to leave the team now, because there's some career boosts yet to be had, and, because I am in some areas, the man there now... I'm hanging in for double jeopardy. 

Paramedics on speed dial.

__
Phil
Read. Comment. Subscribe.