Gary Varga (4/15/2014)
Eric M Russell (4/15/2014)
I'm glad to hear that your nephew is the type who stays after hours to get the job done. He'll go far. Just think how useless a surgeon, attorney, or fire fighter would be if they didn't do the same. It doesn't matter how smart and talented someone is, if they can't or won't step up when needed and hang in there for the long haul, then they can just as well step down.I totally agree. It also should be the same for live issues on important systems.
...just not on too regular a basis for meeting arbitrary deadlines.
Yes, although a software or database engineer can be called upon to wear the fire fighter hat on occasion, it's not our primary job. If I'm working late, then it should be because I overlooked something, I'm paying my dues in a new position, or perhaps a rare event where something in production broke and it's "all hands on deck". I'm not going to routinely sacrifice my time simply because someone else isn't planning ahead or allocating enough resources.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho