Episode 231: Freedom for me not for thee and optimizing for growth

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

Questions

Hey Dave & Jamison,

I have a problem with a more senior engineer in my project, I cannot really predict or follow his thought process.

They introduced best practices about organizing code, Git branching, software versioning, etc. to the project. Which is great, because I like well-defined processes. And I followed those processes happily.

Now, there are some occasions where the senior engineer violates one of the processes.

When they do that I ask why, then they give me the reason and I nod because I think that make sense.

Fast forward a little, and I also choose to violate the process the same way, for the same reasons. During the code review, the senior engineer rejects my approach because it “does not make sense”. SurprisedPikachu.jpg

I tried a few times to challenge them in these situations but more often than not they either stood their ground or gave the “agree-to-disagree” nod which demoralizes me. So now, I’m inclined to just follow what they say if this situation happens.

I understand that there is some nuance for a certain thing to go a certain way, but when this happens I am always left puzzled and spend time re-calibrating the idea/approach.

What is the best way(s) to deal with these kind of people?

Anyway, love the show and keep up with the good work!
Do you think that a job that helps you constantly grow is more important than a job that promises titles?