In a programmers world, automation seems to be the quickest and easiest way to get huge works done especially when busy with other activities. It helps avoid the stress of doing repetitive tasks. That was exactly the case of one programmer, a Reddit user known as FiletOfFish1066, who worked for a well-known tech company in the software Quality Assurance department.

For 6 years, he was paid on average $95,000 per year for basically doing nothing except playing games, browse Reddit, surfing, etc. This may come as a surprise to you (likewise myself) but his story seems to be true.

The question is, how was this possible?

Here’s the answer:

Being a programmer, FiletOfFish1066, for about 8 months automated all of his programming tasks. This allows him to literally sit back, do whatever he felt like doing and the computer gets his job done for him.

“From around 6 years ago up until now, I have done nothing at work. I am not joking. For 40 hours each week I go to work, play League of Legends in my office, browse Reddit, and do whatever I feel like”, said FOF1066. “In the past 6 years I have maybe done 50 hours of real work. So basically nothing. And nobody really cared. The tests were all running successfully. I shit you not, I had no friends or anything at work either, so nobody ever talked to me except my boss and occasionally the devs for the software I was testing.”

Smart dude! You may say but do read the bad news at the end of it.

FOF1066 was fired after his company found out that he had been automating his job for the last 6 years. The worst part of it is that, FOF1066 whiled away his time so much to the extent that he forgot how to code. He could not remember how he built his Autobot and he got no marketable skills to land another lucrative programmers job.

He said: “After six years, I literally do not even know how to write good software anymore. I basically forgot everything. I just played League of Legends and did nothing else. I got fit, though, which is a plus, since I went to the gym every day during work. But I know nothing about programming or anything else. I am 28, without a job (although they are giving me three months of pay), and no skills. “

FOF1066 has been jobless for some time now, but he expressed his determination to get his life back together. This was what he said: “Time to try and cut my League of Legends and beer addiction. I’m going to try and practice running through Cracking the Coding Interview as well as a data structures and algorithms book. I’ll also be applying to some jobs. After thinking about it for a while I think once I study everything I forgot, my motivation will come back. I always liked software dev, I just was a lazy ass.”

From his ordeal, one good takeaway was that he managed to save up to $200,000. “I have around $200k in my bank account since I still live with my parents and live frugally”, he said. “so I won’t be starving or anything like that, and can definitely support myself.”

Presently, it looks like FiletOfFish1066 have deleted his Reddit account but his story is a huge lesson or all of us.

http://becometechie.com/programmer-fired-automating-job-6-years-forgets-coding/

smart dude.... though he has traits of stupidity

Plain silly