Episode 523: (Rerun of 331) Prickly ticket and title downgrade

Episode 523: (Rerun of 331) Prickly ticket and title downgrade

Author: Jamison Dance and Dave Smith July 27, 2026 Duration: 33:03

This is a rerun of episode 331.

In this episode, Dave and Jamison answer these questions:

  1. Listener ninjamonkey says,

    I am a new grad who is half a year into the role now at a very large company. Recently, a senior engineer on my team asked me to create a ticket for an infra team for a problem with a service. I provided logs and steps to reproduce the issue and did a health check before submitting.

    Right after, the manager of the team put me into a group chat with their team, asked why I created the ticket and told me to start doing my job and they can’t debug for me.

    From these interactions and comments on the ticket, it feels the infra team will likely not work on the tickets I report or de-prioritize them. This has left me discouraged and hesitant.

    I will have to do lots of this kind of infrastructure work in the future. Additionally, one of the goals my manager set for me is to work with more external teams for the upcoming year.

    What do I do here? Do I tell my manager about these interactions? Do I tell my team lead, staff/seniors to swap out for different kind of story?

  2. I work for a small startup. I was the first employee other than the 2 founders.

    Being the first developer hired, naturally means I have the most knowledge about our application. I also have good organisational skills, which has led to me becoming and being referred to as the “Lead Developer”.

    I have recruited 2 of the 3 new developers, and have trained both of them and got them up to speed.

    At first I was pleased with the progression and was keen to grow into the position, and told the founders so.

    Since then, I have changed my mind, I don’t want to be the lead - due to the following:

    • The communication is absolutely pitiful. Any questions we ask of the founders we get about a 30% reply rate no matter the form of communication.
    • We get poorly defined tasks and requirements
    • The CTO will just blast through some of our features over the weekend and say here I fixed it for you

    I don’t want to quit my job (just yet… its a comin though).

    I have actually discussed the above points with them, but I know these 2 founders will never change their ways.

    How do I tell them I just want to go back to being an Individual Contributor like my Employment contract states?


The weekly advice Soft Skills Engineering podcast, hosted by Jamison Dance and Dave Smith, operates on a simple but profound premise: writing excellent code is only one part of a successful career. The real challenges-and opportunities-often lie in everything else. This is a show dedicated entirely to the human side of software development. Each episode tackles the messy, complicated, and frequently unspoken questions that developers face daily. You’ll hear thoughtful discussions and practical advice on navigating office politics, having difficult conversations with managers, negotiating salaries, managing time and energy, collaborating effectively on a team, and building a sustainable, long-term career without burning out. It’s the crucial curriculum that most computer science degrees never cover. Jamison and Dave bring a blend of experience, empathy, and humor to these topics, offering perspectives that are both actionable and relatable. For anyone who has ever wondered how to handle a toxic coworker, get promoted, or simply find more fulfillment in their work, this podcast provides a much-needed forum. It’s a consistent source of guidance for the parts of the job that don’t involve a compiler, reminding listeners that their growth as a professional is inextricably linked to their growth as a communicator, a colleague, and a person. Tune in for honest conversations that go beyond the technical screen.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Soft Skills Engineering
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