And software engineers in the US, are actively losing their jobs to H-1Bs precisely due to this reason. Because people with this mindset are UNHIREABLE as well as an EXPENSIVE LIABILITY.
Say that aloud in an interview or in a 1:1 with your manager and let's see how quickly they make you a job offer or get you promoted.
You don't, because you have you keep this to yourself because you know it is wrong and not in the best interest of your employer... Who is wrong now?
> Because people with this mindset are UNHIREABLE as well as an EXPENSIVE LIABILITY.
Yes, I agree with you, and I work at places where the label "engineer" reflects this sort of individual responsibility... BUT:
> because you know it is wrong and not in the best interest of your employer
Look, the way you even phrased that statement is exactly the problem. A US software engineer's primary legal duty is to his employer. There is no prior obligation (aside from not literally breaking the law).
And within the structure of the company, the engineer has no legal or professional obligation prior to manangement. So, if parent's boss tells him "get this shit out the door ASAP maintainability and quality be damned", and then parent does exactly that, I think he'd probably be OK from an employment perspective. In fact, insisting on some modicum of security or readability might even get him in trouble!
Contrast that with the situation of a PE, who would be much more likely to answer "no" on the basis of professional ethical obligations which are prior to his obligations to his employer/immediate manager. And, when answering no, would be much more likely to have the leverage and respect necessary to survive an encounter with middle management.
Do your job in the interest of your employer, to the best of your ability, without ripping off your customer.
That's the meaning of professionalism. That's the meaning of living in a society. If you need to say no, then do it. Your job is not to say yes to everything.
What if everyone ripped off everyone all the time? It would be a world of shit.
Ripping off the customer is not in the best interest of the employer, and is being hostile towards society. Think about contributing to society not taking what you can.
Adding customer value is different to adding apparent value with no real substance.
Your responses seem to boil down to "but I believe everyone has a moral responsibility to act like an engineer."
When is perfectly fine, and I agree with you. As I've said multiple times.
But realize that, in the US, programmers have no such legal obligation. They also have no formally codified and enforced professional ethical obligation.
Any such obligation is purely within the realm of personal ethics. Particularly obligations to the customer which go beyond or contradict with obligations to management (the latter are at least captured in the form of a contract).
So your moral stance, while admirable, isn't representative of actual enforced social norms among programmers.
And software engineers in the US, are actively losing their jobs to H-1Bs precisely due to this reason. Because people with this mindset are UNHIREABLE as well as an EXPENSIVE LIABILITY.
Say that aloud in an interview or in a 1:1 with your manager and let's see how quickly they make you a job offer or get you promoted.
You don't, because you have you keep this to yourself because you know it is wrong and not in the best interest of your employer... Who is wrong now?