How to handle an unpopular intern who upstages me?
I am a senior developer who has been working solo on a long project for the past 2 years. I'm about 75% done.
Last week, my boss told me to work with one of our interns. He explained this intern has done poorly on every project, and spends most of his time goofing off online looking at cheeseburger recipes and modifying the Goosebumps Wiki fandom page. He told me to find something to keep him busy, because he's tired of seeing him do nothing all day.
I found a small piece of my large project to give him, and explained to him what I needed. 3 days later, he told me he was done, and went back to looking at cheeseburger recipes. I looked at his code and was shocked to see he had done literally the entire project that I had been working on. From scratch. I asked him if he had seen the code I already had done, and he said he didn't have access to it. When I told him that he was only supposed to work on a small piece of the project, he apologized and said he misunderstood.
I spent a day looking over his code and was amazed that he did everything way better than I have. Not only had he done all my work in a small fraction of the time, but it was cleaner, more concise (about 65% less code), performed better (about 4.5x faster), and had better tests.
I was about to run into my boss's office and tell him that we have a prodigy on our hands, but I realized that this puts me in an awkward position. When my boss realizes how much better this unpopular intern is than me, he'll probably think that I'm a very poor developer and will look for a way to get rid of me. (Company financials are tight, and there's rumors of upcoming layoffs). I'll have a hard time justifying my salary when this intern who makes barely above minimum wage easily outshined me.
However, I want to be fair to this intern. I'm really impressed with his work, and want to make sure he gets proper recognition and gets an offer for a full-time position. How can I approach this situation and give this intern his fair due, without putting my own job in jeopardy?
professionalism internship
asked 1 hour ago
John Gopher BoyJohn Gopher Boy
612
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John Gopher Boy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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add a comment |
I am a senior developer who has been working solo on a long project for the past 2 years. I'm about 75% done.
Last week, my boss told me to work with one of our interns. He explained this intern has done poorly on every project, and spends most of his time goofing off online looking at cheeseburger recipes and modifying the Goosebumps Wiki fandom page. He told me to find something to keep him busy, because he's tired of seeing him do nothing all day.
I found a small piece of my large project to give him, and explained to him what I needed. 3 days later, he told me he was done, and went back to looking at cheeseburger recipes. I looked at his code and was shocked to see he had done literally the entire project that I had been working on. From scratch. I asked him if he had seen the code I already had done, and he said he didn't have access to it. When I told him that he was only supposed to work on a small piece of the project, he apologized and said he misunderstood.
I spent a day looking over his code and was amazed that he did everything way better than I have. Not only had he done all my work in a small fraction of the time, but it was cleaner, more concise (about 65% less code), performed better (about 4.5x faster), and had better tests.
I was about to run into my boss's office and tell him that we have a prodigy on our hands, but I realized that this puts me in an awkward position. When my boss realizes how much better this unpopular intern is than me, he'll probably think that I'm a very poor developer and will look for a way to get rid of me. (Company financials are tight, and there's rumors of upcoming layoffs). I'll have a hard time justifying my salary when this intern who makes barely above minimum wage easily outshined me.
However, I want to be fair to this intern. I'm really impressed with his work, and want to make sure he gets proper recognition and gets an offer for a full-time position. How can I approach this situation and give this intern his fair due, without putting my own job in jeopardy?
professionalism internship
asked 1 hour ago
John Gopher BoyJohn Gopher Boy
612
New contributor
John Gopher Boy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
3
Can you put some of those cheeseburger recipes here in the comments... Asking for a friend...
– solarflare
1 hour ago
add a comment |
I am a senior developer who has been working solo on a long project for the past 2 years. I'm about 75% done.
Last week, my boss told me to work with one of our interns. He explained this intern has done poorly on every project, and spends most of his time goofing off online looking at cheeseburger recipes and modifying the Goosebumps Wiki fandom page. He told me to find something to keep him busy, because he's tired of seeing him do nothing all day.
I found a small piece of my large project to give him, and explained to him what I needed. 3 days later, he told me he was done, and went back to looking at cheeseburger recipes. I looked at his code and was shocked to see he had done literally the entire project that I had been working on. From scratch. I asked him if he had seen the code I already had done, and he said he didn't have access to it. When I told him that he was only supposed to work on a small piece of the project, he apologized and said he misunderstood.
I spent a day looking over his code and was amazed that he did everything way better than I have. Not only had he done all my work in a small fraction of the time, but it was cleaner, more concise (about 65% less code), performed better (about 4.5x faster), and had better tests.
I was about to run into my boss's office and tell him that we have a prodigy on our hands, but I realized that this puts me in an awkward position. When my boss realizes how much better this unpopular intern is than me, he'll probably think that I'm a very poor developer and will look for a way to get rid of me. (Company financials are tight, and there's rumors of upcoming layoffs). I'll have a hard time justifying my salary when this intern who makes barely above minimum wage easily outshined me.
However, I want to be fair to this intern. I'm really impressed with his work, and want to make sure he gets proper recognition and gets an offer for a full-time position. How can I approach this situation and give this intern his fair due, without putting my own job in jeopardy?
professionalism internship
asked 1 hour ago
John Gopher BoyJohn Gopher Boy
612
New contributor
John Gopher Boy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I am a senior developer who has been working solo on a long project for the past 2 years. I'm about 75% done.
Last week, my boss told me to work with one of our interns. He explained this intern has done poorly on every project, and spends most of his time goofing off online looking at cheeseburger recipes and modifying the Goosebumps Wiki fandom page. He told me to find something to keep him busy, because he's tired of seeing him do nothing all day.
I found a small piece of my large project to give him, and explained to him what I needed. 3 days later, he told me he was done, and went back to looking at cheeseburger recipes. I looked at his code and was shocked to see he had done literally the entire project that I had been working on. From scratch. I asked him if he had seen the code I already had done, and he said he didn't have access to it. When I told him that he was only supposed to work on a small piece of the project, he apologized and said he misunderstood.
I spent a day looking over his code and was amazed that he did everything way better than I have. Not only had he done all my work in a small fraction of the time, but it was cleaner, more concise (about 65% less code), performed better (about 4.5x faster), and had better tests.
I was about to run into my boss's office and tell him that we have a prodigy on our hands, but I realized that this puts me in an awkward position. When my boss realizes how much better this unpopular intern is than me, he'll probably think that I'm a very poor developer and will look for a way to get rid of me. (Company financials are tight, and there's rumors of upcoming layoffs). I'll have a hard time justifying my salary when this intern who makes barely above minimum wage easily outshined me.
However, I want to be fair to this intern. I'm really impressed with his work, and want to make sure he gets proper recognition and gets an offer for a full-time position. How can I approach this situation and give this intern his fair due, without putting my own job in jeopardy?
professionalism internship
professionalism internship
asked 1 hour ago
John Gopher BoyJohn Gopher Boy
612
New contributor
John Gopher Boy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 1 hour ago
John Gopher BoyJohn Gopher Boy
612
New contributor
John Gopher Boy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 1 hour ago
John Gopher BoyJohn Gopher Boy
612
New contributor
John Gopher Boy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 1 hour ago
John Gopher BoyJohn Gopher Boy
612
asked 1 hour ago
John Gopher BoyJohn Gopher Boy
612
612
New contributor
John Gopher Boy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
John Gopher Boy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
John Gopher Boy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
3
Can you put some of those cheeseburger recipes here in the comments... Asking for a friend...
– solarflare
1 hour ago
add a comment |
3
Can you put some of those cheeseburger recipes here in the comments... Asking for a friend...
– solarflare
1 hour ago
3
3
Can you put some of those cheeseburger recipes here in the comments... Asking for a friend...
– solarflare
1 hour ago
Can you put some of those cheeseburger recipes here in the comments... Asking for a friend...
– solarflare
1 hour ago
add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
Just give credit where it's due. It sounds like the guy deserves a chance that he's probably not going to get if you don't stick up for what he's done.
And don't worry too much about your job. From your boss's perspective, he probably doesn't care who writes the code so long as it works, and if the intern is unproductive except under your tutelage you've just made yourself doubly valuable.
answered 1 hour ago
Matthew BarberMatthew Barber
512
New contributor
Matthew Barber is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I second this. Just because the intern is a prodigy doesn't meant he will succeed in a workplace where he has done poorly on all his projects. If the intern can only interact well with you then you might be in a much safer situation and you could also secure an important asset for your business.
– Shadowzee
52 mins ago
add a comment |
How can I approach this situation and give this intern his fair due, without putting my own job in jeopardy?
Give him additional work. You should make sure what happened wasn’t a fluke. Perhaps nobody could motivate the intern in the past and you were lucky. Take it upon yourself to mentor the intern before you go to your boss.
answered 1 hour ago
RamhoundRamhound
4351410
add a comment |
It sounds like you haven't been doing your job well enough and it's time for this new person to take over. As he is someone whose spent far less time than you working on your project, when your boss sees this, he will do the obvious and you will quickly find yourself transferred to a less desirable position or out of work. You have nobody to blame except yourself (and maybe the intern for making you realize this).
Let the intern take over and take some time off to gain your skills back.
answered 1 hour ago
Anous B KingAnous B King
304
add a comment |
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3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
Just give credit where it's due. It sounds like the guy deserves a chance that he's probably not going to get if you don't stick up for what he's done.
And don't worry too much about your job. From your boss's perspective, he probably doesn't care who writes the code so long as it works, and if the intern is unproductive except under your tutelage you've just made yourself doubly valuable.
answered 1 hour ago
Matthew BarberMatthew Barber
512
New contributor
Matthew Barber is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I second this. Just because the intern is a prodigy doesn't meant he will succeed in a workplace where he has done poorly on all his projects. If the intern can only interact well with you then you might be in a much safer situation and you could also secure an important asset for your business.
– Shadowzee
52 mins ago
add a comment |
Just give credit where it's due. It sounds like the guy deserves a chance that he's probably not going to get if you don't stick up for what he's done.
And don't worry too much about your job. From your boss's perspective, he probably doesn't care who writes the code so long as it works, and if the intern is unproductive except under your tutelage you've just made yourself doubly valuable.
answered 1 hour ago
Matthew BarberMatthew Barber
512
New contributor
Matthew Barber is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I second this. Just because the intern is a prodigy doesn't meant he will succeed in a workplace where he has done poorly on all his projects. If the intern can only interact well with you then you might be in a much safer situation and you could also secure an important asset for your business.
– Shadowzee
52 mins ago
add a comment |
Just give credit where it's due. It sounds like the guy deserves a chance that he's probably not going to get if you don't stick up for what he's done.
And don't worry too much about your job. From your boss's perspective, he probably doesn't care who writes the code so long as it works, and if the intern is unproductive except under your tutelage you've just made yourself doubly valuable.
answered 1 hour ago
Matthew BarberMatthew Barber
512
New contributor
Matthew Barber is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Just give credit where it's due. It sounds like the guy deserves a chance that he's probably not going to get if you don't stick up for what he's done.
And don't worry too much about your job. From your boss's perspective, he probably doesn't care who writes the code so long as it works, and if the intern is unproductive except under your tutelage you've just made yourself doubly valuable.
answered 1 hour ago
Matthew BarberMatthew Barber
512
New contributor
Matthew Barber is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 1 hour ago
Matthew BarberMatthew Barber
512
New contributor
Matthew Barber is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 1 hour ago
Matthew BarberMatthew Barber
512
answered 1 hour ago
Matthew BarberMatthew Barber
512
512
New contributor
Matthew Barber is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Matthew Barber is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Matthew Barber is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
I second this. Just because the intern is a prodigy doesn't meant he will succeed in a workplace where he has done poorly on all his projects. If the intern can only interact well with you then you might be in a much safer situation and you could also secure an important asset for your business.
– Shadowzee
52 mins ago
add a comment |
I second this. Just because the intern is a prodigy doesn't meant he will succeed in a workplace where he has done poorly on all his projects. If the intern can only interact well with you then you might be in a much safer situation and you could also secure an important asset for your business.
– Shadowzee
52 mins ago
I second this. Just because the intern is a prodigy doesn't meant he will succeed in a workplace where he has done poorly on all his projects. If the intern can only interact well with you then you might be in a much safer situation and you could also secure an important asset for your business.
– Shadowzee
52 mins ago
I second this. Just because the intern is a prodigy doesn't meant he will succeed in a workplace where he has done poorly on all his projects. If the intern can only interact well with you then you might be in a much safer situation and you could also secure an important asset for your business.
– Shadowzee
52 mins ago
add a comment |
How can I approach this situation and give this intern his fair due, without putting my own job in jeopardy?
Give him additional work. You should make sure what happened wasn’t a fluke. Perhaps nobody could motivate the intern in the past and you were lucky. Take it upon yourself to mentor the intern before you go to your boss.
answered 1 hour ago
RamhoundRamhound
4351410
add a comment |
How can I approach this situation and give this intern his fair due, without putting my own job in jeopardy?
Give him additional work. You should make sure what happened wasn’t a fluke. Perhaps nobody could motivate the intern in the past and you were lucky. Take it upon yourself to mentor the intern before you go to your boss.
answered 1 hour ago
RamhoundRamhound
4351410
add a comment |
How can I approach this situation and give this intern his fair due, without putting my own job in jeopardy?
Give him additional work. You should make sure what happened wasn’t a fluke. Perhaps nobody could motivate the intern in the past and you were lucky. Take it upon yourself to mentor the intern before you go to your boss.
answered 1 hour ago
RamhoundRamhound
4351410
How can I approach this situation and give this intern his fair due, without putting my own job in jeopardy?
Give him additional work. You should make sure what happened wasn’t a fluke. Perhaps nobody could motivate the intern in the past and you were lucky. Take it upon yourself to mentor the intern before you go to your boss.
answered 1 hour ago
RamhoundRamhound
4351410
answered 1 hour ago
RamhoundRamhound
4351410
answered 1 hour ago
RamhoundRamhound
4351410
answered 1 hour ago
RamhoundRamhound
4351410
4351410
add a comment |
add a comment |
It sounds like you haven't been doing your job well enough and it's time for this new person to take over. As he is someone whose spent far less time than you working on your project, when your boss sees this, he will do the obvious and you will quickly find yourself transferred to a less desirable position or out of work. You have nobody to blame except yourself (and maybe the intern for making you realize this).
Let the intern take over and take some time off to gain your skills back.
answered 1 hour ago
Anous B KingAnous B King
304
add a comment |
It sounds like you haven't been doing your job well enough and it's time for this new person to take over. As he is someone whose spent far less time than you working on your project, when your boss sees this, he will do the obvious and you will quickly find yourself transferred to a less desirable position or out of work. You have nobody to blame except yourself (and maybe the intern for making you realize this).
Let the intern take over and take some time off to gain your skills back.
answered 1 hour ago
Anous B KingAnous B King
304
add a comment |
It sounds like you haven't been doing your job well enough and it's time for this new person to take over. As he is someone whose spent far less time than you working on your project, when your boss sees this, he will do the obvious and you will quickly find yourself transferred to a less desirable position or out of work. You have nobody to blame except yourself (and maybe the intern for making you realize this).
Let the intern take over and take some time off to gain your skills back.
answered 1 hour ago
Anous B KingAnous B King
304
It sounds like you haven't been doing your job well enough and it's time for this new person to take over. As he is someone whose spent far less time than you working on your project, when your boss sees this, he will do the obvious and you will quickly find yourself transferred to a less desirable position or out of work. You have nobody to blame except yourself (and maybe the intern for making you realize this).
Let the intern take over and take some time off to gain your skills back.
answered 1 hour ago
Anous B KingAnous B King
304
answered 1 hour ago
Anous B KingAnous B King
304
answered 1 hour ago
Anous B KingAnous B King
304
answered 1 hour ago
Anous B KingAnous B King
304
304
add a comment |
add a comment |
John Gopher Boy is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
John Gopher Boy is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
John Gopher Boy is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
John Gopher Boy is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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3
Can you put some of those cheeseburger recipes here in the comments... Asking for a friend...
– solarflare
1 hour ago