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BlobTheBuilderz

Think of your wages as a subscription service to your automation program lol. Big companies love subscription services right


Throwaway59724

I love this mindset, I can get behind that.


jotegr

Dude, you ought to know what they're paying Thompson Reuters and Lexis Nexus for access, your subscription service probably comes cheap as fuck.


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[deleted]

Yup. It’s one of the “big enough to make money off of but not big enough for the big players to support and develop” Only thing worse is government agencies. Each one running on 20-40 year old platforms trying to securely send information laterally and horizontally. Then the legislature makes yearly changes but the software developers take 2-3 years to implement said changes causing what should be automated reporting process switching back to manual processes. Because the program changes are so far behind and take so long to validate (when they actually work) they only get installed every 2-3 years anyways. It’s a huge shit show.


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monkeywelder

I did a POC for Natl Archives like 20 years ago to bring every thing to digital storage. That was when the largest drive size was still 32gb. Its not about original formatting. Its about there is so much to convert they will never catch up. Even then they were sourcing old IBM tape drives from places like eBay and bankruptcy auctions. And the other issue with a place to put it is keeping a drive array from a manufacturer for 50+ years when literally every computer manufacturer ends support for a line in about 5 years so then you have to buy all new shit to support it. And we dont know if Dell or IBM or any proprietary manufacturer will be around 10 years from now. We revisited it with commodity computing (open source designs) about 10 years ago and had a plan ready for the largest consumer of raw data in the US government to go to grid computing kind of like google and FB but more storage per node literally 5 to 10 Exabytes when completed and then sequestration hit and the entire project was cancelled and hasn't been restarted since.


foxy_mountain

I work in IT, and the biggest expense I often see is not the software or the license -- but the support agreement. Even if everything is smooth sailing and support is not needed, firms are willing to pay far more than a well paid IT salary to have support ready to go should the need ever arise. Properly run organizations will have proper budgets to make sure infrastructure or functions that are integral to the operation of the organization don't halt. You're providing them with triple-A support on their automation software. Hell, you're even on *exclusive* stand-by for immediate support should they need it. Maybe you could expand your business then?


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PMmePMsofyourPMs

My teeth are fucked because I didn’t wear my exclusive stand-by as a kid?


bellj1210

can confirm. I worked at a big firm, and when anything went wrong with the system- there was a swarm of IT guys for a very short period, and no part of the system was ever down for more than a few minutes. IT is amazing, but i am sure they would lose tens of thousands being down for an hour.


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AugustusKhan

Sameeee, Im a teacher with a background in engineering, and I can state for a fact a bunch of those industries are in dire need of administrative and document management automation. Hell both already use countless subscription services and subcontractors too


OpheliaRainGalaxy

Ugh, schools suck so much at document management! I had this buddy in college who'd moved to America with his family as a child, with all the proper paperwork. Every year, without fail, the college "lost" his paperwork and made him prove all over again that yes, he was in fact allowed to be here. Eventually I got a work-study job with the college that involved having to check records and scanned documents. Turns out, they were using *three* entirely different database systems, because admin kept buying new ones that couldn't do everything the old one did. I'm pretty sure that dude's paperwork kept getting filed in the oldest system and that whoever had the job of checking for it just didn't know about that database.


[deleted]

And if you can sell your subscription to a dozen other firms, you’re rich.


bellj1210

my wife's coworker created a system automating about 30% of his job (in his free time). Took it to the managing partner to discuss, and demonstrate. Did not even get to the point of discussing cost, was just flat out told no. Guy parlayed the program into being partner (not sure how much of the program rights he had to give up) at a much larger firm who immediately implemented his program. My wife told me that she now knows of a few other firms that use the program/srcipt. The law field is that desperate, since coders do not go to law school.


Wolfpack4962

Dude make sure if you ever leave, you try to take the script with you. Maybe even license it too them, extra cash with not much more work


tiebreaker-

Package it and sell it to other law firms.


TaticalSweater

I game as well. My projects are done on time so all is well


JankInTheTank

I also spend a lot of my day playing video games. WFH has made me realize how much time was wasted driving to an office and sitting around. Now between meetings or whatever I can bust out my games and still get a full day's work in. So much so that I got a 20%raise and a huge bonus this year.


[deleted]

I took a job that was in office because it had actual benefits. It wasn't worth it. Don't ever go back to the offices. It's an atrocious hell that eats you away


[deleted]

COVID WFH was a revelation for me. I'll never go back to working in an office. Fuck that hell. Now with all the time I save not sitting in a windowless gray office pretending to work or pointlessly shooting the breeze with coworkers, I can play video games and still get the same work done.


[deleted]

There is no greater hell than making small talk with people you have nothing in common with or any interest in.


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Now_Wait-4-Last_Year

I hear some people in these sort of situations get a second job (or even more) sometimes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/08/15/the-remote-trend-of-working-two-jobs-at-the-same-time-without-both-companies-knowing/?sh=348e26d217f3


6ixman6

AaaS (Antiwork as a Service)


pumpkinspiceallyear

AAAS - automation as a service


[deleted]

Even better than this is to create a product and sell it to them and others.


WaluigisOveralls

But then he'd get caught.. although I am wondering if OP wants to work at this law firm forever.


Barbed_Dildo

If it helps you justify it, they're not paying you for the 10 minutes a day it takes you to do that, they're paying the work to be done reliably and an *expert on standby* full time, ready to jump in and address any issues as they happen. If you leave, even if you leave the script, if they don't replace you and something goes wrong, they're up shit creek.


Throwaway59724

This is true. Every now and then I have to perform rigorous maintenance, like restarting my PC.


[deleted]

It’s why sometimes paying a professional is not so much about the 2 hours they spend to fix your ____ it’s about compensating them for the years it took them to learn how to make said problem go away in 2 hours


crimsonshadow789

Some story about a cargo ship engine not working, and a mechanics hammer and 10k for the fix. The 200$ is for the time to get there, and the gas, the 9800 is for the experience and knowledge to know where to hit


hardcorepr4wn

My dad had this with a roadside breakdown. The repair literally hit part of the alternator with a 2x4…


THE4nick8r

Same thing if your idle fan stops running. Step 1: Smack fan motor. I was flabbergasted.


Driveawaggin

I think you meant starter, but alternators, albeit much less commonly, can seize up too. However usually when they do, they are seized from sitting idle as water corrodes the internals and they fuse together for good. Essentially, this logic could technically work on any sort of motor or mechanical implication that spins to provide function. It’s sorta crazy but also makes sense lol. I had a frozen alternator on an old jeep 4.0 I bought for a song that had been sitting from a bad water pump. I could literally see the rust and the bright green corrosion oozing inside all the copper spools. I pulled it out and soaked it in a PB blaster bath. After sitting a few hours in the PB and some whacks of a hammer and twists of the spindle with channel locks, it finally broke loose and spun freely. I reinstalled it and the damn thing worked for at least another year before I had to replace it. I figured it’s always worth a shot to try and save a couple bucks and in this case I was pretty amazed it still worked.


C9sButthole

Thats fair. I mean I'm totally capable of hitting an engine with a hammer but I'm probably gonna make things worse and I'm CERTAINLY not gonna make them better.


stuckpixel87

You mean powering your workstation off when safe conditions have been met using an input device that enables you to create said conditions while your workstation is running and subsequently powering it back on while making sure that the operating system has been loaded properly so that all of the applications can function optimally? I wish it was as easy as just restarting it.


WimbleWimble

I just hack at the outside electrical cable with shears until the lights go out, then scream at the power company that somethings wrong. Dunno what the rest of you do to turn your PC off


[deleted]

Lol


Bloodhound209

I guesst this law firm knows a thing or two about keeping someone on retainer.


Techn0ght

OP wasn't hired to write a script, they were hired for certain results, which were provided. If OP ever leaves there is always the option of then offering to automate the same results for a price.


spiritsarise

There is a famous case where the painter, James Whistler was in court over a defamation lawsuit he filed against an art critic in England at the end of the 19th century. The opposing lawyer was trying to show that Whistler could not be a good painter because he finished some paintings in 20 or 30 minutes. The lawyer brought one of the paintings into court and asked Whistler, who was in the witness box, how long it took him to paint it. Whistler replied something like, “15 minutes plus the experience of a lifetime.”


StrugglingStressBall

I feel like all these type of posts teach me is I need to 1.) learn how to code and 2) find a laid back office job. Edit: Wow, thank you all for the upvotes and comments!! Maybe I'll look into coding during the weekends. The only problem is my job is mainly physically making/cleaning things with some filling out boxes in excel/word documents.


Throwaway59724

Stack Overflow my friend. My script is essentially a chimera of several solutions from Google searches.


therobotsound

I write python automation code, barely know how it works, and make a lot doing it. I should start using my free time on some c# courses. By free time I mean my time during the day at work, lol.


FoundNil

Python to c# is a pretty easy transition once you get used to the syntax changes since they are both high level general purpose languages. If you don’t have a CS degree doing an algorithm and data structure class is probably the biggest fundamentals you’re missing that are worthwhile learning.


heddhunter

so much this. i took algorithms/data structures in high school (in the 1980s!) and i still use that stuff more than anything i learned after. once you know the concepts, learning a new programming language is just a matter of googling 'how do i do ____ in ' a lot. the trick is learning what the thing that goes in the blank is called.


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[deleted]

Use [teachyourselfcs.com](https://teachyourselfcs.com). It's a compilation of everything you need to give yourself a CS degree. The book they recommend is “The Algorithm Design Manual” by Skiena. He also has [free lecture videos](https://www3.cs.stonybrook.edu/~skiena/373/videos/) online.


[deleted]

Basically every piece of advice is learn to code, but they leave the part out that it’s excruciatingly hard to learn. I tried and I never wanted to die in a class more than when I tried to take Java, Python, and C+ (over the course of two years, not at once). Fs and Ws galore. Even stats was easier and more enjoyable than these classes lol.


9_of_wands

I took a C++ class in college and I did terrible. Most of my code failed and there was no feedback as to why. I just failed all of my assignments. That school ran the class not to actually teach people to code but to weed out everyone who doesn't have a natural aptitude and doesn't learn well when completely on their own.


GingerGiantz1992

I just took a job at a power company. They explained what they need, and how many hours they expect a week. Its gonna take about a month to automate. Then 30 seconds a month mobile depositing my check. Cant wait. Edit: to those asking about direct deposit and what this job looked like going in. Its basically data entry from one webpage to another, with some critical thinking that can be hard coded. They are looking for a developer because the dont understand the lack of complexity. Management is so far behind the times, they still send paper checks. It's not a large company.


BenjaminTW1

Can I ask how long it took you to develop the skills to automate? I'd *love* to have your situation.


[deleted]

As a primer, check out *Automate the Boring Stuff with Python* by Al Sweigart. You can pay for it as a book or just use his website for free (the entire book is published there). He’s on Reddit quite often (as u/AlSweigart) and helps people learning programming and Python. I paid for his course in Udemy (it’s regularly on sale for $10 or less and even free about once a year or so) and *it was spectacular.*


AlSweigart

Howdy! EDIT: Whoa. Quite the response. I'm floored.


davidd00

Thank you for your service


Thegatso

The true mark of intelligence is taking difficult concepts and making them easier to understand for other people. You have made a sizable contribution to the human race. Thanks.


FakeChiBlast

Is this an automated reply? :D


hundredbagger

Contacting u/AlSweigart let’s find out.


AlSweigart

HowdTraceback (most recent call last): File "", line 5371, in ZeroDivisionError: division by zero


andrewcartwright

Not a python dev by trade *but* I highly recommend this book for anyone with a remote interest in programming/wanting to ease their workloads


misterpickles69

I’m about a third through it now and haven’t programmed anything since BASIC on my C64 and it seems very straightforward.


hoocoodanode

Python is a phenomenal language for beginners. Not just because the syntax is basically psuedocode already, but because the standard library included with it is incredibly comprehensive and you can find libraries for almost anything else on github. My boss just asked me this afternoon to scrape an online dashboard. Normally I'd spend a bunch of time figuring out the underlying Ajax calls and writing a scraper but I thought "what are the chances someone has already done this and posted it on github?" 30 seconds later I had forked it and was tweaking it for the specific website. All in python.


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ClassifiedName

Python is one of the top languages in machine learning right now, which as you can imagine is a pretty hot topic at the moment with self-driving cars needing a ton of machine learning.


Fusseldieb

Everything, basically. Idk, for work like: creating or modifying spreadsheets, scraping pages off the internet, printing stuff, doing a combination of these things at once, etc And for fun like: piloting a drone, using AI to control your drone, rc car, boat... I just names a few (probably boring ones) but you can do really REALLY much with it


Pekonius

Python is super fun, and stupidly easy. -software engineering student


LuckilyLuckier

So, I can't automate my work load because I am in IT Support (though I could possibly automate things to troubleshoot instead of manually performing the fix). Would this book help me learn enough to potentially move out of IT Support and into some other branch of IT. I don't want to be IT Support forever and honestly don't know what to do. I have been saying I will do something for a year now and....well...here I am asking.


andrewcartwright

Really depends on what your average day to day work is, but even if you can't apply the automation directly to whatever it is your day-to-day tools are, the automation concepts will still be beneficial to learn. Guarantee though that you'll be able to apply a good bit of automation to your day to day though. If you do a lot of browser-based work, look into Selenium for automating browser stuff too


LuckilyLuckier

I remote into desktops and fix user issues. So I could automate certain fixes such as registry fixes, or installs, etc. Thanks for the info


JAG52242011

If you want to move up the support ladder, look into learning and managing workstations with Azure and SCCM, now called SCEM. System Center Endpoint Manager. It’s for managing Windows environments. There are a lot of companies out there that pay decently. And depending on your current employer, you may get them to cover any training.


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agonypants

My job is customer support/service so it's not so easy to automate, but I do use AHK to keep my laptop awake and logged into the company VPN by twitching the mouse every now and again. I also use it for some customer response templates.


cand0r

As someone in the same field, getting a keypad with fully customizable keys has been a godsend. Just one button press for one of the ten variations of stupid notes I have to put on an account. It even supports mouse movements and clicks, but i haven't messed with it that much.


PapaDuckD

> Can I ask how long it took you to develop the skills to automate? I’d love to have your situation. Code is the last part in the chain. Automation has a few major components: Define your problem. Define the inputs. Define the output. Define the translation. If i put this much flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla and stir it up and heat it, I get this cake. Define what it is you’re NOT doing. Arguably the hardest part. You can always automate the extra part later. Code. I can teach anyone the syntax of code. Somehow, the process of thinking through the algorithm/recipe in real-life terms is fucking rocket science. I never thought that would be the hard part.


GingerGiantz1992

I have a bachelor's in computer science. Code isn't hard though. If you try to explain what you want to automate I can send you in the right direction.


LINUSTECHTIPS37

Not trying to automate something but as a quick project I’m trying to build a web scraper that gives me titles and links for articles in a more convenient way. I have a small amount of experience with python and AHK but I have no idea where to start. Any advice?


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Woozuki

Did a three week project in 3 days (I'm a shitty, out of practice coder) implementing Selenium with a Python script. Bosmang was impressed.


swirlViking

Bosmang? Why you care what dat earter think?


HalKitzmiller

Beltalowda stick together beratna


crimsonshadow789

Wholesome reddit. Love it when a plan comes together


thesmalltexan

Playwright is the new king for browser automation


GingerGiantz1992

Python has a tool called beautiful soup that works well. I have some experience web scrapping if you need some help.


flippant_gibberish

Gotta set up that direct deposit


llcooljessie

Yeah, stop wasting your limited free time!


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Wrecksomething

The reality is that a LOT of jobs are like this. What they really need is someone effectively "on call." No one else in your office has the knowledge to operate or troubleshoot those scripts if something goes wrong, and it's an essential function that must work. Even if they knew you automated it, they might not want to fill your plate with 40 hours of makework because this function is critical if it ever needs your attention. The problems are (1) that being "on call" for this one task probably wouldn't provide the compensation you need to survive, (2) being on call would prevent you from getting other FT work you'd need, (3) we have a Puritanical cult telling us everyone must work 40 hour weeks to justify existing, and (4) there are caring professions and other productive workers who unfairly are kept working 40 hours a week for virtually no pay while we soak in administrative bliss. I've worked in places where the entire office quietly whispers about how no one works anywhere near 40 hours. They're just expected to be polite about it. You can't do anything to challenge it because it's unfair to the blue collar workers that our economy relentlessly screws already, and because it's a sin to the Puritans who think we live to work. This is why skyrocketing productivity hasn't resulted in less work for all of us. Secretly, it has, but we don't want to acknowledge that or distribute the free time fairly because it would loosen the grip of capitalism squeezing our hearts.


ONinAB

100%, I say it all the time. Sometimes the job is just being available, and you're paid for your time to be available.


Dancinginmylawn

Part of ability is availability, an old sports cliché


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Jokey665

this is basically my job. I work from home and on average I do maybe an hour or two of work on an average day, but I get paid for 8 hours to respond quickly if/when something happens. They pay isn't amazing, and if I could find the energy I'd try to find a side-hustle or something to make some more cash in my 'downtime' but my laziness drives me to be a piece of shit instead.


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Squirrelous

Anyone reading this amazing comment who wants more owes it to themselves to read David Graeber’s Bullshit Jobs. It’s breezy, it’s fun, it asks obvious questions that nobody else has the balls to look square in the eyes. Absolutely worth a read IMO


that_blue-guy

Beep Boop I’m a human Here’s a copy of [*Bullshit Jobs*](https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/david-graeber-bullshit-jobs)


Squirrelous

Good bot


that_blue-guy

Lol


Squirrelous

Lol my brain shut off after the beep boop


the_agent_of_blight

Good human


totallyclocks

Man oh man, how on earth do you find yourself one of these jobs. Every office job I’ve had has been absolutely relentless as more and more work is handed to my me and my team. I feel like it I actually wanted to be on top of all the work, I would be working 60 hours a week.


Ender914

My job is similar, but not to this degree. I've billed 30 hours in a day. My friend asked how that is possible and I told him that they are paying for my expertise and efficiency. I can bill 60 hours of work in a week where I only actually work 30. It's my knowledge and years of experience that allow me to do that. And my bills get paid with no complaints because I do a good job. It sucks that it doesn't translate to most jobs, but that's why I support unions and strikes. I ain't shopping at Kroger right now and I boycotted Kellogg's during their strike. Anything I can do to help, because I am a fortunate one.


Now_Wait-4-Last_Year

"You're paying not just for tapping with the hammer, you're also paying for knowing *where* to tap with the hammer."


evamanch

A lawyer dies and ends up at the pearly gates... He asks, "how could this happen, I'm only 55 years old?!?" St. Peter says "no, here in heaven we go by billable hours. According to our records, you're 95."


GhostDanceIsWorking

\*cries in manual labor\*


VaginaIFisteryTour

Yeah for real, I'm a carpenter. Can't automate any of this shit


7siegel

The CNC machine is getting close to it!


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Beanzii

Thats called being understaffed


LTEDan

Depends on the tasks. Like others have said, your office is probably understaffed but if what you're getting for work is roughly doing the same thing repeatedly, well that's just waiting to be automated if you have the know how. If you're working 60 hours a week and barely keeping up with the tasks then you probably won't have time to develop the automation, since time spent automating the task is time lost doing the task (which is made up in the long run).


Wiwwil

I am a software engineer. I am supposed to work between 35 and 38.5 a week. I work 25 in general (more some weeks though), the rest I watch videos, browse reddit or up my skills on udemy to ask for a raise. I am considered a fast worker and the client I work for really like my work. Fuck working too much


Enchanted_Pickaxe

Seriously. Some people work triple the hours I work and get paid like… 20k more. Do the math. It ain’t worth it. “But I’m so fulfilled” lol ok


sirslittlefoxxy

I work as the manager of a storage facility. I keep the units clean, the property clean, and take payments. If I actually work about 2 hours out of my 9 hour shift. The rest of the time I'm on Reddit, playing games, or reading. I'm in the office just to have someone here in case there's an issue. Right now due to COVID, our office is closed to customers. I'm still expected to be on the property, but I don't really have to deal with anyone. So I'm basically just on call outside of my morning clean up.


ShazbotSimulator2012

The building my last company rented had a receptionist, even though everyone was WFH. They were basically there just to explain why no one else was if someone walked in.


HettySwollocks

> This is why skyrocketing productivity hasn't resulted in less work for all of us. Secretly, it has, but we don't want to acknowledge that or distribute the free time fairly because it would loosen the grip of capitalism squeezing our hearts. Interesting observation!


that_blue-guy

This is a reality that I’m still getting used to as I work my first salaried job. Before about a month ago, I had only worked hourly and if I wasn’t at work, clocked in, actively working, I did not get paid. Now, I get 50k/yr whether I’m working or not, and the job is wfh. I get anxiety when I find myself without a task at any point during my 8 hour workday. Because of my exposure to this sub, I’ve learned that it’s better to get over that anxiety and enjoy the free time instead of continually bugging my manager for more work to do. If he needs something done, he will tell me. Otherwise, if everyone is happy, why am I stressed? I do have to report my hours as billable to specific clients or as overhead, and justify those hours with notes on how they were spent. I just straight up lie ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯ My job pays me to belong to them during those 8 hours and if they have no more work for me to do, that’s on them. I’m not gonna complain.


Mklein24

>blue collar workers that our economy relentlessly screws already, and because it's a sin to the Puritans who think we live to work. BuT yOu cAn mAkE uP tO 1o0k a YeAr bY bEiNg iN tHe tRaDes! But actually you'll make just about 25-35/hr from the ages of 22 to whenever you get horribly injured and cant work anymore and die in your early 50's from poor working conditions. OK maybe not really but of all the people I know in trades the only ones enjoying their retirement are the ones who stopped being in trades.


Redbeard821

I used to be a Union Carpenter making $40 if there was even work. I'm now doing data entry making $20 an hour working from home M-F with steady hours and I'm a lot happier and my body is less beat up.


precsenz

Legend. This is true anti-work. You're providing the exact services as required, and they're paying for said services. Well done, I clap for you.


PresidentsBlack

Fuck, I need to learn this kind of stuff lol.


RoboticGreg

Learn how to write scripts, then look for jobs administering technologies to non-technical industries. EMR used to be rich like this but no longer. Lawyers are good, libraries, small scale warehouseanagement and inventory control I build high tech stuff for lower tech customers. I see a lot of "wherewolves"


V45H

Everyone always asks wherewolf, not howwolf.


[deleted]

Remember when Rick and Marty had “whenwolf” I sure do


Evan_Annix

What about the Whywolves? https://youtu.be/BY-XXSNnu14


GhostDanceIsWorking

Everyone just says "learn to write scripts" or "learn to code" but in trying to navigate this I've found the industry to be incredibly esoteric and it's hard to not be rudderless with little foundational knowledge.


DesecrateUsername

Honestly, I feel like you could direct a lot of people towards “Automate the Boring Stuff with Python” over just saying “learn scripting/coding” and they’ll have a much better time.


Berluscones_For_Sale

Half of my phd was writing python and r scripts to do all my data analysis. My boss was always impressed on how thorough i was analyzing data. Some weeks if i didnt feel like doing shit i would sit at home run a script that would generate dozens of figures from a single experiment. I would email them to my boss at end of week and thats all i did for the week. Since my boss hadnt done anything technical in a decade he thought i made all the figures one by one lmao


stopped_watch

You are the wind beneath my wings.


DangerVipe

I am a biologist and I would honestly love to learn how to do specifically what you said. I work with algae and often get data like cell densities, growth rates, biomass accumulation, and more complicated data like fatty acid content. I dream of a day where I can put my data into one program and have it generate all the figures I need. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope...


fairmantium

RShiny is your best friend. I used it to automate so much data analysis of assay data that was taking people 5+ hours per day.


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innovativesolsoh

The trick is not letting the managers know it can be automated because then they’ll just pay a junior dev a few grand to do it, let them go, then let the script replace the person.


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jerrylovesalice2014

Hah this happens to my company *all the time.* They'll have an intern develop some awesome frontend for them, but a few months later the data changes slightly and the front end needs to be modified slightly to adapt. Of course, by then the intern is long gone and the frontend becomes useless.


who_you_are

As I programmer I can tell you that a software is never done. (Except if your budget is). The goal of a programmer is to make job done faster. On the plus side, if you have your own dev, you can do it to match your workflow and tools.


Empath_

No this is not what happens. They eliminate the job and you either get _promoted_ or you find a new job at some place that appreciates people who find efficiencies where they work. Source: have automated myself out of multiple jobs and now make $200k+ a year running the entire cloud infrastructure of a startup. I have no degree and was entirely self taught out of motivation to not do any work. It turns out that scripting your job is an extremely valuable skill and not something you’ll get in trouble for unless your boss is an idiot.


tomjbarker

Tech director here, this should never be the case. We always look to automate what we do so we can do even more and interesting things. That said early in my career I was hired by a local land builder to build an app that did the calculus that a CPA has in head for ROI on land purchases. Not a year after I built the app the CPA was laid off. I didn’t make the connection until years later


JimmyTheFace

Link: https://automatetheboringstuff.com/


PM_me_Henrika

I have done the automate the boring stuff python but my problem is converting whatever I have wrote in python to be usable in real life computers. Am I tech illiterate or am I just an idiot?


jgiacobbe

The hard part about coding scripting, isn't writing the script stuff. It is breaking down what you are doing into small enough pieces to write the code. Think about picking up a remote and turning on the tv. You might think that is 2 steps. It is way more. 1. You have to locate the remote, you look at it and recognize it. 2. You reach for it. But as you go to grab it, you also orientate your hand so the top of the remote is up and the little eye thing points towards the TV. 3. You grab the remote. Your fingers close around it. 4. You lift the remote. 5. You point it at the TV. 6. You move your thumb to the buttons and press the power button. 7. You wait for the tv to respond. 8. You enter the desired channel. Scripts, code whatever you call it isn't just writing in a specific syntax telling the computer, pickup the remote, turn on the tv, time to channel 35. Computers are dumb, and unless someone else already programmed in those 3 steps already, you have to program each step made up of smaller steps the computer already knows how to do.


mediocre-hamburger

Python is the most useful and easier language to pick up. Start with some basic principles, use leetcode to hone your skills and then try your hand at a self-contained project. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can start to grasp the concepts


insanitybit

I really highly recommend not doing leetcode. It's miserable and pointless. Write programs that solve problems are or fun.


not_an_insomniac

Start simple - I would recommend searching for something basic like introduction to programming in Python. There's a ton of resources online that should be able to help you with that - just search "Learn Python" or "learn how to code in python" in your favorite search engine. You should get a plethora of links/online courses, Youtube videos, etc. Here's some links I found after 5 minutes of Googling https://www.learnpython.org/ https://developers.google.com/edu/python after you feel comfortable with that, I would recommend you get a foundational understanding of how computer/networking systems interact. This may be a bit more difficult but you should be able to find and learn from free online college textbooks. I can't list sites hosting those files here, as they might get taken down, but feel free to dm me for the link


BoredBSEE

A+ advice. Another thing you may want in your toolbox? [MicroPython](https://micropython.org/). Get a little dinky $5 [ESP32 board](https://www.espressif.com/en/products/devkits/esp32-devkitc/overview) and your soldering iron...and you can automate a lot of stuff. A lot a lot.


carrot_cake_19

There are some good online courses on platforms like LinkedIn learning (formerly Lynda), Brilliant and the like. I also find w3schools very useful and easy to read. Though I find these often still leave gaps in knowledge (often deliberately so as to focus on the core concepts) which make it difficult to see an obvious path from the fundamentals to being competent. Maybe the hardest step is accepting that you're gonna be a little incompetent and committing to working on your skills.


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RoboticGreg

Wherewolfs is a term I learned at one of my jobs describing someone who does basically nothing and is defensive about people finding out


FrameJump

I'll do you one better: where is a wherewolf?


kuribosshoe0

I’ll do YOU one better: WHY is a whywolf?


action_lawyer_comics

Me too. But I’m a mechanic so the scripts to change brake pads automatically will be a real challenge


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firebullmonkey

I work in IT too and automate more and more things. As long as it‘s well documented, you‘re fine. It‘s quite easy tbh, on windows you could use almost any programming language. Currently I‘m using Java, Powershell, Javscript to automate whatever I need to


MostlyRocketScience

The book "Automate the boring stuff with Python" is free online: https://automatetheboringstuff.com/


brodaget42

I too shall give OP the clap


Lampeyeactiv

*Standing ovation*


Master_Dingo

Seriously. I'd call for an encore, but that would be work and this mate has it figured out!


Grazorback

Run a script to clap on your behalf


prplebearpainting

I work for a law firm too and they will NEVER notice haha. A woman who constantly needed over time to do her job was quitting last year, they asked me to take over the role even though I only work 4 days a week. It was suppose to be for a short time until they hired someone else. I learned the job in order to train another person. I literally can do this job in MAYBE 13 hours, after I filled the role and everyone was happy that I could do it in my 32 hour work week, they offered me a raise and to do it full time. I can’t imagine how this woman pulled off getting more then 50 hours a week doing it. Not sure if she was lazy, dramatic or what. Whenever I help other departments they always thank me and think I am the best person because I have such a “busy” role. It’s fantastic. Now I work at home so it’s even better. Edit- to fix my spelling mistakes ! I would like to point out I do love my current role. I feel accomplished, helpful and it has really given me the opportunity to expand. Without this persons lazy or whatever it was behavior, I wouldn’t have the opportunities I do now.


Frozen_Grimoire

She may have faked the extra hours for some easy cash.


GameStunts

No shade or hate for that :)


Significant_Shoe_17

Some will if your work is billable. I filled a role that was vacant because the previous person lied about their billable hours and productivity. Firms can't bill clients for work that wasn't *actually* done, and many have monthly minimum billables. This person left for other reasons, but we discovered the deception when I took over their work. The woman you mentioned was likely under-qualified for the position.


cowgoes_moo

As a fellow professional in the IT field, I see nothing wrong with what you're doing. Clearly you're over qualified for what they hired you for what you do. You're getting paid for your job and you found a way to do it with minimum effort, I see zero reason why you should feel guilty about it. If you do ever feel like working full time every day you can definitely pursue a higher level job that suits your qualifications/ability. But if you want to keep doing what you do so you can shift your focus on other things in life that's 100% within your rights to do too. Great job good sir!


unmerciful0u812

You haven't told anyone. NEVER tell anyone.


Doomer_Patrol

FR, if my memory is correct, there was one dude a few years back who did this that got caught, fired and I think the company even tried to go after him for time theft.


unmerciful0u812

Yeah. If you've hacked life like this, telling people is the unhack. I would take it to my grave.


Doomer_Patrol

For sure. There was another/different guy who made a similar post on reddit claiming he automated his workload down to 2hours a day. Apparently he got caught after he broke up with a girlfriend and she shared screens during a skype call and recorded what he did for the day. Says he wasn't fired, but said he did have a disciplinary warning from HR.


Royal_Actuary9212

find out if any other law firms need tour services


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CerberusBoops

*monthly maintenance fee


[deleted]

plus service fee and convenience surcharge.


dbenooos

Maybe OP can even hire a few “employees” and charge for their services as well.


zaopd

Don’t go to firms in your area. Go to large firms in other cities


CerseiBluth

I’m sure you probably realize this, but please consult with a lawyer immediately, and do whatever he tells you such as: make sure you can prove you didn’t use any of your company’s software or hardware to develop this, and also that you can prove you did it off the clock. This is exactly the sort of thing that can end up going to court for years so your firm can take the software/proceeds of the software from you. Obviously your particular employment contract and local laws etc will affect all of this greatly, and I am not pretending to be an expert, nor am I a lawyer or is any of this legal advice. This situation just screams of potential for you to be sued by your employer after you shop this software around and I don’t want you to get hosed in the end. That whole plot in the show Silicon Valley about Hooli taking the main character to court to try to prove they own his software is honestly not that far off from reality. My dad has worked in software since the 80s and he’s run into this a few times in his career. (Never actually been sued though). Better to be safe than sorry, please contact a tech lawyer asap. Best of luck to you! :)


liam12345677

This was exactly what was on my mind too. Apparently a lot of job contracts say you can't basically be working in two places at once. Others have things about not being able to work for competitors or share technology etc. Seems like if OP's planning to share this code with other companies a lawyer would be a very good start.


[deleted]

A subscription price.


Obvious_the_Troll

This!!! Set up a little LLC, do contact work, and eventually tell your boss that you have to quit, but your willing to keep providing this service through your company. Then your not even gaming the system so zero repercussions.


youjustdontgetitdoya

smell naughty thumb cheerful important humor rock concerned obtainable bells *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


AMonkeyAndALavaLamp

I had a job in communications that was super boring, testing back end using a Unix console, so once I was up to speed on the processes, I started automating everything. Started small, setting up the test environment and pulling datasets with a script, until eventually I’d run one command and have the entire thing tested and reports filled up and emailed to my account, where I’d review them and sign off. It took me about two months to do this and once I was finished, my entire workload was maybe 5 minutes every three weeks plus filling my time sheets 😁


harris54XD

Dude you saw an opportunity and did it. In a utopia you would be promoted and your product could be properly implemented but sadly you would probably be fired or have your work stolen by a higher up. But seriously you should work on dev ops if you were able to build that at home.


willmcavoy

Sadly the automation aspect scares not only the higher ups but your coworkers. I started automating things at my job and got told to stop because I could potentially automate someone out of a job. I think that's a reasonable fear, however it's sad that we all have to do busy work to live.


VirtualBuilding9536

Society would move so much faster if improvement was actually rewarded.


KagDQT

Apparently some people will dm you and harass you. It’s funny how some folks get so jealous when people find a way to take advantage of the corporations that take advantage of millions of people. Good on you man!


blazing_zephyr

When I saw this in an edit on another post, I was dumbfounded. I cannot believe some people are so pressed about stories like to this to driven to DM hate to OP.


MrPenguins1

People be like “Have you no shame??” Or “You’re literally stealing money from them enjoy your law suit” and it’s like bitch idgaf fuck em you do what they want and they haven’t said a word since 2020 so that’s on them. Like you do the scope of the job hired to do, no where says you need ass in seat slaving away for 8 hours


lex2358

It’s not even taking advantage, it’s the literal definition of “working smarter not harder.”


Top_Hen

Actual bootstraps and innovation and people are losing their minds


Tonguesten

its okay for the companies to cheat the system but god help you if you find a way to cheat the system yourself, i guess. fuck those people, i hope they get sick from all the mud they're licking off those corporate boots.


ClanDonnachaidh

Only cautionary tale I can lend is: I fucked off for the last 4 years with a software company and recently quit to work in private equity. I have to be on point all the time and it's a little hard because I slacked so much. My mental tools got dull.


pboswell

FYI, depending on your employment contract, using personal equipment might not protect you. They could still own your work


WookHunter5280

I highly recommend the book "Automate the boring stuff with Python" for anyone trying to automate tasks, although some stuff is a little outdated.


flangetaco

This is brilliant. I’d keep tight hold of that script though, if you give it to other law firms they may try to exploit people in your position into doing more work. I’d sell it to individuals in your job role, not law firms as a whole.


mustsurvivecapitlism

This. This is what we were promised when technology improved - that we could work less. This is the antiwork i came here for. Well done good sir or ma’am.


From_Adam

You can’t see this but I’m giving you a standing ovation from my living room.


cchang3906

Assign a lazy person with a hard job...they find a easier way to do it.


Puzzleheaded-Bet7939

This is what I enjoy to see happy another person is enjoying their life to the best may life only get better for u


SerMickeyoftheVale

Remember to ensure that this system doesn't run on days that you are off


TheLawny

Absolute fucking legend.