

Ask HN: Webdesign micromanagers - tormentor

I have no design freedom at all. Anyone else have a micro managing boss? and how do you deal with it? and is web designing like this at most companies.
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jamesteow
Quit.

There's sometimes very little you can do to change someones perspective on
this (especially if they are a boss), and instead of trying to push and lose
(because I'm not at their level), I ended up doing work on my own or
contracting for companies who have an appreciation for it.

The best work comes from doing what you love and working with people who
understand it. When I look at my body of work, my favorite designs and
executions come from working with open-minded creative leaders. They don't
need you to tell them how to deal better. They just know and the arguments you
have are based on bigger issues. The micromanaging bosses resulted in staid
work that I wouldn't show or link to anyone.

The longer you wait, the more time you are not with an ideal boss. And unless
the work you produce is actually amazing, then I don't see the point in
sticking around.

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tormentor
Its easy to quit but finding work after is the big question. Do you have any
suggestions on where to start? I'm great at HTML/CSS,I can design pretty good
UI and I started learning some python now. Should I look for work online?

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jamesteow
Definitely look for work now. Seriously.

Look at Krop, Craigslist (believe it or not, there are some really good jobs
on the Craigslist board, you just have to filter), HackerNews... which area
are you in?

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tormentor
I'm probably in the worst area for any of the jobs I'm looking for. I'm living
in Miami, FL. Here we have warehouses and out of touch web designers. Thanks
for the help, I really appreciate it.

~~~
jamesteow
Yeah that's tough.

One thing that might help is looking for a brand based in Miami. They might
have a cool web design department.

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pbreit
I believe this is not uncommon. But look at it from the manager's perspective:
unless they are really using design to move the needle, individual bouts of
creativity are frequently counter-productive.

