'I work while they party': Techie, who is least paid in his team, complains of having to manage others' work in viral post

In a raw and revealing post on the Developers India subreddit, a frustrated data engineer opened up about his disappointing professional reality. With four years of experience under his belt, he found himself in a deeply disheartening position: managing a team that not only earned higher salaries than him but also lacked basic competence in their tasks. Despite being the lowest-paid member, he was burdened with leadership responsibilities and constantly left to fix his teammates’ errors.

He described how his previous choices had led him to this unsatisfying job. While acknowledging that he had made some poor career decisions in the past, he was now stuck in a cycle of overwhelming pressure and underappreciation. He worked more than 60 hours each week, handling the most critical aspects of the project while others failed to perform even simple tasks, like testing their own code correctly. The stress of constantly reviewing their work, fixing bugs, and ensuring smooth operations fell entirely on him.

Even worse, his efforts were neither recognized nor rewarded. When he tried to assign tasks during a production issue, his manager blamed him instead of holding the team accountable. The company expected him to guide others through every small issue, treating him less like a manager and more like a cleanup crew. His situation reached a boiling point during a crucial client handover. While his teammates chose to celebrate Friday evening at a party, he stayed back alone to complete the deliverables, explain the details to the client, and ensure the project transition went smoothly—all without a word of appreciation.

Online Responses Offer Tough Love and Advice

The post struck a chord with many in the tech community. Several users responded with blunt but insightful feedback, highlighting both systemic issues and areas where the original poster could take charge of the situation.

One respondent emphasized that while the techie clearly had technical talent, he needed to develop managerial skills to match. They pointed out that if his team members couldn’t test their code or handle production tasks, he needed to train them instead of carrying the entire load himself. They added that leadership isn’t just about doing the job — it’s about ensuring others perform their roles too. If handovers were being ignored in favor of parties, it was a sign that expectations hadn’t been clearly communicated or enforced.

Another user suggested a more strategic approach — one rooted in corporate realism. They argued that overburdening oneself only makes one a scapegoat in toxic work environments. Instead, they encouraged the techie to let non-essential tasks fail if his team wasn’t willing to step up. By refusing to cover for them, management would be forced to recognize who was pulling their weight and who wasn’t.

Several also pointed out that strong feedback to upper management about the team's lack of accountability was necessary. If the leadership wasn’t listening or taking corrective action, the techie was simply being used — a convenient punching bag for failures that weren’t his fault. They concluded that enduring such imbalance and being underpaid was not just unsustainable but deeply damaging in the long term.