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Recently I landed a part-time job re-sizing images for a local custom-printing business, and while I'm really excited to start working, I couldn't help but notice the obvious flaw in the fact that they're doing all of their re-sizing by hand. I haven't started working there quite yet (I start in a few days), but being familiar with their products, I decided to write up a photoshop script to automate the re-sizing process for their large stock of images to format them properly for every sort of product imaginable. Of course the formatted Photoshop files will need a human pass over to make sure they're up to quality standards, but the script takes a huge majority of work out of what I'm supposed to be doing (not to mention turning minutes of work into seconds).

My question here is: Would using this automation script be advisable?

I would argue that automating the busy work of my job shows that I am much more valuable than originally thought, leading me to be put on for more hours, possibly higher pay, maybe even the potential to sell the script to the company for later use. I was discussing this with some friends of mine, however, and they were explaining that I was "shooting myself in the back", and that in automating my position, I would have effectively replaced myself and would be out of a job shortly after completing my work load.

Cameron Anderson
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    Will you be working at their site or from your own office/home? Will you be giving them this script if and when you leave? – Myles Feb 16 '16 at 19:52
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    Should I stay irreplaceable in the company by keeping all skills to myself? – gnat Feb 16 '16 at 19:53
  • @Myles I'd be working on-site with plans to give the script when I leave (as it would benefit their company immensely). – Cameron Anderson Feb 16 '16 at 19:58
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    @gnat I'm not keeping all skills to myself, it's more of a question of whether or not I would end up making myself obsolete rather than trying to be "irreplaceable". I don't want to commit a "professional suicide" in a sense. – Cameron Anderson Feb 16 '16 at 19:58
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    Sample of 1, but I automated my job and got promoted... started working on improving other things instead. – Ben Feb 16 '16 at 20:06
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    sell them the script – Kilisi Feb 16 '16 at 21:22
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    I think people here and OP are overestimating the value of a "script". It is just a sequence of operations you use to get a task done. It is not any different in principle to doing those things manually. The only difference is, using the script is smarter and requires less keystrokes and time. – Brandin Feb 16 '16 at 21:30
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    Second @Brandin ; that the automation in question is a photoshop script baffles me, I've written simple ones without a second thought to help me with (admittedly a rather small part of) my job.

    However, I fully realize that people outside of tech may not feel this way at all, and there are people out there that would feel this might make the job obselete. Caution advised if OP really needs the job, I suppose.

     – Cat'r'pillar Feb 16 '16 at 21:36
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    If you want to consider management in the future, then automate, do it for a few months quietly while keeping records of time saved, then brag very loudly. One must wonder why no one at the company has seen this page before. I have a need to resize images sometimes, numbering in the thousands, so naturally the first thing I did was search for a utility that would automate the process. There's tons apparently. –  Feb 16 '16 at 22:36
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    Cameron, this is Mike from management. I think this is a great idea! – isanae Feb 16 '16 at 23:08
  • Worse-case scenario you get made redundant but get a great story to put on your CV!

    If you want, make it clear that you are still required to, like you said, preform QA on the output images, but you've improved the efficiency for the laborious tasks. Also take a look at some other inefficient processes you or your co-workers do so you can have those ready for suggestions to automate. They would be mad to get rid of you.

    Also DO NOT try and sell it. You likely created it on company time, it's their property. Trying to sell it will go down like a cup of cold sick.

     – Hayley Feb 17 '16 at 01:43
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    @asdasd Actually I technically haven't started working for them, this is something I've done in my spare time – Cameron Anderson Feb 17 '16 at 05:24
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    @CameronAnderson I would still highly recommend you don't try and sell it. What happens if they say no (because they can't approve the budget or whatever), would you go back to being inefficient and slow at your job? It really won't work out. – Hayley Feb 17 '16 at 07:52
  • Wondering if @isanae is on the level, that would certainly be an interesting turn of events. – Lilienthal Feb 17 '16 at 11:22
  • Mr. Anderson! That's a really interesting question! Beyond what others have said, think about your personal growth too! You can add it as an experience for yourself. "I helped company XBetaGamma to evolve their process and automate one of their most time consuming-processes." This is a great addition to your professional experience. Anyway, good luck, Mr. Anderson, with whatever you choose. Just follow the white rabbit. – Hugo Rocha Feb 17 '16 at 12:21
  • Any manager who fires the person who does all the work they were ever hired to do in the first day is bad at their job. – kleineg Feb 17 '16 at 14:59
  • @Brandin: Another important benefit of an automated process is consistency. Once the process is correct, it will perform without the occasional error inherent in manual operation. – A. I. Breveleri Oct 28 '16 at 05:00

8 Answers8

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My question here is: Would using this automation script be advisable?

It makes a lot of sense to me, but the real decision maker is your boss.

Once on the job, learn what they really want done, and how they do it. You may very well learn that what you imagine automating isn't realistic, or isn't the crux of the problem. You might learn that the real skill (and the part they are really paying you for) requires a human touch.

If it still turns out that automating part of the task is feasible and beneficial, then approach your boss and ask if they would like it done. Some companies are old-school and don't want to automate, some do.

If you end up streamlining their process, they may very well find other tasks to fill your time - and be very grateful as well.

maybe even the potential to sell the script to the company for later use

Tread carefully here. If you develop the script at their company, you can't sell it to them - they already own it.

If you developed it before you actually start working there, you could choose to attempt to sell it to them. But if you take that route, you cannot use it at the company without getting their permission first.

I don't advise this route. If you want to create a script for their use, then do so. If you want to create a script to sell, then do it before your engagement with this company starts.

Joe Strazzere
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    With something so simple to automate, this makes some sense. Give the employer the benefit of the doubt and assume, at least at first, that there is a good reason they are not currently automating. –  Feb 16 '16 at 22:38
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    By automating this you don't put yourself out of work, you make yourself worth vastly more because you can automate other things too. – JamesRyan Feb 16 '16 at 23:09
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    And this is actually something great for the CV and future interviews. "I have automated tasks that lead to save X hours a week, I estimate this made the company save XXXXX $ each year" – dyesdyes Feb 16 '16 at 23:47
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    Also, i think trying to sell it is not a good idea. It will replace the good action you did by automating the process, so something really positive to go up, with a customer/product vision of it. If you don't get paid for it, they will be grateful for it. If they pay for it, then it is a due that it works well and they won't feel as strongly about your pay rise. Selling it is a short term solution I think. – dyesdyes Feb 16 '16 at 23:53
  • It's already a part-time job. There is no way they could own it, unless they let you write the automation script. – user23013 Feb 17 '16 at 02:15
  • @user23013 that is entirely up to the legislation of the country that the OP is in, and what it says in their work contract, if there is one. In Germany for example, it usually says that kind of thing in a work contract for a software developer, but would not say it in the contract of e.g. a cook or an accountant. The latter are commonly taking their arsenal of very nifty Excel solutions with them as they move through companies. – simbabque Feb 17 '16 at 08:28
  • @Joe good point. Apparently not, but I was looking for parallels where some process improvement idea that was not implemented using consumable resources that the employer owns is introduced by an employee, and where that is not part of their job. For a cook, that might be the development of a recipe. To be honest I don't kow about cases where that was the case, and for one that works in a RnD environment it would likely be in the contract, e.g. in a fast food factory's development section. If those have real cooks anyway. – simbabque Feb 17 '16 at 13:21
  • @joe your average restaurant probably doesn't care. I guess they have more important things to do than suing some former employee about the amount of salt in something. But most likely it's not that different. I will investigate, though we are taking it a bit off-topic with this discussion. ;) – simbabque Feb 17 '16 at 13:28
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The question you have to ask yourself is "Do I want to do a job that can be trivially automated by a Photoshop script?" I hope that the answer is no. You are too good for the job as originally described. You automate the process, show them what you did, and if they don't have something that requires someone with your level of abilities to do, they might let you go. In that case, you really didn't want the job anyway. You can do better.

Ernest Friedman-Hill
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    I appreciate the sentiment, but having no previous professional experience means being "too good" for a job isn't really an option. Even retail jobs around the area are incredibly difficult to obtain, and I feel blessed to have even been considered for something both local and in my field of expertise. – Cameron Anderson Feb 16 '16 at 20:01
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    @CameronAnderson Another way to look at it is that a good boss will recognize that your value is greater than just performing this one task, and adjust your responsibilities (and hopefully your pay) accordingly. A bad boss will fail to recognize your value and, his immediate problem solved, will discard you. – Mar Feb 16 '16 at 22:06
  • Still, you are too good for the job. If you don't have anything else, proceed with it, and use it as a booster for your next job. – gazzz0x2z Feb 17 '16 at 12:41
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To me, this sounds like such a trivial thing, really. It sounds to me like you are using Photoshop the way it was designed. You are doing the job you were asked to do. You are hardly "automating" anything. Using a script to do this is part of how it is done.

I almost feel like you are saying you've been hired to do someone's roof because nobody else at the company can get up there and you are asking, "is it okay if I use a ladder?"

Just do it. If you want to show them that you know how to do this, then just do it.

Octopus
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    This tends to create many isolated kingdoms within the company. Why not raise a suggestion to improve the process, and let everybody involved know about it in advance (with an option to help specifying what is done how). Then there will be less surprises should one key player want to leave the company. And less negative arguments in negotiations for a raise. – TheBlastOne Feb 17 '16 at 07:59
  • Just do it! yesterday you said tomorrow – Kyle Feb 17 '16 at 19:29
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It's a bit cynical, but I would just start using the script without telling anyone and use any leftover time to try and improve the quality of the product you're producing and see if there's any other systems you can automate. Don't advertise what you're doing and, if asked about the script, approach it like you assumed you should improve your workflow like that. If you find you don't have nearly enough work to do after a few days, approach your manager and ask for more tasks or responsibility.

In the meantime, get a feel for the people you work for, and whether they're likely to fire you if they can't produce more work or if they're likely to reward you for saving them man hours. If it's the former, you know to downplay your automation. If it's the latter, approach your manager and suggest other ways you could automate simple tasks (if you can think of any).

You should note, though, depending on your personality, fighting for a job that isn't keeping you busy can be an incredible source of stress. I know people that would love to put in an hour's worth of effort for an eight hour day, but I've been in situations like that myself and it was an incredible burden. Remember also, assuming your new job has a probation period, that this period is also for you to evaluate the position. If you find you're bored or stressed, you should act quickly to try and get another position elsewhere.

The most important thing, though, if you're worried about losing your job, is to get a feel for the people you're working for. Don't make any drastic decisions before then.

Jaguar Wong
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Your question is basically one regarding a moral choice, and thus outside of the scope of this site.

However, I'll try and answer:

By giving them this script (maybe not the first day in, but after around a few weeks or so), you'd be proving that you're a smart person. Now that you've clearly shown that you can creatively overcome these obstacles more challenging tasks may be handed you.

You might be asked what other improvements you could suggest (and this is also why it would be a good idea to hold off on handing over the script - you could use this time to identify some other improvements or responsibilities you might shoulder when you have more time available).

On the flip side, however, they might get rid of you as no longer being necessary.

None of us can know how this will go down, all we can do is wish you good luck.

AndreiROM
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    If I could upvote this, I would. My original plan was to wait until my second day working, that way I could adapt the script and improve it to meet the business needs, then I would implement it after talking to my manager. I suppose even if I'm let go, I would still have a powerful reference and might be able to land an even better job. – Cameron Anderson Feb 16 '16 at 20:04
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    @CameronAnderson - that's a good approach. The reason I recommend waiting a 1 -3 weeks is so that A) your script can be as fine tuned as possible and B) so that you don't seem like a smart-ass who knows better than everyone else right off the bat. ALSO! When you present your idea list some other ways in which you think some process might be improved. Show that you can be useful/valuable to keep around, not just that you can fix one issue. – AndreiROM Feb 16 '16 at 20:07
  • This isn't a "moral choice". You're operating a computer system. For example, if your coworkers only know how to use the slow way to operate an application, by dragging the mouse over to every menu and choosing the same sequence over and over, and then you decide to do the same thing by using the application's macro or scripting language, this is really more like a difference in style. And if it is much faster, it might be able to be repackaged/trained to other colleagues (but in practice, getting a script to that level is much harder than just writing a quick one-off). – Brandin Feb 16 '16 at 20:42
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    @Brandin - when handing a certain technology over can cost you your job it becomes a moral choice. – AndreiROM Feb 16 '16 at 20:45
  • The technology is built in to the system. As an anlogy, it would be like using the Excel macro system to automate a task. Most users of Excel don't know how to do it. If you decide to use that facility to make your task more efficient, this is not anything about "handing over technology". – Brandin Feb 16 '16 at 21:22
  • @Brandin - Once you've automated it, should I keep you around, even though you're doing 20 minutes of work for every hour you're getting paid? Should I strip your hours and make you a part time employee? Should I just fire you and use your macro myself? If you think about it and then decide to sit there for 40 minutes doing nothing, and not tell anyone that you have way of automating that process then what you're doing is called *lying to your employer*. Hence a moral dilemma. – AndreiROM Feb 16 '16 at 21:30
  • Yes lying would be a dillema, but I don't think that's what is being suggested here. Not at all. This is a site frequented by computer programmers. Automating is what we do, that's what the computer does. Just be honest about it and say "hey, I found a neat way to speed this thing up, want to know how it works?". Don't overthink small stuff like this. – Brandin Feb 16 '16 at 21:42
  • @Brandin Note that our audience is much, much broader than "computer programmers" these days. While IT jobs may be overrepresented among our established users, the people asking questions, especially on Workplace, come from all sorts of backgrounds. If the OP was really hired just to manually resize stuff and there is no other IT/Photoshop work for him to do then he can indeed be let go. Not every company has infinite IT work available so Andrei raises a very good point and I'm not sure why you're trying to disprove it with random analogies that don't change the core problem. – Lilienthal Feb 17 '16 at 11:30
  • @Lilienthal I think this answer text is good. But still the mention of "moral choice" at the beginning throws it off for me. Just my opinion; not trying to "disprove" anything. – Brandin Feb 17 '16 at 11:38
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I have personally been in a very similar situation myself, in the print industry. There are a few very important things you should keep in mind going into your new job, which would have helped me had I known them earlier.

Your Job Is Not Resizing Images

It may very well be that your employers need to have images resized to allow them to do their work. In the print industry, I can say with authority that this is pretty well a universally encountered job task, particularly in areas of design and "pre-press technician" roles (I've done both, and more).

The first task you have at a new job is to learn what they need from you, and how to do that specific job - and do it extremely well. Do the job with high quality, and learn to do it as quickly as is deemed necessary in your position.

By all means, use tools to help you do your job, but please remember: they are just tools to help you do your job. If a tool chews up an image or forwards a file on to press that was not within acceptable specifications, who's fault will that be? The company did not buy a tool, and will not blame it. Your job role is likely to "ensure all files comply with required specifications", and a tool can help you do your job faster, more accurately, or even make your job a bit nicer to perform, but it will not take responsibility to ensure you are doing your entire job well.

Some Tasks Are Easily Automated

I personally wrote a script that massively decreased the amount of time it took to take a customer file and set it into an appropriate format for printing. It sure made setting those kinds of files nicer, and it was sent out to many other people who began to use it in their jobs too. I liked that, and realized I really liked working with tools that made people's job better.

My job did not go away, because that was just one tiny task in a large operation.

Most Whole Jobs (That Still Exist) Aren't So Easily Automated

Oh, you're done setting the files already? That was fast. Here then, I'll show you how to use the proof printer. Once you've got that figured out you can help with color-matching palettes, contact sheets, and running basic setups on some of the machines. Maybe we'll show you how to run a machine, help with finishing, help the design team, refill ink, or heck - here's a broom, maybe you can clean up around here. In most places there's plenty of work to be done, and when you run out and they don't have tasks for you right now - well, there's plenty of questions around here about that!

Always Learn More About What You Really Want To Do

There's a key problem with a lot of advice on this subject - which is that there are people who's job it is to develop custom software applications and automation scripts. They are not the same jobs as pre-press technicians or graphic designers, and they do not get paid the same, and they are generally not employed by the same people in the same businesses, either. A pre-press tech who spends all his time trying to automate things may come to be viewed as someone who isn't doing the job they were hired to do, and that's usually when things don't end well. And the employers aren't really wrong - they want someone to do a specific job that fits the needs of their business, not the needs of someone else's business.

If improving your tools makes the job you do better and faster, great! Understand the work output is still your responsibility, and don't think the entire job was really suppose to be open/resize/save all day. If that's all previous people did all day your employers will likely be thrilled you want to do better, learn more, and provide more value to them - at the same low, low price they hired you for a few weeks ago! Your job can grow with time - learn your new job, get good at it, and keep expanding and learning more.

You Might Find Out a Different Path Is Better For You

Now, my issue in the past was I fell into the earlier category - someone who really wanted to spend his time developing automated solutions, researching process improvements, and developing new methods to do work better and faster. My earlier employer did not offer that job, and I had to have some less than pleasant sit-downs to understand that the job I wanted to do was not what they hired me to do, so I had to put aside my interests and do the job they had available. Click-click-click, stare...click-click-click, stare... It was honest and fair work, and I was bored stiff.

It turned out I loved research, working with technology, programming, and designing new methods for work. So that's what I do now - back to school, different day job in programming, and published my first research paper. That path might not be for you - but realize that every job you have includes a lesson about what you like, what you don't like, what you are good at, and what you aren't.

Focus on doing a great job, take personal responsibility for your work, and play the rest by ear. Do things the way they teach you, test out your own faster/improved methods, and see how things go. Maybe you can automate, but pay attention - there might be a really, really good reason someone else hasn't done that already. It might just be that automation is 95% accurate, but if you process 100 files a day they are going to be livid if you screw up 5+ jobs every single day - but sure did that work quick! In which case you will use automation but still have to hand-check every single file - because sometimes that's what they pay you for.

BrianH
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  • true, but sometimes jobs aren't automated because they can not be automated, but rather because people aren't aware they can be automated. A lot of tasks could be automated today but aren't because of this. My wife was once hired for 2 weeks to remove duplicate rows in an excel table, WTF seriously it took her 20 minutes to do this (mind you she had never done this) and 4 hours to validate there were NOT a single mistake (this was requested, there wasn't since it wasn't done manually). – joojaa Feb 17 '16 at 10:38
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Is automating my job a good idea?

Not at first, get a feel for your job at first. See what other duties if any you have, and what other duties you could take on if you had more time. I have seen more than one person automate themselves out of a job because there just wasn't enough other work to justify it.

If there is room to grow then talk to your boss and showcase your script as a time saving efficiency measure and move forwards from there. This gives the impression that you are proactive and keen to do more.

Kilisi
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  • And if there is no opportunity to grow, update your resume and start looking for a new job. Doing the job of a Photoshop script is a bad idea for your career. – ventsyv Feb 16 '16 at 22:40
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I think you are missing the important part of the job.

Of course the formatted Photoshop files will need a human pass over to make sure they're up to quality standards

By automating the re-sizing, you will be spending less time actively looking at the image, thinking of the product it is going on etc. For example sometimes a image should be cropped before it is resized.

I expect that some of the job can be automated and that a system can be put in place so that when an image is used on a product, the resized image is stored. But you will not know that until you have done the job for some time and understood what the real requirements are, not just the steps you have been told to do.

Ian
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