Every job will have some sort of crunch time. Even just staying in a programming position, the definition of “crunch time” will vary wildly. I’m lucky enough that “crunch time” just means that I set aside all my other tasks until I fix whatever is on fire, but I still get to go home on time unless I really want the overtime pay.

I don’t envy positions with forced 80-hour workweek crunch times. That’s a sign of bad management.

[–] onlinepersona@programming.dev 4 points 7 months ago

In the video game industry, crunch (or crunch culture) is compulsory overtime during the development of a game. Crunch is common in the industry and can lead to work weeks of 65–80 hours for extended periods of time, often uncompensated beyond the normal working hours.

This is the crunch time I'm talking about. Not a few hours overtime or being oncall.

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 3 points 7 months ago

“crunch time” just means that I set aside all my other tasks until I fix whatever is on fire, but I still get to go home on time unless I really want the overtime pay

I get the feeling that this is what the industry is moving toward. Most crunches are due to poor planning, so it's stupid to pin them on devs.

Or maybe I'm just working for a good employer.