I’m fully prepared to get raked over the coals for this one, but I’d like an outsider perspective on this.
I (23F) am working on a team assignment with a few other people (mix of M and F, roughly my age, slightly younger), and we have an assignment due this week. I’d been assisting another person with her part in the meantime, since my part required access to specific software. (IT is upgrading computers rn, and this software is only on computers that haven’t been upgraded yet. I can do some of the work on my computer, but can’t finish that chunk without access to those computers.)
I’d been waiting on my team to finalize the information, since there’s only so much that I can go off of with speculation, furthermore, there’s no announcement from my professor saying that the computers with this software are up and running again. I get a message from one of my teammates yesterday saying that I didn’t complete my part in time, and that he’s assumed the work assigned to me. Now I have to do analysis on a part that I didn’t do myself, which is honestly harder.
This has been bothering me for the past day or so, and I just really want to know:
AITA for not doing the part I was initially designed because of a lack of communicated information?
Why did you not make an effort to reach out to others or the professor for the information you needed?
INFO: what did you do to communicate with your teammates about the delay to your part? Did you tell them what info you needed from them or what you were waiting for, or try to find a computer by yourself?
Why is he able to do it? He isn’t hampered by the same computer problem?
YTA Your failure was in not communicating with your teammates so they knew what was going on with you and the software. Also, you nowhere say you communicated with IT about how to move forward or asked your professor. That part is all on you.
Whose job is it to *find out* the information you need to complete your assignment? Is it someone else’s job to notify you? Do you imagine in life that waiting around to be told things will work out?
You are young and are learning, and waiting to be told is what youngsters sometimes do. But when you *own* something (an assignment, a contract) it’s *your job* to figure out what needs to be done, when it’s due, and how you’re going to do it. It’s your job to make sure it’s turned in on time.
It’s your responsibility to figure out a way to work around the problems. You can wait around of course, but that often leads to failure. As you saw.
Gentle YTA
INFO: You haven’t given much info, but why was your classmate able to access the software? Were you being very proactive in seeking updates on when the software would be available, or were you waiting for someone to tell you? What do you mean by “lack of communicated information”? How did your classmate have this info but you didn’t?
It sounds like you probably dropped the ball, or at least weren’t as on top of things as you should have been.
YTA. You need to learn how to take initiative and seek information rather than wait for it to come to you. That’s truly not how the world works. I’m assuming you’re still in school, but just an FYI that in a job, you can’t just sit back and assume you shouldn’t do anything just because you’re missing info. Go get the info and do the work on time.
INFO: How much time was this assignment allotted – was this a couple weeks duration assignment, most of the semester, or what? Scale matters.
Also
INFO: Did you actually go to IT and directly bother them to ask about those unconverted computers, see if you could access them? Did you confirm that it was getting installed on any other machines, and find out when they’d be accessible? Did you check with your teacher about the results of this, as it could impact project viability?
It’s possible additional info will clear you, but from what information you’ve provided… yeah looks like YTA and didn’t keep track of your own job well enough – a common occurrence in college group projects.
I didn’t need to read any of that.
You are TA because you were in a group assignment. Group. Petty individual bullshit is not a hill to die on; you’re in a group. Group dynamics, especially assignments are usually unfair. You were relying on someone else which you refused to deal with, passing that problem onto the next person. You were justly rewarded with a more difficult task, coincidentally, out of need, which should also be another deathless hill. There is always a correct way to go about things, and this was not it.
YTA. You’re an adult, hun. You’re just making your own problems at this point
YTA. If you can’t do your part in a group assignment on time you have a duty to communicate that really well and frequently with the people counting on you, and take active steps to resolve it. From what you’ve told us it doesn’t sound like you’ve done that effectively. And I’m not super clear why your teammate can do it and you can’t. If you need to use a different kind of computer wouldn’t you take active steps to get one, or at minimum flag that need in the group chat?
If your teammate was able to access to the technology, so were you. That makes you the AH for not staying on top of its availability.
YTA –
This was your assignment, and you are responsible for keeping up on when you are able to access that information.
It’s not someone else’s job to notify you.
YTA if you did not communicate to your teammates about the issue you were having. If they need to get info to you, ask for it. If the software is down, tell them, and ask if anybody knows of any alternatives that might work.
It sounds like your teammate believes he can get the work done despite the software issues, and yet you don’t even sound the tiniest bit curious about why that may be. I mean, maybe he’s incorrect, but you don’t know and don’t seem to care.
You need to do the new task the group has asked you to do instead and not make excuses about why it’s harder. They could shut you out of the project, but they’re not doing that, despite that your teammate has now taken on *two* parts of the project instead of just his own.