4 ms·

are culturally incentivized (...) to be desperate to win the approval of their peers by how bulging their foreheads are While I largely agree with your main th

by daxorid 10y ago

are culturally incentivized (...) to be desperate to win the approval of their peers by how bulging their foreheads are While I largely agree with your main thrust, I must take issue with this. Many of us (older generation perhaps?) were culturally incentivized to not exhibit any of our nerdiness, and were ostracized or worse for doing so. Many of us developed a "dumber" external persona and explicitly avoided demonstrating cognitive excellence specifically because of negative social incentives regarding being a nerd.

Rapzid 10y ago
Even amongst your peers? In the inner circle? You don't have the urge to stomp-a-nerd that encroaches on your territory? Maybe you don't personally, but I'm positive this sentiment exists from others in your generation.
- davelnewton 10y ago
  I certainly don't, although I'm but a single datapoint. I'll fight hard for my ideas, but not at the cost of missing what other people have to say. I'm reasonably old (nearing 50), I've been coding professionally since before college, and have a reasonably good head on my shoulders. But so do other people, and ignoring what they're saying, or dismissing it because I'm not saying it, is a lost opportunity. Even if that opportunity ends up cementing my owb belief. I owe it to them, and more selfishly, to myself, to consider the possibility I'm wrong. (A verrrrrrry remote possibility, but ya' never know ;)
eropple 10y ago
Amongst non-nerds, I totally agree; lots of people slow-play it (and so do I) in polite company. But nerd among nerds? This may be true for you specifically, but early in my career I regularly got stomped by the old heads for reasons that in retrospect really do seem like "this might be different and I don't know it therefore CHARGE!". And today I am often constrained to shave a graybeard when I go talk to a new prospective client or whatever when said graybeard wants to you-don't-know-Jack me. Me, I'd think we would be better than moose, butting heads to prove our dominance, but...not always?
- mikekchar 10y ago
  Things are changing a bit in the industry, but programming teams have historically been wolf packs. You have the alpha dominant one that withstands the challenges of the young up and coming pups. Sometimes the alpha needs to nip their heels to get them in line. This shape can work well if you have a good alpha. It provides direction and confidence in the team. It can be a great antidote to team staffed entirely with prima donnas. When done well, it actually provides a safe place for people to learn and experiment because the alpha is the only one that takes political risks. On more democratic teams I've seen many junior/intermediate developers absolutely melt down when they suddenly discover that they aren't as good as they thought they were. I thought this was an interesting set of anecdotes about dog roles: http://www.massachusettsdogtrainer.com/page11.php http://www.massachusettsdogtrainer.com/page11.php

by daxorid 10y ago

Rapzid 10y ago

Even amongst your peers? In the inner circle? You don't have the urge to stomp-a-nerd that encroaches on your territory? Maybe you don't personally, but I'm positive this sentiment exists from others in your generation.

davelnewton 10y ago
I certainly don't, although I'm but a single datapoint. I'll fight hard for my ideas, but not at the cost of missing what other people have to say. I'm reasonably old (nearing 50), I've been coding professionally since before college, and have a reasonably good head on my shoulders. But so do other people, and ignoring what they're saying, or dismissing it because I'm not saying it, is a lost opportunity. Even if that opportunity ends up cementing my owb belief. I owe it to them, and more selfishly, to myself, to consider the possibility I'm wrong. (A verrrrrrry remote possibility, but ya' never know ;)

eropple 10y ago

Amongst non-nerds, I totally agree; lots of people slow-play it (and so do I) in polite company. But nerd among nerds? This may be true for you specifically, but early in my career I regularly got stomped by the old heads for reasons that in retrospect really do seem like "this might be different and I don't know it therefore CHARGE!". And today I am often constrained to shave a graybeard when I go talk to a new prospective client or whatever when said graybeard wants to you-don't-know-Jack me. Me, I'd think we would be better than moose, butting heads to prove our dominance, but...not always?

mikekchar 10y ago
Things are changing a bit in the industry, but programming teams have historically been wolf packs. You have the alpha dominant one that withstands the challenges of the young up and coming pups. Sometimes the alpha needs to nip their heels to get them in line. This shape can work well if you have a good alpha. It provides direction and confidence in the team. It can be a great antidote to team staffed entirely with prima donnas. When done well, it actually provides a safe place for people to learn and experiment because the alpha is the only one that takes political risks. On more democratic teams I've seen many junior/intermediate developers absolutely melt down when they suddenly discover that they aren't as good as they thought they were. I thought this was an interesting set of anecdotes about dog roles: http://www.massachusettsdogtrainer.com/page11.php http://www.massachusettsdogtrainer.com/page11.php