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> Yes, I can code that, but we can buy it just as cheaply, and let me focus on more important details of our business." Uh no. I code, that's what I do. I'm fi

by mevile 10y ago

> Yes, I can code that, but we can buy it just as cheaply, and let me focus on more important details of our business." Uh no. I code, that's what I do. I'm fine with being laid off if that's not creating value. I can code somewhere else. If you go into a non-engineering role, you are sacrificing your engineering career for temporary survival at your current job. The next engineering job you apply to wont probably like that you haven't done SWE work for whatever amount of time. Just pull off the bandaid and get a new job. I'm an engineer. I want to be good at engineering. I'm not interested in the rest of it. It's not my job to make sure the engineering tasks line up with business success. My job is making the math and the code work. Division of labor. I don't want any other role. If engineers aren't valued I'll go somewhere where they are. There are lots of engineers creating value all over the place. There's lots of opportunities out there, there's no reason to have to sell yourself if your skills don't.

redwards510 10y ago
While I certainly sympathize with this attitude, these days I simply can't afford to think this way. If all I do is write code from a spec, what separates me from the millions of other 10x cheaper coders offshore? My native English skills? As an engineer it's easy to think "yeah, well I write good code.." but in my experience you will never be able to adequately demonstrate that to a potential employer during the interview process.
throwanem 10y ago
> I want to be good at engineering. I'm not interested in the rest of it. Being "interested in the rest of it" makes you a better engineer. Indeed, there's an argument to be made that that's part of what makes you an engineer. How do you know whether you're creating value if you don't care to know what's valuable? How do you expect to be able to make yourself worth hiring if you don't know and won't learn how to make your paycheck worth signing? How do you intend to build tools that make people's lives better if you can't be bothered to understand what they need?
- mevile 10y ago
  Being interested in the rest of it creates problems because you're getting involved in domains you don't have any expertise in.
  - throwanem 10y ago
    There's a difference between paying attention and meddling.
perfectfire 10y ago
> Uh no. I code, that's what I do. If all you do is code I wouldn't consider you an engineer. > Engineers design materials, structures, and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality, regulation, safety, and cost.
- mevile 10y ago
  I personally don't care what you consider to be an engineer. I solve engineering problems, and I solve them well and I get compensated for it. I want to create great physics systems in game engines. It's not my problem to solve to make games built with that engine a success. I want it to succeed, but I don't get involved. That's not what I'm good at.

by mevile 10y ago

redwards510 10y ago

While I certainly sympathize with this attitude, these days I simply can't afford to think this way. If all I do is write code from a spec, what separates me from the millions of other 10x cheaper coders offshore? My native English skills? As an engineer it's easy to think "yeah, well I write good code.." but in my experience you will never be able to adequately demonstrate that to a potential employer during the interview process.

throwanem 10y ago

> I want to be good at engineering. I'm not interested in the rest of it. Being "interested in the rest of it" makes you a better engineer. Indeed, there's an argument to be made that that's part of what makes you an engineer. How do you know whether you're creating value if you don't care to know what's valuable? How do you expect to be able to make yourself worth hiring if you don't know and won't learn how to make your paycheck worth signing? How do you intend to build tools that make people's lives better if you can't be bothered to understand what they need?

mevile 10y ago
Being interested in the rest of it creates problems because you're getting involved in domains you don't have any expertise in.
- throwanem 10y ago
  There's a difference between paying attention and meddling.

perfectfire 10y ago

> Uh no. I code, that's what I do. If all you do is code I wouldn't consider you an engineer. > Engineers design materials, structures, and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality, regulation, safety, and cost.

mevile 10y ago
I personally don't care what you consider to be an engineer. I solve engineering problems, and I solve them well and I get compensated for it. I want to create great physics systems in game engines. It's not my problem to solve to make games built with that engine a success. I want it to succeed, but I don't get involved. That's not what I'm good at.