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>The mediocre “cogs” (9-5ers that just want a paycheck) outnumber us and I suspect 40% or less of them might benefit from pair programming, which I suspect is w

by imh 10y ago

>The mediocre “cogs” (9-5ers that just want a paycheck) outnumber us and I suspect 40% or less of them might benefit from pair programming, which I suspect is where all the buzz about pair programming comes from. I don't think I've ever been so negative on HN, but fuck this guy! "Look at those schmucks who want a life outside of work. They'll never be as good as I am. They aren't real programmers." I cannot stand this smug, condescending attitude. I think it's poisonous to our community and to our profession. You can be a good programmer and be extroverted. You can be a good programmer and just want to work 9-5. I get the complaint about trying to force it down everyone's throat, but don't act like that makes you better than everyone else.

pmoriarty 10y ago
This condescension towards mediocrity is a natural result of preaching and extolling meritocracy, which Silicon Valley and the tech scene is full of. Geniuses and high achievers are exulted for the hard work or natural ability which sets them apart from the rest. Their superiority is widely accepted and valued, while the inferiority of the rest who can't or won't achieve as much is implied. The puritan work ethic that's very common all over the US also contributes to this attitude. If you don't work hard, you are widely considered to be morally deficient. The interesting thing is virtually everyone is inferior in ability, talent, or effort to someone else (even in their own specialty). The 99% aren't as good (by whatever metric) as the 1%, and even the 1% aren't as good as the 0.1%, etc. But few will openly admit their inferiority (especially at interview time), and many are eager to find faults in others. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm far from the best at what I do. I long ago realized that in order to be really, really good at what I do, I'd have to sacrifice a lot of my life, and I did want a life outside of work. As a result, my resume, accomplishments, and skills aren't as great as someone who has made those sacrifices. I pay for that in not being as good a candidate for top positions in the field, and in not being able to perform as well. I'm also sometimes just not that interested in working on whatever widgets my company is churning out, or in their revolutionary transformations of whatever field they're conquering, and I just want to go home to do the things that do manage to grab my interest at the moment. I confess that sometimes (even often) I am just working for the paycheck. If I had it my own way, I wouldn't work at all, and just pursue my own interests, independent of whether some company wants me to do that or not. But I'm forced by economic necessity to work. Does this make me a bad person?

by imh 10y ago

pmoriarty 10y ago

This condescension towards mediocrity is a natural result of preaching and extolling meritocracy, which Silicon Valley and the tech scene is full of. Geniuses and high achievers are exulted for the hard work or natural ability which sets them apart from the rest. Their superiority is widely accepted and valued, while the inferiority of the rest who can't or won't achieve as much is implied. The puritan work ethic that's very common all over the US also contributes to this attitude. If you don't work hard, you are widely considered to be morally deficient. The interesting thing is virtually everyone is inferior in ability, talent, or effort to someone else (even in their own specialty). The 99% aren't as good (by whatever metric) as the 1%, and even the 1% aren't as good as the 0.1%, etc. But few will openly admit their inferiority (especially at interview time), and many are eager to find faults in others. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm far from the best at what I do. I long ago realized that in order to be really, really good at what I do, I'd have to sacrifice a lot of my life, and I did want a life outside of work. As a result, my resume, accomplishments, and skills aren't as great as someone who has made those sacrifices. I pay for that in not being as good a candidate for top positions in the field, and in not being able to perform as well. I'm also sometimes just not that interested in working on whatever widgets my company is churning out, or in their revolutionary transformations of whatever field they're conquering, and I just want to go home to do the things that do manage to grab my interest at the moment. I confess that sometimes (even often) I am just working for the paycheck. If I had it my own way, I wouldn't work at all, and just pursue my own interests, independent of whether some company wants me to do that or not. But I'm forced by economic necessity to work. Does this make me a bad person?