4 ms·
Yeah, I don't even have a CS degree. I was considering myself below average as long as I was working mostly alone or on specific domains, for I could not compar
by wott 10y ago
Yeah, I don't even have a CS degree. I was considering myself below average as long as I was working mostly alone or on specific domains, for I could not compare with others IRL. I could only read people on Usenet or on the Web and they often looked 10 times as knowledgeable as I was. Also, I could see that other professionals listed impressive job titles and definitions, so I was, yes, really impressed and couldn't see how I could ever match those advertised skills.
Then I got a job in a bigger company, where because of the nature of the job, I could easily compare with other people in a large team, in the rest of company, and in other companies; and I quickly noticed I was in the top 10% or perhaps even 5%. That was at the same time very surprising and... very appalling, because that meant that all the big titles of those guys were just kind of fake, empty. it felt a bit as if I had been deceived. Even though they had CS degrees, they had vast holes in basic programming know-how an in computer knowledge, and they didn't give a fuck about it, as little as they cared about doing a clean work.
So the people I used to read on Usenet or the Web were indeed exceptions and not the norm, and sometimes pretty much gurus in their domain. Anyway, they were not at all representative of the majority of developers that populate companies.
- GuiA 10y ago> I quickly noticed I was in the top 10% or perhaps even 5%. That was at the same time very surprising and... very appalling, because that meant that all the big titles of those guys were just kind of fake, empty. Keep in mind that following that reasoning, people in the top 1% would feel that your title is fake and empty. Would you then say that it's a fair perspective?
- nitrogen 10y agoIf that supposed 1%er (all else being equal like negotiating skill, personality, etc.) is making less money or receiving less respect, then yes, that's a fair perspective.
- ramblerman 10y agoshouldn't the 1%er move up rather than criticise the rest down? I mean by definition there are only so many 1%ers to go around to fill up top spots.
- nitrogen 10y agoIn theory yes, but the world isn't strictly meritocratic. Age, school (or lack thereof), social connections, height, attractiveness, clothing style, voice, accent, social class, birthplace, medical conditions, and other non-work-related attributes can still affect a person's achievements.
- metaphor 10y ago> Even though they had CS degrees, they had vast holes in basic programming know-how... A CS degree does not confer programming know-how...something about judging a book[1] by its cover comes to mind. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Computer_Programming https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Computer_Programmin...