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> the [..] difference between the "thinking" programmers and the "shipping" programmers grows larger That certainly seems true, but does that mean it should be
by PandaWhisperer 10y ago
> the [..] difference between the "thinking" programmers and the "shipping" programmers grows larger
That certainly seems true, but does that mean it should be that way? FWIW I see "thinking" programmer as a senior engineer, and "shipping" programmers as juniors. The latter will eventually become the former, but they require training and nurturing to do so.
In my experience, that's very hard to find. I've worked for many companies and in my experience, the ones with a "sane" programmer culture are very, very rare. Most are dominated by the business and sales structures, and see the techs as a necessary evil that they'd rather ship overseas where the wages are lower.
Where are the companies that are committed to technical excellence?
- the_hoser 10y agoI don't think that it matters how it should be. The question of how things should be is... pointless. We can speculate about that all day and it won't make a difference. "Senior" software engineers are shippers. They're the ones that have the ability to deliver on time without stepping on their own garbage. Any training that the company can offer will be in gravitating toward being a better "shipping" programmer. Don't look to companies to provide the kind of environment that the thinking programmer needs. Thinking programmers fit better in non-corporate scenarios. Hobbyists, academics, etc. Without the business imperative breathing down their neck, the programmer can stop and think about what they're doing. When a company does foster the slow-burn software work that the thinking programmer does, then it's because that company has more money than they know what to do with, and the bean counters are busy on other parts of the ledger.