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That advice, using code as a secret weapon in another profession, is great. But it comes with a huge caveat: it can bite you in the ass. I've automated myself o

That advice, using code as a secret weapon in another profession, is great. But it comes with a huge caveat: it can bite you in the ass. I've automated myself out of my own editorial/publishing jobs twice now. No regrets though. My mantra is that if you're not striving to automate yourself out of your own job these days, then you're holding something back, and not truly contributing your most valuable work.

hahajk 10y ago
If a person demonstrated that he can create software that can do the job of a human at a fraction of the cost, why on earth would a company get rid of that golden goose?
- verisimilidude 10y ago
  I've had a lot of time to think about that (been unemployed for a couple months now), and have come up with a few reasons. * All of your reputation within an organization can vanish following the wrong change in management (especially executive management) or organizational structure. A new manager may take for granted all the great things you automated if he/she never saw the prior pain and inefficiency. That new manager may then look at you, see someone who doesn't have a clearly defined role anymore, and fail to understand the long-term value. You can only sell yourself for so long; if you can't pull another magic rabbit out of your ass for the new management, and quickly, then you'll be gone. * Once you've automated yourself out of your own job, naturally people will notice and you'll start getting invited to work on other problems throughout the organization. In domain professions, which are often occupied by folks who have been doing things the same way for decades, this can be hugely intimidating and even threatening for others. I've been aware of this throughout my work and have always sought participation and consensus from those who might be affected by my work, but some minds are easier to win than others. Combine a few of these bad apples with the above change in management, and poof.
- Jemmeh 10y ago
  At my first office job I was able to script away a lot of my work. But...it was my first office job and while I had the skill, I didn't know how to sell myself. I didn't know what to study or work on to move forward yet. If I had to do it over, I would have introduced myself directly to more people in that department and learned their stack to get some direction. I would have tried to convince them to make room for non-senior devs. I did try to move up, but I talked to all the wrong people who couldn't see the value in my skills. I ended up getting an entry-level programming gig somewhere else.
st3v3r 10y ago
"No regrets though. My mantra is that if you're not striving to automate yourself out of your own job these days, then you're holding something back, and not truly contributing your most valuable work." Shouldn't you be, though? Shouldn't your most valuable work be reserved for you?
- verisimilidude 10y ago
  If that works for you, then I'm envious. But I can't operate like that, as an employee or a human. I prefer to give a 100% earnest effort and fail personally, rather than give less and "safely" watch everything fail around me. It's an attitude that comes with risk, but not without personal reward. If I'd held back in my publishing career, then I'd still be an editor somewhere, just waiting to get laid off anyway. Instead I'm here on HN. I get to be in the vanguard of what comes next. I have direction and forward momentum in my endeavors. IMO ultimately that's a far more rewarding and valuable place to be, and worth the trouble.
  - st3v3r 10y ago
    Who said anything about "watching things fail". Not once did I imply that you should let things fail, and to say that is extremely dishonest of you.
    - verisimilidude 10y ago
      Extremely dishonest. Wow, big words. It's not dishonest in my situation and industry. Traditional publishers are failing. It's not a secret. These organizations are largely run by veterans who like the "smell of paper" 1990s way of doing business. "Reserving my most valuable work for myself" would've been sucking up to those people without exception, keeping my jobs, climbing that burning ladder, and continuing to make myself a passive accessory to that overall decline. I made different choices.

hahajk 10y ago

If a person demonstrated that he can create software that can do the job of a human at a fraction of the cost, why on earth would a company get rid of that golden goose?

verisimilidude 10y ago
I've had a lot of time to think about that (been unemployed for a couple months now), and have come up with a few reasons. * All of your reputation within an organization can vanish following the wrong change in management (especially executive management) or organizational structure. A new manager may take for granted all the great things you automated if he/she never saw the prior pain and inefficiency. That new manager may then look at you, see someone who doesn't have a clearly defined role anymore, and fail to understand the long-term value. You can only sell yourself for so long; if you can't pull another magic rabbit out of your ass for the new management, and quickly, then you'll be gone. * Once you've automated yourself out of your own job, naturally people will notice and you'll start getting invited to work on other problems throughout the organization. In domain professions, which are often occupied by folks who have been doing things the same way for decades, this can be hugely intimidating and even threatening for others. I've been aware of this throughout my work and have always sought participation and consensus from those who might be affected by my work, but some minds are easier to win than others. Combine a few of these bad apples with the above change in management, and poof.
Jemmeh 10y ago
At my first office job I was able to script away a lot of my work. But...it was my first office job and while I had the skill, I didn't know how to sell myself. I didn't know what to study or work on to move forward yet. If I had to do it over, I would have introduced myself directly to more people in that department and learned their stack to get some direction. I would have tried to convince them to make room for non-senior devs. I did try to move up, but I talked to all the wrong people who couldn't see the value in my skills. I ended up getting an entry-level programming gig somewhere else.

st3v3r 10y ago

"No regrets though. My mantra is that if you're not striving to automate yourself out of your own job these days, then you're holding something back, and not truly contributing your most valuable work." Shouldn't you be, though? Shouldn't your most valuable work be reserved for you?

verisimilidude 10y ago
If that works for you, then I'm envious. But I can't operate like that, as an employee or a human. I prefer to give a 100% earnest effort and fail personally, rather than give less and "safely" watch everything fail around me. It's an attitude that comes with risk, but not without personal reward. If I'd held back in my publishing career, then I'd still be an editor somewhere, just waiting to get laid off anyway. Instead I'm here on HN. I get to be in the vanguard of what comes next. I have direction and forward momentum in my endeavors. IMO ultimately that's a far more rewarding and valuable place to be, and worth the trouble.
- st3v3r 10y ago
  Who said anything about "watching things fail". Not once did I imply that you should let things fail, and to say that is extremely dishonest of you.
  - verisimilidude 10y ago
    Extremely dishonest. Wow, big words. It's not dishonest in my situation and industry. Traditional publishers are failing. It's not a secret. These organizations are largely run by veterans who like the "smell of paper" 1990s way of doing business. "Reserving my most valuable work for myself" would've been sucking up to those people without exception, keeping my jobs, climbing that burning ladder, and continuing to make myself a passive accessory to that overall decline. I made different choices.