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That unless you are in a pure code monkey position, programming is at most, 30% of the job and there is an array of skills that have nothing to do with programm

by JCDenton2052 10y ago

That unless you are in a pure code monkey position, programming is at most, 30% of the job and there is an array of skills that have nothing to do with programming that when mastered, will give the impression that you are an expert programmer.

__ddd__ 10y ago
Yeah, IMO it's mostly about convincing non-technical people that, while they know what they want, you know what they need and are able to provide it. If you're not doing this, your boss is.
indreklasn 10y ago
I have some idea what you're hinting on but no entirely. Im in my 3rd year in and have seen a lot of bullshiting. Should I just learn to start bullshiting?
- villastraylight 10y ago
  that's certainly part of it though as a freelancer this may refer to properly architecting before you write any code, managing your time, and negotiating with your stakeholder to keep the project sane/profitable
- btschaegg 10y ago
  Another way to read this would be that you shouldn't just be the one to churn out lines of code according to a specific request. More often than not, you'll be well advised to first get to understand the problem you're supposed to be solving and come up with a good solution rather than what you're told at first. The XY problem[1] is not limited to technical people, it will very likely also affect your boss or your customers. Occasionally, there's even the counterintuitive case where you can handle more use cases by deleting code, which I personally find very rewarding :) [1]: https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/what-is-the-xy-problem/66378#66378 https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/what-is-the-x...
- JCDenton2052 10y ago
  Is everything other than programming, "bullshitting"? Far from it. I am referring to a multifaceted spectrum of skills, no different than one every other non-technical professional has to contend with. Linguistic skills, logical fallacies (recognising other peoples' bullshit), arguing pro and contra, team dynamics, business knowledge (if you're in line of business software, which most of us will be in), testing (a science in itself)... and yes, the softer skills such as marketing yourself and trying to present your work in the best possible light. I would also recommend learning how politics function in the workplace, if only so you can defend yourself from other peoples' black magic.
- nunez 10y ago
  if you mean "talking up your work," "overcommunicating success" and "getting your name out there," then absolutely!
nefarianblack 10y ago
Exactly. Once you understand that coding is just a means to an end, you start looking at things more holistically. For a programmer, his code is the most important cog in the machine; but that is certainly not the case, marketing, user experience etc. are as important.

__ddd__ 10y ago

Yeah, IMO it's mostly about convincing non-technical people that, while they know what they want, you know what they need and are able to provide it. If you're not doing this, your boss is.

indreklasn 10y ago

I have some idea what you're hinting on but no entirely. Im in my 3rd year in and have seen a lot of bullshiting. Should I just learn to start bullshiting?

villastraylight 10y ago
that's certainly part of it though as a freelancer this may refer to properly architecting before you write any code, managing your time, and negotiating with your stakeholder to keep the project sane/profitable
btschaegg 10y ago
Another way to read this would be that you shouldn't just be the one to churn out lines of code according to a specific request. More often than not, you'll be well advised to first get to understand the problem you're supposed to be solving and come up with a good solution rather than what you're told at first. The XY problem[1] is not limited to technical people, it will very likely also affect your boss or your customers. Occasionally, there's even the counterintuitive case where you can handle more use cases by deleting code, which I personally find very rewarding :) [1]: https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/what-is-the-xy-problem/66378#66378 https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/what-is-the-x...
JCDenton2052 10y ago
Is everything other than programming, "bullshitting"? Far from it. I am referring to a multifaceted spectrum of skills, no different than one every other non-technical professional has to contend with. Linguistic skills, logical fallacies (recognising other peoples' bullshit), arguing pro and contra, team dynamics, business knowledge (if you're in line of business software, which most of us will be in), testing (a science in itself)... and yes, the softer skills such as marketing yourself and trying to present your work in the best possible light. I would also recommend learning how politics function in the workplace, if only so you can defend yourself from other peoples' black magic.
nunez 10y ago
if you mean "talking up your work," "overcommunicating success" and "getting your name out there," then absolutely!

nefarianblack 10y ago

Exactly. Once you understand that coding is just a means to an end, you start looking at things more holistically. For a programmer, his code is the most important cog in the machine; but that is certainly not the case, marketing, user experience etc. are as important.