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Ask HN: Are all developers sith by nature?
May the 4th be with you, my friends!
We, developers, are creative individuals. My 20+ years experince says that one can not be a developer without being at least a little creative. But being creative is all about passion. And passion is the center of sith philosophy. So, we all are sith by nature? Even if we do not strive for power, we employ the dark side all the way.
- kluck 9y agoPassion to me is when you come back to some activity weither you plan to or not, e.g. you think about a programming problem out of the blue while in the shower or walking the dog. The things you are passionate about are always there in the back of your mind, presenting themselves when they wish. So passion is an attitude or state of mind regarding an activity. Creativity on the other hand is when you come up in an idea or a solution to a problem. When you let out the stream of thoughts regarding a given topic, unfiltered by rational thinking. So creativity is the process of getting rid of your prejudices and looking a topic from different angles. I guess they are both very different kind of concepts. Creativity can be a passion, see artists, musicians. But also the most un-creative activity, e.g. sorting stamps, can be a passion.
- itamarst 9y agoLots of developers aren't "passionate", at least about software development. (https://codewithoutrules.com/2016/11/30/not-a-passionate-programmer/ https://codewithoutrules.com/2016/11/30/not-a-passionate-pro...) And there's a good argument to be made that you shouldn't be passionate about software development: http://www.virtuouscode.com/2014/02/10/the-passion-gospel/ http://www.virtuouscode.com/2014/02/10/the-passion-gospel/ Creativity is not "all about passion". It's a skill you can apply with or without passion.
- dmitripopov 9y agoCreativity without passion is just making. You put pieces together, add some glue, and it just works. Being creative means to be able to find untrivial solutions.
- itamarst 9y agoWhat does finding untrivial solutions have to do with passion?
- dmitripopov 9y agoTake two programmeers, a passionate one and non-passionate about his job and give them the same complex task that can not be solved without invention. I did this experiment a dozen of times over my subordinates and non-passionate ones always fail. 100%. So I do not hire people that just do their job any more.
- itamarst 9y agoThere's a difference between caring about your job and being passionate. I recommend reading Avdi Grimm's http://www.virtuouscode.com/2014/02/10/the-passion-gospel/ http://www.virtuouscode.com/2014/02/10/the-passion-gospel/, it's really good.
- dmitripopov 9y agoAll of them did care about their job equally. To care - is to do your best, to be passionate is to do more than you can.
- michaelflux 9y agoYou may be just making, but if you're making a good solution, does it in any way devalue it if you're not passionate about it?
- dmitripopov 9y agoIn case when good is enough - it's OK. But when you need something exceptional - you will regret 10 times if you hire someone not passionate.
- 9y ago