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This is like reading advice from an alternate reality. Almost all the VPs, senior managers, principals, etc. that I've encountered in my career are poorly-dress

This is like reading advice from an alternate reality. Almost all the VPs, senior managers, principals, etc. that I've encountered in my career are poorly-dressed nerds, not ring-wearing, macho douchebags. If you are a politician in software, you will eventually get found out by someone competent and get the boot. The only way you can succeed as a politicking fraud is to hop jobs every-time the people around realize you can't actually do anything, or ride sinking ships. Even if some completely broken companies, this was good advice, it would be a recipe for a pretty pathetic existence.

bitL 9y ago
I agree it's a pathetic existence, which is why I am stating it plainly here as our field is becoming exactly as "any other field" quickly. You'd be surprised what goes on behind the scenes at the top level of most tech companies... Most boards of directors are comprised of non-tech members, bringing their own distortions everywhere. The only force we had was the pace of innovation, and that is no longer happening so massively in software as we reached the end of Moore's law, and only few bright spots are still on like AI/ML/robotics where companies can't afford to cross the "bozo event horizon".
- MaybiusStrip 9y ago
  That's just not my experience at all. But clearly, it's been yours. Perhaps there are two very different sides to this field, in which case my advice is to keep looking if you find yourself on the wrong one. From where I stand, software engineering has been an absolute boon. I have friends who are doctors, lawyers, consultants, traders, writers, salespeople, marketers... On nearly every metric -- pay per hour, amount of bullshit I deal with, variety and interest -- my job beats theirs. I started coding when I was 10 years old because I was a big nerd who wanted to make video games. I never, ever thought I'd make a top 3% salary 5 years out of college doing something I love. I'm tremendously grateful for that. I've been really successful by just being good at what I do, and that's mostly what I've seen other successful people do around me. At the end of the day, unless you own your own labor, someone else will be profiting off of it. The lower down on the ladder you are, the bigger the gap between the value you produce and your income. But that being said, software is not such a bad place to be relative to other fields.
Joeri 9y ago
The same for me. I've never seen much politics. It got bad once with an ex-IBM manager, but otherwise it has mostly been about how to get stuff built that meets customer requirements.

bitL 9y ago

I agree it's a pathetic existence, which is why I am stating it plainly here as our field is becoming exactly as "any other field" quickly. You'd be surprised what goes on behind the scenes at the top level of most tech companies... Most boards of directors are comprised of non-tech members, bringing their own distortions everywhere. The only force we had was the pace of innovation, and that is no longer happening so massively in software as we reached the end of Moore's law, and only few bright spots are still on like AI/ML/robotics where companies can't afford to cross the "bozo event horizon".

MaybiusStrip 9y ago
That's just not my experience at all. But clearly, it's been yours. Perhaps there are two very different sides to this field, in which case my advice is to keep looking if you find yourself on the wrong one. From where I stand, software engineering has been an absolute boon. I have friends who are doctors, lawyers, consultants, traders, writers, salespeople, marketers... On nearly every metric -- pay per hour, amount of bullshit I deal with, variety and interest -- my job beats theirs. I started coding when I was 10 years old because I was a big nerd who wanted to make video games. I never, ever thought I'd make a top 3% salary 5 years out of college doing something I love. I'm tremendously grateful for that. I've been really successful by just being good at what I do, and that's mostly what I've seen other successful people do around me. At the end of the day, unless you own your own labor, someone else will be profiting off of it. The lower down on the ladder you are, the bigger the gap between the value you produce and your income. But that being said, software is not such a bad place to be relative to other fields.

Joeri 9y ago

The same for me. I've never seen much politics. It got bad once with an ex-IBM manager, but otherwise it has mostly been about how to get stuff built that meets customer requirements.