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This is a subject that I care about, as my wife is also a software developer and has felt out-of-place in a male-dominated field. Two things struck me about th
by MartinCron 16y ago
This is a subject that I care about, as my wife is also a software developer and has felt out-of-place in a male-dominated field.
Two things struck me about the linked article.
1: It sounds like her Midwestern co-workers were just assholes, seriously. Having asshole co-workers is a problem for men and women alike. One key distinction is that men don't immediately relate abusive bevahior to gender. I am sure it often really is gender hostility, but sometimes the guy is just a jerk.
Basically: Dear women (and men) in IT. There are jerks out there and there always will be. Sometimes the only option is to get a new job. Sad, but true.
2: I find the idea of a "glass cliff" (i.e. an impossible project set up to make someone fail) really fascinating. It's a form of harassment I've never heard of before. Anyone have stories?
- hello_moto 16y agoContrary to popular beliefs (that business people are assholes), there are plenty jerks that work as developers and they play quite good "politic" games in the office; they are smart individuals after all.
- MartinCron 16y agoYeah, I have been around enough to realize that smarts and virtue aren't in any way linked. Also the correlation between smarts and being a developer isn't as strong as I would hope.
- hello_moto 16y agoI think the correlation between smarts and developer might be strong, with a few exceptions. The thing is, people stop learning after University and stick with what they have known and learned. On top of that, most developers tend to be stubborn because people have been telling them that they're "Special", that they're "Smart" throughout their live (a decent University CS major usually would require the students to take a lot of Math, usually up to 3rd year Math and Stats, and Science courses. Students who excel in these subjects tend to be perceived as "Smart"). It's hard for anyone to be humble when they had been brainwashed.