4 ms·

Am I the only one to whom "developer advocate" sounds like a career path that's a bit like "dermatologist"? ...in the sense that it's people who went to medica

Am I the only one to whom "developer advocate" sounds like a career path that's a bit like "dermatologist"? ...in the sense that it's people who went to medical school but didn't quite cut it as REAL doctors?

stakhanov 8y ago
I knew I was going to get downvoted for piercing the warm & fuzzy positive reinforcement bubble here. But the first paragraph of the article suggests that in order to have a career as a developer you need to become something other than a developer. Let that sink in for a moment. If we had a bit of pride in our profession, we wouldn't let that stand as a cultural attitude.
- i_phish_cats 8y ago
  Says the data scientist? Pot, kettle. Kettle, pot.
  - stakhanov 8y ago
    As it happens I have always been a data scientist (since before there was a word for it), and being a data scientist implies being a developer. I have never been a developer trying to rebrand himself because he thought it sounded cooler and would be better paid. As a matter of fact the role I'm in right now is transitioning me into more of a pure developer/software engineering role and I don't see that as a step down.
- detaro 8y ago
  I think you're reading things into that paragraph that aren't there, or aren't familiar with the terminology it uses ("individual contributor" is a label for career paths where you stay a normal developer, precisely as a counterpoint to notions that the only way "up" is by leaving the profession): it does not say you need to become something else.
nindalf 8y ago
> Am I the only one to whom Judging by your downvotes, yeah. I dislike this caste system where some folks are higher than others because of the tools they use at work. This is the shitty attitude that makes several companies look down on front-end developers, for example.
- stakhanov 8y ago
  That sounds like a good reason for disliking the notion that people who use PowerPoint and business cards in their jobs are a higher caste than people who use code editors and source control, so it seems like we're pretty aligned in our opinions here...
  - detaro 8y ago
    you're the one that started to denigrate one job against the other...
siquick 8y ago
Not all developers are terrified of speaking to real customers. This job is perfect for an extrovert developer.
- TeMPOraL 8y ago
  Are developers really terrified of speaking to real customers, or are the managers terrified of letting developers speak to real customers? Personally, I've seen more of the latter than the former.
rorykoehler 8y ago
I hope for your sake you never need a dermatologist.

stakhanov 8y ago

I knew I was going to get downvoted for piercing the warm & fuzzy positive reinforcement bubble here. But the first paragraph of the article suggests that in order to have a career as a developer you need to become something other than a developer. Let that sink in for a moment. If we had a bit of pride in our profession, we wouldn't let that stand as a cultural attitude.

i_phish_cats 8y ago
Says the data scientist? Pot, kettle. Kettle, pot.
- stakhanov 8y ago
  As it happens I have always been a data scientist (since before there was a word for it), and being a data scientist implies being a developer. I have never been a developer trying to rebrand himself because he thought it sounded cooler and would be better paid. As a matter of fact the role I'm in right now is transitioning me into more of a pure developer/software engineering role and I don't see that as a step down.
detaro 8y ago
I think you're reading things into that paragraph that aren't there, or aren't familiar with the terminology it uses ("individual contributor" is a label for career paths where you stay a normal developer, precisely as a counterpoint to notions that the only way "up" is by leaving the profession): it does not say you need to become something else.

nindalf 8y ago

> Am I the only one to whom Judging by your downvotes, yeah. I dislike this caste system where some folks are higher than others because of the tools they use at work. This is the shitty attitude that makes several companies look down on front-end developers, for example.

stakhanov 8y ago
That sounds like a good reason for disliking the notion that people who use PowerPoint and business cards in their jobs are a higher caste than people who use code editors and source control, so it seems like we're pretty aligned in our opinions here...
- detaro 8y ago
  you're the one that started to denigrate one job against the other...

siquick 8y ago

Not all developers are terrified of speaking to real customers. This job is perfect for an extrovert developer.

TeMPOraL 8y ago
Are developers really terrified of speaking to real customers, or are the managers terrified of letting developers speak to real customers? Personally, I've seen more of the latter than the former.

rorykoehler 8y ago

I hope for your sake you never need a dermatologist.