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After working with ~ 30 odd programmers, I would probably classify myself as a 10x. I think a good chunk of HN'ers are 10x, with imposter syndrome of course. 1
by foobar_ 7y ago
After working with ~ 30 odd programmers, I would probably classify myself as a 10x. I think a good chunk of HN'ers are 10x, with imposter syndrome of course.
1. Patience - I have the patience to sit through and fix a bug. Googling it, reading the source ... this is fun for me. 1x programmers give up very often and very soon. They either blame others, feel pity for themselves for not figuring it out or hate the computer for giving the wrong answer.
2. Fuck OOP - I stick to the separation between data and code. If I am forced to use OOP, I abuse the command pattern. My code is procedural for the most part. Procedural code is easier to debug .. usually, when I see a bug, I know the exact function. 1x go "wow" at this, whereas I feel like an Imposter.
3. Tools - This would probably be my biggest sin and probably where I could be a bit of a hipster. I stick to tools and libraries that make me productive.
4. News - I try to keep up with the latest news. This often helps me leverage the next best thing for increased productivity.
5. Egoless - I don't care about rewriting, throwing away and deleting code ... trying a new library. 1x programmers get attached to their babies.
6. My code is not a mess, your ideology is a mess - I've found it easier to work with absolute beginners, 0x, than "experienced" programmers who like to throw jargon around. Beginners tend to find my code easy to follow, easy to fix, easy to debug. The first instinct of the "experienced" is to rewrite it because it's not "clean" enough for them. I'd rather you look at the forest than the tree. The whole thing delivers 80% of what business users want! I've had three projects where I did in two weeks what a group 10 programmers took months and that's sad.
Things where I can imporve
1. Testing - I usually do a lot of integration testing for the critical paths.
2. Security - I always tell people to hire pen-testers but no one ever listens!
3. Documentation - My biggest weak point of all. In my defense, I choose functions names reasonably stupidly. I think it's good move to hire great documentation writers.
4. Complex Algorithms and Maths - Always good to know more! This is where I have to rely on 100x programmers to come up with a good library. I aspire to be 100x.
- nickkell 7y agoI'm definitely a 10x programmer, but unfortunately 90% of my time is spent on hackernews, so nothing is gained.
- netsectoday 7y ago* avoiding object-oriented programming * avoiding testing * avoiding security * avoiding documentation * fixating on known platforms * a highly inflated ego * demeaning other programmers * arguing with experienced programmers during code review * using the word 'maths' (the plural form of math is mathematics) None of this classifies you as a 10x programmer and your comment has 'arrogant' written all over it. You have expert syndrome.
- thfuran 7y agoMaths is the proper term in British English.
- netsectoday 7y agoThanks, I was also wrong because there is no such thing as expert syndrome - it's called the Dunning-Kruger effect. This doesn't change my belief that all of foobar_'s coworkers hate him/her.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- foobar_ 7y agoClassic projection. You probably suffer from it. I spell out my weaknesses clearly. And Object Astronauts suck.
- netsectoday 7y agoNot quite sure what I'm projecting here... Your statement "I would probably classify myself as a 10x" is very misguided, and your response here is a poor attempt at manipulation. I only spoke up because I saw others agreeing with you about being a 10x under your definition; which is more aligned with a programming intern's view of the world. Here's my opinion on what I have seen in the workforce for 10x and 100x engineers: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20441541 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20441541 I think you'll connect with my last statement in that comment.
- eropple 7y agoThis is one of the most profoundly sad--as in, generates genuine pathos--posts I've ever read on the internet. Planting "egoless" square next to "your ideology is a mess" and clearly flagging that you'd rather have the chance to bully beginners than come to an accord with fellow professionals who might not lick your boots the second you walk through the door. While assuming--with no grounds, but you already know that--that somehow those poor benighted "1x programmers" don't have the patience to understand and fix bugs. This attitude is gross and demeans you and those around you. Worse, even by the standards you spout off about: in my experience it is also and without exception the attitude of someone who is not a "10x programmer" but somewhere in the negatives, causing needless and constant churn for the sake of looking smart. I truly hope, a few years down the line, you have cause to remember that post with regret because you've grown out of that phase of your development as a professional and as an empathic person.
- netsectoday 7y agoamen