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> I encourage new developers reading these sort of posts to just ignore the fluff and plug on. You'll get there. > And if not? In five years you might want some

> I encourage new developers reading these sort of posts to just ignore the fluff and plug on. You'll get there. > And if not? In five years you might want something else entirely. No offense, but this isn't good advice. You just contradicted yourself within two sentences. Here's the "true" version of this statement: You may not actually "get there". You may or may not want something else entirely, after that potentially traumatizing experience. You also may be six figures in debt now, good luck! In software development, we have this tendency to not take things seriously. Career choices are some of the most serious choices you make. I'm afraid we're luring all these otherwise uninterested people into this career path by promising them lucrative and future-proof jobs. What eventually happens is that an oversupply of underqualified candidates flood the market. Meanwhile, other trades that aren't always in the headlines are starving for workers. Despite what you may want to believe, many companies are afraid of hiring sub-par developers, because the narrative is that they will eventually ruin you. We can argue about how true that is, but that is irrelevant to the outcome. What matters is the perception.

esotericn 7y ago
The point I am making is that a qualified software engineer will eventually figure out something to do with their life. Not, however, if they stick dogmatically to the idea that it's Google or bust. I'm not talking about a lucrative job; a middle class existence; a big fancy company; any of that shit. I'm saying that an intelligent human being needs to realise that the world is not necessarily set up for them and they either need to fit in, or carve their own path. And about debt? Yeah, don't do that. The US college system looks like a racket to me.
- gridlockd 7y ago
  > The point I am making is that a qualified software engineer will eventually figure out something to do with their life. Fair enough. A true scotsman will never put sugar on his porridge. > I'm saying that an intelligent human being needs to realise that the world is not necessarily set up for them and they either need to fit in, or carve their own path. Indeed, a human being must either do one thing, or, failing that, do another thing. There's at least two ways of reading what you are saying. In the one reading, you are giving questionable encouragement. In the other reading, what you are saying is a tautology. I assumed the former, but apparently you meant the latter. You were right all along.
  - esotericn 7y ago
    The better analogy would be - if you have no oats, stop trying to make porridge. Or go and get some oats. It is indeed tautological. Which is my primary complaint about the prevalent attitude displayed in these hiring posts. Porridge isn't going to change its' recipe for you.

esotericn 7y ago

The point I am making is that a qualified software engineer will eventually figure out something to do with their life. Not, however, if they stick dogmatically to the idea that it's Google or bust. I'm not talking about a lucrative job; a middle class existence; a big fancy company; any of that shit. I'm saying that an intelligent human being needs to realise that the world is not necessarily set up for them and they either need to fit in, or carve their own path. And about debt? Yeah, don't do that. The US college system looks like a racket to me.

gridlockd 7y ago
> The point I am making is that a qualified software engineer will eventually figure out something to do with their life. Fair enough. A true scotsman will never put sugar on his porridge. > I'm saying that an intelligent human being needs to realise that the world is not necessarily set up for them and they either need to fit in, or carve their own path. Indeed, a human being must either do one thing, or, failing that, do another thing. There's at least two ways of reading what you are saying. In the one reading, you are giving questionable encouragement. In the other reading, what you are saying is a tautology. I assumed the former, but apparently you meant the latter. You were right all along.
- esotericn 7y ago
  The better analogy would be - if you have no oats, stop trying to make porridge. Or go and get some oats. It is indeed tautological. Which is my primary complaint about the prevalent attitude displayed in these hiring posts. Porridge isn't going to change its' recipe for you.