3 ms·

For me, the T-shirt and jeans became my official 'uniform' back in the 90s. I used to keep a full suit, shirt, tie, and shoes in an office closet. These were s

For me, the T-shirt and jeans became my official 'uniform' back in the 90s. I used to keep a full suit, shirt, tie, and shoes in an office closet. These were strictly for client meetings (on wall st.). When sales no longer cared if I changed (or even asked me NOT to change) I realized the tides had changed, and 'techies' were expected to be dressed to run Ethernet, Haul boxes of mag tape, and be comfortable in front of a screen for 16 hours. Now, I generally say, sales calls need 1 suit, 1 geek.

artsyca 6y ago
Bro I don't identify as a geek and if that's a label you want to put on yourself you'd better ask whether you have a right to call yourself a professional
- mech422 6y ago
  I don't identify as a 'bro' and if that's a label you want to put on yourself, you'd better ask whether you have a right to call yourself a professional... See how silly that sounds? To me 'geek', 'coder', 'programmer' are all compliments - I worked dam hard to earn those labels. Geeks have a shared passion - Geek of Math, Geek of Law, Car Geeks, etc (look up geek code for some much better examples). A geek calling another person a geek is generally a compliment. An acknowledgement that they know what they're doing. Coders and programmers were out in the trenches grinding code before 'software engineer' was even a thing.
  - artsyca 6y ago
    There's lots of words like that but you're ignoring the perception framing the reality. Usage of the word within the in-group may mean one thing but from the out-group it means a whole different thing. You're basically calling yourself a slave and justifying it with blissful ignorance. You're saying 'words mean what I say they mean and I'm ignoring all shades of meaning but the ones I choose'. and you can't see that in a professional culture if some people are "suits" and some people are "geeks" it's a drastic disadvantage situation in favour of stereotypes over reality. And plus bro I wouldn't call you bro at the office but you'd surely call me a geek.
    - mech422 6y ago
      dam - lot of assumptions there, not to mention presumption of authority. Just for the record, I don't feel 'disadvantaged' or 'stereotyped'. If people feel their professional standing/opportunities are based on dress code, title or hanging around hoping to be the first person the boss notices - I'd say they seem more 'disadvantaged' then me. But that's just my opinion. Seems like we're at an impasse - Let's just call it here. You can be a 'software engineer' and I'll be a 'Geek'. edit: swap 'bro' for 'software engineer' as I could see 'bro' be taken as condescension.

artsyca 6y ago

Bro I don't identify as a geek and if that's a label you want to put on yourself you'd better ask whether you have a right to call yourself a professional

mech422 6y ago
I don't identify as a 'bro' and if that's a label you want to put on yourself, you'd better ask whether you have a right to call yourself a professional... See how silly that sounds? To me 'geek', 'coder', 'programmer' are all compliments - I worked dam hard to earn those labels. Geeks have a shared passion - Geek of Math, Geek of Law, Car Geeks, etc (look up geek code for some much better examples). A geek calling another person a geek is generally a compliment. An acknowledgement that they know what they're doing. Coders and programmers were out in the trenches grinding code before 'software engineer' was even a thing.
- artsyca 6y ago
  There's lots of words like that but you're ignoring the perception framing the reality. Usage of the word within the in-group may mean one thing but from the out-group it means a whole different thing. You're basically calling yourself a slave and justifying it with blissful ignorance. You're saying 'words mean what I say they mean and I'm ignoring all shades of meaning but the ones I choose'. and you can't see that in a professional culture if some people are "suits" and some people are "geeks" it's a drastic disadvantage situation in favour of stereotypes over reality. And plus bro I wouldn't call you bro at the office but you'd surely call me a geek.
  - mech422 6y ago
    dam - lot of assumptions there, not to mention presumption of authority. Just for the record, I don't feel 'disadvantaged' or 'stereotyped'. If people feel their professional standing/opportunities are based on dress code, title or hanging around hoping to be the first person the boss notices - I'd say they seem more 'disadvantaged' then me. But that's just my opinion. Seems like we're at an impasse - Let's just call it here. You can be a 'software engineer' and I'll be a 'Geek'. edit: swap 'bro' for 'software engineer' as I could see 'bro' be taken as condescension.