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This hit home: I worked over a decade at IBM. > When you are in a work situation where you are respected and admired, that is often its own reward. If you don’
by RustyRussell 6y ago
This hit home: I worked over a decade at IBM.
> When you are in a work situation where you are respected and admired, that is often its own reward. If you don’t have that, the components of your job that give you a sense of value and satisfaction are all connected directly to the career ladder. What is your title? What is the prestige value of your projects?
My current official job title is "Code Contributor". I was quite proud of coming up with something that would be evergreen even if as my projects changed, yet emphasized what I consider key.
But it seems to confuse people that it doesn't have "Senior", "Lead", "Chair", or "Manager" in it. Maybe I should just stick all those at the end? :)
- jacobsenscott 6y agoAbout 20 years ago I was a newly minted CS grad and a new software engineer. I told someone a lot older than me what I do and she said "Oh, that's a great start!". Which threw me because I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do next. That's what I wanted to do. Today I am a "programmer", because I realized software isn't really engineering. That's still what I want to be doing today, and I still don't know what she thinks I'm supposed to do next.
- DaiPlusPlus 6y ago> because I realized software isn't really engineering Competently writing software will involve applying engineering principles and a project management methodology: things like TDD, design-patterns, your system's architecture - they're all part of software-engineering. Writing software is "programming" in the same way that writing a bestseller novel is "typing" or doing mathematics is putting fancy symbols on paper.
- folkhack 6y agoCouldn't agree more... and to add my own thoughts, why the heck are we so hellbent on dropping the engineering part from software engineering? I get that it is a discipline that allows one to self-learn up the ladder to the title but why the hate? I do just as much highly-complex/critical work as my other engineering friends, so why is what I do not engineering all of a sudden?
- wtracy 6y agoSeveral people who dislike the term "software engineer" have started using "software craftsman" instead.
- DaiPlusPlus 6y agoI am aware of a few people in my social-circle who put "Software artisan" or "Purveyor of artisanal technology experiences" (etc) on their LinkedIn profile - so I believe you.
- Aeolun 6y agoDeal with enough incompetent management, and you might really want to become one to save others from the same.
- azernik 6y agoI like the traditional "Member of Technical Staff". Don't know if that's an IBM or Bell Labs coinage.
- greenyoda 6y agoBell Labs certainly used that title - people like Dennis Ritchie had it. I don't know about IBM.