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The point of the book is to help people manage the struggle, not how to become a great programmer. If that isn't what you want then you can go find some other b

The point of the book is to help people manage the struggle, not how to become a great programmer. If that isn't what you want then you can go find some other book. The authors own explanation: > There are plenty of books on how to become a better programmer out there. Books like this tend to have checklists and other advice that the author deems important enough for you to do in order to become a better programmer. They tend to focus on specific improvements like choosing a better editor, writing better test cases, or drinking lots of water. Those books have lots of useful advice, but they read like a laundry list of things that you must do all at once in order to succeed. This book will try not to saddle you with more work (you likely have enough as it is). Rather, we'll discuss what it feels like to be a programmer. We'll talk about the emotions in being a programmer; the feelings of frustration, guilt, anger, and inadequacy. We'll cover the struggles in learning new things and keeping your skills current. We'll talk about those times when you feel like giving up and walking away from computing and whether those feelings come from a place of love or a worry that you're not keeping up.

_cs2017_ 6y ago
So basically the book is teaching people to accept their mediocrity and be happy? Kinda like brainwashing people into being less ambitious, to counteract the brainwashing they experienced that made them too ambitious relative to their potential and abilities?
- Shorel 6y ago
  It's a very popular topic. See the biblical book of Job. Countless self-help books. Scientology. Paulo Coelho books. And so on.
- sdwr 6y ago
  Those sound more like expectations/goals/perspectives. Brainwashing reads like someone is jamming this stuff down your throat
  - _cs2017_ 6y ago
    Yeah, brainwashing carries a negative connotation. I'm not sure what the right verb would be. "Persuading" is too weak, since we're talking about changing the person's fundamental value system away from being too ambitious.
    - pjmlp 6y ago
      Not everyone wants to go up the ladder all the way to the top, many are happy to deliver whatever makes the customer happy with what is being asked today, without caring about what is going to be the next great thing, most likely already legacy in 5 years timeframe. The dark matter developers that don't care one second online communities like HN and Reddit do exist, never got paid to attend a conference even on their own town, and have more things to do with their life than hunting for stars on github after work.
ShroudedNight 6y ago
I will admit, I forgot that description as I got deeper into the content. In terms of managing the struggle, though, at least in my experience, a lot of it comes from having broken models of effectiveness. The net result is having to use a lot of emotional energy attempting to discern what the optimal answers are in a deeply ambiguous sea of grey, with the added difficulty of especially ruthless hindsight. Again, maybe my expectations were grossly miscalibrated, but there wasn't much in terms of orienteering in that environment. What advice there was: the regular, time-boxed 'containers' of learning, struck me as deeply taxing on someone who struggled with context switching or executive function. Further the exhortation to seek out like-minded peers would be especially painful (non-?) work for someone with social anxiety. I guess what I wrestle with reconciling is the desire to unconditionally affirm and pastor those in the depths of their struggle, with the advocated actions that would often be inconceivably costly to those most in need of that affirmation and support. Maybe the impersonal written word is a sub-optimal medium for this mission?
- svilen_dobrev 6y ago
  i have been mentoring wanna-be programmers for a while. 15y old and 40y old. Men and Women. In big companies and in tiny companies. For few weeks, and for many months. And... most do make it. Some don't. Not very proportional on abilities/capabilities, AFAI see them. It seems to depend on internal flame.. and some humility. Internal eagerness to do exactly that thing, And be useful. That desire keeps one growing, trying, failing, rising again, finding ways, learning about self by looking from "aside" (controlled shizophrenia IS the state of programmers mind), asking others, helping others, and repeating.. Common advices are difficult, everyone's struggle is different. Hence these taste like usual mumbo-jumbo.. here are some: do not fight your daemons, harness them. Find out weaknesses, and walk around them. Far away if need be. Or straight across them under different angle. Observe and study everything about yourself. Not all weaknesses are equal, are most are not weaknesses per-se, it's the perception that gives them the name. Ah, and same thing about the strenghts - Sometimes it might be better to avoid to ride a strength as it may take you too far, too fast.. There are many many meanings of the word "better", in "better programmer".. i'd prefer the ones closer to "better person" than to "ultimate machine". And.. the ambition.. may not be the best tutor. Persistence.. might be better. It is important to find yourself a project/s of your own. Nothing too great, can be tiny or insignificant to others. Then don't give up until you do it. And.. Have Fun. If there's never fun, then this isn't your thing. Abstractly said, programming is the ultimate boredom, and i only manage to do it for 35+ years by searching new ways of finding fun. Nowadays it's mentoring people. What's next.. will see :)

_cs2017_ 6y ago

So basically the book is teaching people to accept their mediocrity and be happy? Kinda like brainwashing people into being less ambitious, to counteract the brainwashing they experienced that made them too ambitious relative to their potential and abilities?

Shorel 6y ago
It's a very popular topic. See the biblical book of Job. Countless self-help books. Scientology. Paulo Coelho books. And so on.
sdwr 6y ago
Those sound more like expectations/goals/perspectives. Brainwashing reads like someone is jamming this stuff down your throat
- _cs2017_ 6y ago
  Yeah, brainwashing carries a negative connotation. I'm not sure what the right verb would be. "Persuading" is too weak, since we're talking about changing the person's fundamental value system away from being too ambitious.
  - pjmlp 6y ago
    Not everyone wants to go up the ladder all the way to the top, many are happy to deliver whatever makes the customer happy with what is being asked today, without caring about what is going to be the next great thing, most likely already legacy in 5 years timeframe. The dark matter developers that don't care one second online communities like HN and Reddit do exist, never got paid to attend a conference even on their own town, and have more things to do with their life than hunting for stars on github after work.

ShroudedNight 6y ago

I will admit, I forgot that description as I got deeper into the content. In terms of managing the struggle, though, at least in my experience, a lot of it comes from having broken models of effectiveness. The net result is having to use a lot of emotional energy attempting to discern what the optimal answers are in a deeply ambiguous sea of grey, with the added difficulty of especially ruthless hindsight. Again, maybe my expectations were grossly miscalibrated, but there wasn't much in terms of orienteering in that environment. What advice there was: the regular, time-boxed 'containers' of learning, struck me as deeply taxing on someone who struggled with context switching or executive function. Further the exhortation to seek out like-minded peers would be especially painful (non-?) work for someone with social anxiety. I guess what I wrestle with reconciling is the desire to unconditionally affirm and pastor those in the depths of their struggle, with the advocated actions that would often be inconceivably costly to those most in need of that affirmation and support. Maybe the impersonal written word is a sub-optimal medium for this mission?

svilen_dobrev 6y ago
i have been mentoring wanna-be programmers for a while. 15y old and 40y old. Men and Women. In big companies and in tiny companies. For few weeks, and for many months. And... most do make it. Some don't. Not very proportional on abilities/capabilities, AFAI see them. It seems to depend on internal flame.. and some humility. Internal eagerness to do exactly that thing, And be useful. That desire keeps one growing, trying, failing, rising again, finding ways, learning about self by looking from "aside" (controlled shizophrenia IS the state of programmers mind), asking others, helping others, and repeating.. Common advices are difficult, everyone's struggle is different. Hence these taste like usual mumbo-jumbo.. here are some: do not fight your daemons, harness them. Find out weaknesses, and walk around them. Far away if need be. Or straight across them under different angle. Observe and study everything about yourself. Not all weaknesses are equal, are most are not weaknesses per-se, it's the perception that gives them the name. Ah, and same thing about the strenghts - Sometimes it might be better to avoid to ride a strength as it may take you too far, too fast.. There are many many meanings of the word "better", in "better programmer".. i'd prefer the ones closer to "better person" than to "ultimate machine". And.. the ambition.. may not be the best tutor. Persistence.. might be better. It is important to find yourself a project/s of your own. Nothing too great, can be tiny or insignificant to others. Then don't give up until you do it. And.. Have Fun. If there's never fun, then this isn't your thing. Abstractly said, programming is the ultimate boredom, and i only manage to do it for 35+ years by searching new ways of finding fun. Nowadays it's mentoring people. What's next.. will see :)