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>Good... the industry for developers has been slowly moving in a direction that seems to be trying to turn us into glorified auto mechanics. This is unacceptabl

>Good... the industry for developers has been slowly moving in a direction that seems to be trying to turn us into glorified auto mechanics. This is unacceptable. Let's keep supply tight! I'm not sure what this is supposed to mean. My brother is an auto mechanic and the type work he does constantly blows my mind. Diagnostics, transmission/engine rebuilds, you name it; especially with these newer models. With the exception of a few, there's nothing special about what we do. I don't see how we're any different than "glorified auto mechanics".

AnIdiotOnTheNet 5y ago
Unfortunately a lot of people in our industry have some kind of superiority complex.
MetaWhirledPeas 5y ago
I agree about the highly-skilled work auto mechanics do, but the solutions are more scripted, and the stakes are usually lower.
- foobarrio 5y ago
  Are the stakes really lower? A simple brake job gone wrong can literally kill people. I can't remember the last time I miscalculated profit/loss for a client where the result was a fiery death.
  - MetaWhirledPeas 5y ago
    Maybe a better way to say it is, software development usually has a bigger financial consequence. And that consequence scales along with the skill and judgment of the developer.
- Nicksil 5y ago
  >and the stakes are usually lower. You don't really mean this, do you?
mym1990 5y ago
I wouldn't be so fast to say there is nothing special about what we do. It may seem that way because we are in it day in and day out...but in the same way that I am fascinated by the work that others outside of my industry do(farmers, mechanics, small business operators)...they are fascinated and often dumbfounded by what I do(and I am no rocket scientist).
tomc1985 5y ago
Auto mechanics are in much greater supply than and make a much smaller salary than software engineers, and repair/diagnostic work is much different than the design work that seems to be less and less of my job. We're more and more in a place where we're just stringing together other people's rent-seeking SaaS services and putting up with all the resulting bullshit, rather than actively making our lives as developers easier by making stuff that results in less work. That, and our employers are taking 99% of the value we create, when that figure should be closer to 90%

AnIdiotOnTheNet 5y ago

Unfortunately a lot of people in our industry have some kind of superiority complex.

MetaWhirledPeas 5y ago

I agree about the highly-skilled work auto mechanics do, but the solutions are more scripted, and the stakes are usually lower.

foobarrio 5y ago
Are the stakes really lower? A simple brake job gone wrong can literally kill people. I can't remember the last time I miscalculated profit/loss for a client where the result was a fiery death.
- MetaWhirledPeas 5y ago
  Maybe a better way to say it is, software development usually has a bigger financial consequence. And that consequence scales along with the skill and judgment of the developer.
Nicksil 5y ago
>and the stakes are usually lower. You don't really mean this, do you?

mym1990 5y ago

I wouldn't be so fast to say there is nothing special about what we do. It may seem that way because we are in it day in and day out...but in the same way that I am fascinated by the work that others outside of my industry do(farmers, mechanics, small business operators)...they are fascinated and often dumbfounded by what I do(and I am no rocket scientist).

tomc1985 5y ago

Auto mechanics are in much greater supply than and make a much smaller salary than software engineers, and repair/diagnostic work is much different than the design work that seems to be less and less of my job. We're more and more in a place where we're just stringing together other people's rent-seeking SaaS services and putting up with all the resulting bullshit, rather than actively making our lives as developers easier by making stuff that results in less work. That, and our employers are taking 99% of the value we create, when that figure should be closer to 90%