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TBH, you might be looking in the wrong place. Computer science != software engineering and you'd probably have more luck engaging with folks in academia circles

TBH, you might be looking in the wrong place. Computer science != software engineering and you'd probably have more luck engaging with folks in academia circles. Look into the Papers We Love community as well. I would, however, caution away from the mindset that your colleagues don't care about their craft. They probably do, but that doesn't mean that their interests necessarily overlap with yours. Calling them "9-to-5ers" seems needlessly adversarial as well, even if they do prefer more work-life balance in their life.

giraffe_lady 5y ago
Yeah I might well be one of these people. I do care a lot about my craft which is writing software for people to use to solve business problems. If my craft was more abstract or theoretical I'd care a lot more about those factors, be better versed on them. But my actual daily work is actually very grounded, applying known solutions to well understood problems. The craft is in the execution and refinement of it, not the theory here.
nameless912 5y ago
I just want to +1 this last point; I am a rigid 9-to-5er (actually 7:30-4 for a variety of reasons, but who's counting?), but I care deeply about my craft as a software engineer. I just refuse to work more hours than my employer is willing to pay me. I would rather improve my efficiency at work (something I spend a lot of time doing, e.g. by learning new tech, sharpening my tools) than work more hours. I chose to do this several years ago when I realized I was burning myself out and giving out way too many rainchecks to people I cared about. Point is, I can be both extremely passionate about my work (and do a pretty darn good job of it) and very protective of my time outside of work.
natpalmer1776 5y ago
While I definitely do need to work on being less critical of others in regards to how 'invested' they are in their trade, I don't mean to seem adversarial. When I say 9-to-5ers I refer to those who quite simply do not care about the code they write beyond the end of a sprint. I encountered similar individuals in other industries before I started working in Software, and the reason for the lack of interest varies from struggling to just meet the minimum requirements of the role they fill to direct expressions of pure apathy to anything that happens 'on the clock'. There is probably a better way to explain my perceptions, and again I am almost certainly suffering from premature judgment of many individuals. However, the net outcome from both cases is the same.

giraffe_lady 5y ago

Yeah I might well be one of these people. I do care a lot about my craft which is writing software for people to use to solve business problems. If my craft was more abstract or theoretical I'd care a lot more about those factors, be better versed on them. But my actual daily work is actually very grounded, applying known solutions to well understood problems. The craft is in the execution and refinement of it, not the theory here.

nameless912 5y ago

I just want to +1 this last point; I am a rigid 9-to-5er (actually 7:30-4 for a variety of reasons, but who's counting?), but I care deeply about my craft as a software engineer. I just refuse to work more hours than my employer is willing to pay me. I would rather improve my efficiency at work (something I spend a lot of time doing, e.g. by learning new tech, sharpening my tools) than work more hours. I chose to do this several years ago when I realized I was burning myself out and giving out way too many rainchecks to people I cared about. Point is, I can be both extremely passionate about my work (and do a pretty darn good job of it) and very protective of my time outside of work.

natpalmer1776 5y ago

While I definitely do need to work on being less critical of others in regards to how 'invested' they are in their trade, I don't mean to seem adversarial. When I say 9-to-5ers I refer to those who quite simply do not care about the code they write beyond the end of a sprint. I encountered similar individuals in other industries before I started working in Software, and the reason for the lack of interest varies from struggling to just meet the minimum requirements of the role they fill to direct expressions of pure apathy to anything that happens 'on the clock'. There is probably a better way to explain my perceptions, and again I am almost certainly suffering from premature judgment of many individuals. However, the net outcome from both cases is the same.