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The thing that separates those guys from everyone else is simple. Its stamina. No there isn't some higher level of understanding or deep perception. Every one
by timacles 3y ago
The thing that separates those guys from everyone else is simple.
Its stamina.
No there isn't some higher level of understanding or deep perception. Every one of the all time great programmers had 1 exact thing in common with no exceptions. Stamina. You will not find a single outlier.
They did their craft every day, for many hours, year after year.
So sure, any of us could have taken the individual small steps. But when you look at a whole body of work, you'll see they're cranking through these "small steps" like the Juggernaut running through walls for decades
- sibeliuss 3y agoThis is the answer. There's certainly ridiculous talent (especially with ideas), but in my experience it always comes down to stamina stretched through time. Cool things get built by people that stick it out, and recruit others to do the same. And also know _exactly_ when to exit to pursue something new (but that's a different subject).
- tltimeline2 3y agoInteresting, is the ability to know when to exit a prerequisite? I would think there's a distribution between those you spoke of and some that just picked one thing and went forever.
- sibeliuss 3y agoWell what I mean is there's an ability to see precisely when just enough is done -- no more, no less -- before one can hand things over and exit with sanity and / or dignity. It goes hand in hand. Many work very hard and quit before _the_ critical thing is done, which in a sense forfeits all prior work; others continue working and working and burn out. The best understand something about timing, almost in an intuitive sense. I've seen it again and again, and it's impressive.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- biscuits1 3y agoStamina isn't the word I would go for. It would be commitment. For those that have loads of stamina, it's the commitment to continuous creative encounters that leads to the perceived magic. From "Courage to Create" by Rollo May: "It is said that the novelist Thomas Wolfe, who was one of the highly creative figures of the American scene, that he was a "genius without talent." But he was so creative because he threw himself so completely in the material and the challenge of saying it-he was great because of the intensity of his encounter" Apologies going philosophical, its the only way to debate such an answer-science has no real answers for this title we call "staff engineer"
- er4hn 3y ago“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race” - Calvin Coolidge
- cjsplat 3y agoAnd with Coolidge's great persistence, he helped build the foundation for the Great Depression. It is possible to "press on" in the wrong direction.
- raydev 3y agoSure, but we're talking about "persistence" and dedication on the scale of "I built a complex piece of software"
- brookst 3y agoYes. Determination is essential for success but does not guarantee success. Kind of like how virtually all great cooking requires salt, but use of salt goes not guarantee a great dish.
- nazka 3y ago
- dataflow 3y agoPerhaps the word you're looking for is perseverance?
- crossroadsguy 3y agoAlmost each of such guys didn’t have to respond to Jira tickets and answer to shit asked by PMs and TPMs on a daily basis while standing in a circle and showcase/demo “progress” weekly, be part of a trillion meetings in a day, while also preparing documents for things you provably never understood the why of, and in general justify your existence there in a quantifiable way to every TDH in the team and the company. So when you’re looking for that role after you think you’ve got that stamina/perseverance/commitment, do remember that maybe you still have to find that right place to work at.
- citizen_friend 3y agoUnderstanding theory helps a lot. It's a hard limit on what your capable of making.
- comprev 3y agoMaybe tenacity instead of stamina?
- agumonkey 3y agoI beg to differ. I have high endurance but since a few years I make minuscule steps and plateau way below my expectations. Meanwhile some people are gliding with their hands in their pockets and will only need 7 days to exceed their initial goal.