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Why are we bending over backwards for Introverts? If you can't work on a team and socialize to the degree that you will be a functional team member, you probab
by paulhauggis 15y ago
Why are we bending over backwards for Introverts? If you can't work on a team and socialize to the degree that you will be a functional team member, you probably should think about getting some kind of therapy before getting a job as a developer.
Any project that gets bigger than a few thousand lines of code can't be maintained by a lone developer. It also requires some sort of socialization. Every placed I've ever worked required me to talk to other developers because my code would most likely be touching theirs to some degree or I would need to get info on something I would be working on.
- ivix 15y agoUnfortunately, you've completely missed the point of the article.
- paulhauggis 15y agoand you have completely missed the point of my post. (I downvoted you)
- anthonyb 15y agoI downvoted you, multiple times, because you're being an ass.
- tbrownaw 15y agoBecause some social interaction is necessary, allowing anything less than constant total social immersion is "bending over backwards for Introverts" and anyone who desires such is useless dead weight. Anyone who thinks that it might be useful to have even ten minutes of peace and quiet to be able to type or think without interruption is clearly delusional, because all thinking is done as part of a conversation.
- paulhauggis 15y agoso, brainstorming is useless? Sitting around and talking about an idea is useless? The entire point of the article is not to discount these things because they are useless, but to discount them because a small percentage of the population find them uncomfortable.
- paulhauggis 15y agoI forgot. HN is filled with introverts and rather than use logic and intelligence to vote on comments, use pure emotion.
- cgoddard 15y agoI think you're being downvoted because your opinions are grossly misinformed. 40-50+% of the US population could be classified as introverts (1). This couldn't in any way be called "a small percentage". Introversion is a personality trait, with advantages and disadvantages. To say that introverts "should think about getting some kind of therapy" simply for being introverts is simply irrational prejudice. (1) http://www.capt.org/mbti-assessment/estimated-frequencies.htm http://www.capt.org/mbti-assessment/estimated-frequencies.ht...
- tbrownaw 15y agoThe entire point of the article is not to discount these things because they are useless, but to discount them because a small percentage of the population find them uncomfortable. Funny, that's not what it said when I read it. Those things can be useful but, since other (opposite) things can be useful and even necessary as well, practicing them to the exclusion of all else like you're suggesting is stupid and counter-productive.
- anthonyb 15y agoBecause a large proportion of developers are introverts. Even if you're not an introvert, there's a good deal of evidence to suggest that you won't do well at concentration tasks when there are multiple distractions in the background.
- ktizo 15y agoPerhaps because a lot of high quality developers are introverts. A lot aren't as well, so we have to bend over backwards for them too. Keeping your developers happy is fundamental.
- ams6110 15y agoI'm probably what you'd call an introvert. I get along fine with most people. I have no problem chatting about work and non-work subjects. I have no problem helping others with a coding problem, or asking for help when I have one. But I can't sit literally elbow-to-elbow with another person and share a keyboard for much longer than 10 minutes at a time. My creative output happens mostly when I'm working in a solitary, focused manner. When we adopted mandatory pair programming it destroyed my productivity and my enjoyment of work to the point that I had to quit.