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We do a great disservice to others by not appreciating their craft. I wonder if the author would feel as accomplished in his primary craft if someone who used

by buro9 14y ago

We do a great disservice to others by not appreciating their craft. I wonder if the author would feel as accomplished in his primary craft if someone who used a bit of jQuery for the first time went and declared that they were now a JavaScript developer? After 10,000 hours of practise a master craftsmen knows he still has a lot to learn. The problem with job title inflation like this is that it bloats the already large crowd of people who do not have the humbleness of a master craftsman and claim to be more than they are. I realise defeating negative thought is important, but the process of becoming something is possibly more important than using a claim to be something (to overcome such negative thought).

ebbv 14y ago
Exactly my reaction. I specifically call myself a developer and say "I can design but I am not a designer" because I am not as good as the pros at it. I have respect for those who are better than I am. Put another way; I can change my brakes, oil, spark plugs, and other basic maintenance items on my car. But I'm not a mechanic. I can't rebuild a transmission.
- farmdawgnation 14y ago
  Ditto here. I'm a software engineer who is capable of improving or tweaking a design as the project requirements change, but I can't do the entire process from conceptualization to visual design. I'm sure with enough practice I could, but to get good enough to say that I'm a designer I'd have to neglect development. And I, quite honestly, like development better.
- petenixey 14y ago
  I felt the author's post was less about taking credit from designers and more about appreciating how much value you add by learning the basics of the jobs which intersect your own. A good designer is expected to advertise their ability to write CSS and Javascript why shouldn't one expect and acknowledge the same from a good full-stack developer. Just as the JS-able designer may not be able to re-write GMail in Ember.js so the developer won't be able to necessarily create beauty but that doesn't mean the skills aren't important or as relevant in a resume.
bennyg 14y ago
Honest questions: what's to stop that person from calling themselves a JavaScript developer? Why shouldn't he/she? What in the words "JavaScript Developer" imply professional ability? It's hard for me to imagine how this person learning a little jQuery, and calling themselves a developer, somehow saturates what master craftsmen of JS/jQuery do. 1) They won't be stealing contract jobs from the master craftsmen, as a quick look at each person's portfolio would reveal who the better developer is. 2) They won't be stealing full-time work from the master craftsmen, as the phone interviews and in-person would quickly whittle away the new developer.

by buro9 14y ago

ebbv 14y ago

Exactly my reaction. I specifically call myself a developer and say "I can design but I am not a designer" because I am not as good as the pros at it. I have respect for those who are better than I am. Put another way; I can change my brakes, oil, spark plugs, and other basic maintenance items on my car. But I'm not a mechanic. I can't rebuild a transmission.

farmdawgnation 14y ago
Ditto here. I'm a software engineer who is capable of improving or tweaking a design as the project requirements change, but I can't do the entire process from conceptualization to visual design. I'm sure with enough practice I could, but to get good enough to say that I'm a designer I'd have to neglect development. And I, quite honestly, like development better.
petenixey 14y ago
I felt the author's post was less about taking credit from designers and more about appreciating how much value you add by learning the basics of the jobs which intersect your own. A good designer is expected to advertise their ability to write CSS and Javascript why shouldn't one expect and acknowledge the same from a good full-stack developer. Just as the JS-able designer may not be able to re-write GMail in Ember.js so the developer won't be able to necessarily create beauty but that doesn't mean the skills aren't important or as relevant in a resume.

bennyg 14y ago

Honest questions: what's to stop that person from calling themselves a JavaScript developer? Why shouldn't he/she? What in the words "JavaScript Developer" imply professional ability? It's hard for me to imagine how this person learning a little jQuery, and calling themselves a developer, somehow saturates what master craftsmen of JS/jQuery do. 1) They won't be stealing contract jobs from the master craftsmen, as a quick look at each person's portfolio would reveal who the better developer is. 2) They won't be stealing full-time work from the master craftsmen, as the phone interviews and in-person would quickly whittle away the new developer.