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> I too require that anyone working for me learn about the tech behind the magic. > Why? Because it creates RESPECT for the developers. Do you have any eviden
by zzzcpan 14y ago
> I too require that anyone working for me learn about the tech behind the magic.
> Why? Because it creates RESPECT for the developers.
Do you have any evidence to support that statement?
I don't think respect comes from knowing couple of things behind the magic and even related to that knowledge in any way. I tend to think that people who have mastered something respect others' expertise a lot more, than people who haven't.
- cafard 14y agoAnecdotal evidence tending the other way: I worked for a small company years ago where the owner had an almost superstitious respect for the programmers because he had tried and failed to learn some programming. Everyone else--including people who knew far about the workings of the systems than he did--he regarded as readily replaceable and looked down on.
- zzzcpan 14y agoI worked for a tiny company once where the owner was a self-taught programmer. He respected sysadmins and knew nothing about linux, but never respected programmers.
- mrxd 14y agoAgreed. Dilbert is a popular comic strip because people recognize the situations in their own lives. This suggests that the "pointed-headed boss" problem is much more common - bosses who think they know about technology because they've had some superficial exposure like taking a programming class, going to IT conferences, etc. To me, Kirk McDonald comes off as clueless and arrogant as Dilbert's boss. Calling himself "your next potential dream boss", using weird phrases that no one uses like "speaking computer code," and believing that taking a summer programming class means you can provide development effort estimates to clients!
- greenyoda 14y agoExactly. Anyone who calls himself "your next potential dream boss" is almost certainly not.