11 ms·

There's a major point in this article that not many commenters seem to be picking up on: there's a fork in the road of careers. To one side is a multilane highw

by dwc 13y ago

There's a major point in this article that not many commenters seem to be picking up on: there's a fork in the road of careers. To one side is a multilane highway over fairly level ground leading straigh to predictable suburbia. To the other side is an uneven dirt path leading through mountains and countryside to parts unknown and has many forks of its own. Neither path is right for everyone. And hardly anyone needs to be talked into the highway, as it's the default choice and the common wisdom. The sad part comes when some bright, young up-and-comer leaves off their interesting personal projects in less used languages in order to focus on only mainstream stuff.

UK-AL 13y ago
Its also sad when some bright up and comer ends working for lots of little small companies, on a tiny wage when they could be earning a seriously better life working for a large company.
- dwc 13y ago
  I am that person and I'm not a bit sad about it.
- nbouscal 13y ago
  "earning a seriously better life" is one of the saddest phrases I've heard. You don't earn a good life, you make it.
  - UK-AL 13y ago
    Of course you can. For a lot people the good life is a nice family, nice holidays, not being stressed. For that you require money. Otherwise you might end up in a tiny apartment, eating cheap food, feeling quite stressed.
    - nbouscal 13y ago
      No. Having a nice family, nice holidays, and not being stressed do not require money. Furthermore, your counterexample of a tiny apartment and cheap food don't actually contrast your definition of the good life. You can have a nice family, nice holidays, and not be stressed while living in a tiny apartment and eating cheap food. A lot of people do so every day, all around the world.
JoachimSchipper 13y ago
The highway also gets you places where you can't feasibly get by the dirt path. Yosef is right that you can't really do chip architecture, tool design etc. in a two-person company. (Chuck Moore doesn't count.)
_yosefk 13y ago
I'm not sure which part of what I said is described by the "dirt path vs highway" metaphor, so I don't quite follow this thread. I was speaking of a more "programmery" type of career vs a more "businessy" one. Within the continuum between the two, there seem to me to be plenty of "highways" and "dirt paths" everywhere, regardless of where you are on that continuum.
- dwc 13y ago
  You did mention choice(s), and I went off on my own with my silly metaphor. And your point about a continuum is good. It's certainly not a binary choice.
JRobertson 13y ago
You contradict yourself. First you say: "Neither path is right for everyone" Then you say: "The sad part comes when some bright, young up-and-comer leaves off their interesting personal projects in less used languages in order to focus on only mainstream stuff." Why is that sad? It's just like you said, "Neither path is right for everyone." I was bright and young once and had an opportunity to go into a start-up and shape the world, but I turned it down for a mainstream job, and I'm happy I did. There is no reason to pity my choice or mourn for me. And there is no reason to continue to foster the mentality that anyone who has never worked in a start-up is some sort of lesser developer.
- dwc 13y ago
  Perhaps I should have been more explicit than trying to imply with "interesting personal projects". Too often IRL and in communities like this I come across people who are obviously wistful that the apparent "correct one-size-fits-all career path" means doing business stuff in Java, C#, or whatever. If you realized your options and went mainstream then you aren't who I meant. I apologize if I didn't make that clear. I've also done mainstream business stuff, and with a good company it can be fulfilling work. I certainly don't mean to denigrate that choice or those who take it.
msolujic 13y ago
"Daddy, how is software made?" "Well, when a programmer loves an idea very much they stay up all night and then push to github the next day" It is really sad when one start do programming just for money.
msolujic 13y ago
"Daddy, how is software made?" "Well, when a programmer loves an idea very much they stay up all night and then push to github the next day" It is really sad when one start do programming just for money.
msolujic 13y ago
"Daddy, how is software made?" "Well, when a programmer loves an idea very much they stay up all night and then push to github the next day" It is really sad when one start do programming just for money.
msolujic 13y ago
"Daddy, how is software made?" "Well, when a programmer loves an idea very much they stay up all night and then push to github the next day" It is really sad when one start do programming just for money.
msolujic 13y ago
"Daddy, how is software made?" "Well, when a programmer loves an idea very much they stay up all night and then push to github the next day" It is really sad when one start do programming just for money.
msolujic 13y ago
"Daddy, how is software made?" "Well, when a programmer loves an idea very much they stay up all night and then push to github the next day"
msolujic 13y ago
"Daddy, how is software made?" "Well, when a programmer loves an idea very much they stay up all night and then push to github the next day"
msolujic 13y ago
"Daddy, how is software made?" "Well, when a programmer loves an idea very much they stay up all night and then push to github the next day"

by dwc 13y ago

UK-AL 13y ago

Its also sad when some bright up and comer ends working for lots of little small companies, on a tiny wage when they could be earning a seriously better life working for a large company.

dwc 13y ago
I am that person and I'm not a bit sad about it.
nbouscal 13y ago
"earning a seriously better life" is one of the saddest phrases I've heard. You don't earn a good life, you make it.
- UK-AL 13y ago
  Of course you can. For a lot people the good life is a nice family, nice holidays, not being stressed. For that you require money. Otherwise you might end up in a tiny apartment, eating cheap food, feeling quite stressed.
  - nbouscal 13y ago
    No. Having a nice family, nice holidays, and not being stressed do not require money. Furthermore, your counterexample of a tiny apartment and cheap food don't actually contrast your definition of the good life. You can have a nice family, nice holidays, and not be stressed while living in a tiny apartment and eating cheap food. A lot of people do so every day, all around the world.

JoachimSchipper 13y ago

The highway also gets you places where you can't feasibly get by the dirt path. Yosef is right that you can't really do chip architecture, tool design etc. in a two-person company. (Chuck Moore doesn't count.)

_yosefk 13y ago

I'm not sure which part of what I said is described by the "dirt path vs highway" metaphor, so I don't quite follow this thread. I was speaking of a more "programmery" type of career vs a more "businessy" one. Within the continuum between the two, there seem to me to be plenty of "highways" and "dirt paths" everywhere, regardless of where you are on that continuum.

dwc 13y ago
You did mention choice(s), and I went off on my own with my silly metaphor. And your point about a continuum is good. It's certainly not a binary choice.

JRobertson 13y ago

You contradict yourself. First you say: "Neither path is right for everyone" Then you say: "The sad part comes when some bright, young up-and-comer leaves off their interesting personal projects in less used languages in order to focus on only mainstream stuff." Why is that sad? It's just like you said, "Neither path is right for everyone." I was bright and young once and had an opportunity to go into a start-up and shape the world, but I turned it down for a mainstream job, and I'm happy I did. There is no reason to pity my choice or mourn for me. And there is no reason to continue to foster the mentality that anyone who has never worked in a start-up is some sort of lesser developer.

dwc 13y ago
Perhaps I should have been more explicit than trying to imply with "interesting personal projects". Too often IRL and in communities like this I come across people who are obviously wistful that the apparent "correct one-size-fits-all career path" means doing business stuff in Java, C#, or whatever. If you realized your options and went mainstream then you aren't who I meant. I apologize if I didn't make that clear. I've also done mainstream business stuff, and with a good company it can be fulfilling work. I certainly don't mean to denigrate that choice or those who take it.

msolujic 13y ago

"Daddy, how is software made?" "Well, when a programmer loves an idea very much they stay up all night and then push to github the next day" It is really sad when one start do programming just for money.

msolujic 13y ago

"Daddy, how is software made?" "Well, when a programmer loves an idea very much they stay up all night and then push to github the next day"

msolujic 13y ago

"Daddy, how is software made?" "Well, when a programmer loves an idea very much they stay up all night and then push to github the next day"

msolujic 13y ago

"Daddy, how is software made?" "Well, when a programmer loves an idea very much they stay up all night and then push to github the next day"