4 ms·

Just commenting to say, that in our profession WITHOUT licensure there is not other way to really prove that we're competent except for our reputation. This lea

Just commenting to say, that in our profession WITHOUT licensure there is not other way to really prove that we're competent except for our reputation. This leads to big egos and constantly trying to make your self look better no matter what. If we were a licensed profession like medicine where you have a third party proof of your competence and you weren't constantly trying to guard your reputation, I bet you that it would lighten people up a lot.

karmajunkie 13y ago
Not in my experience. That just lends itself to a lot of protectionism and equally inflated egos (and the piece of paper to prove you earned it.) In fact, only academia tops medicine for inflated egos and self-aggrandizing behavior in my book.
- nickthemagicman 13y ago
  Ego is not so much the problem, it's that the computer industry is way more cutthroat. Doctor's and Academic's ego's come from having to maintain the same reputation that a computer person has to maintain. However, it's worse for the computer monkeys because we have the same level of intellectual capital to master yet we have no license to protect our years of knowledge which makes the industry way more cutthroat and step on your buddy to get ahead in my opinion. Just my observations.
  - karmajunkie 13y ago
    Man, I just totally disagree with all of that. I wrote medical software for most of my career, except for a brief stint as a pre-med student, and the level of narcissism I found in medical doctors far exceeded anything I came across in technical circles (not counting some percentage of founders). My girlfriend is in academia, and a similar trend prevails there. Contrast this with wanton disdain for credentials in much of the tech community coupled with a great deal of willingness to help each other out. Maybe I'm just blessed to live in a town like Austin, but this industry is anything but cutthroat on technical merits.
stephencanon 13y ago
> If we were a licensed profession like medicine... You've never hung around with doctors outside of the hospital, clearly. Their egos, in general, dwarf any I've encountered in software or hardware.
- hga 13y ago
  For "life and death" doctors, which I'd include eye people, it's in part a defense mechanism. They know some day, if not already, they're going to make a mistake that will kill a patient, and they've got to be able to accept that and carry on. One of the reasons I dropped that as a possible career, and one reason I like software and systems, for with a modicum of care you can recover from most mistakes.

karmajunkie 13y ago

Not in my experience. That just lends itself to a lot of protectionism and equally inflated egos (and the piece of paper to prove you earned it.) In fact, only academia tops medicine for inflated egos and self-aggrandizing behavior in my book.

nickthemagicman 13y ago
Ego is not so much the problem, it's that the computer industry is way more cutthroat. Doctor's and Academic's ego's come from having to maintain the same reputation that a computer person has to maintain. However, it's worse for the computer monkeys because we have the same level of intellectual capital to master yet we have no license to protect our years of knowledge which makes the industry way more cutthroat and step on your buddy to get ahead in my opinion. Just my observations.
- karmajunkie 13y ago
  Man, I just totally disagree with all of that. I wrote medical software for most of my career, except for a brief stint as a pre-med student, and the level of narcissism I found in medical doctors far exceeded anything I came across in technical circles (not counting some percentage of founders). My girlfriend is in academia, and a similar trend prevails there. Contrast this with wanton disdain for credentials in much of the tech community coupled with a great deal of willingness to help each other out. Maybe I'm just blessed to live in a town like Austin, but this industry is anything but cutthroat on technical merits.

stephencanon 13y ago

> If we were a licensed profession like medicine... You've never hung around with doctors outside of the hospital, clearly. Their egos, in general, dwarf any I've encountered in software or hardware.

hga 13y ago
For "life and death" doctors, which I'd include eye people, it's in part a defense mechanism. They know some day, if not already, they're going to make a mistake that will kill a patient, and they've got to be able to accept that and carry on. One of the reasons I dropped that as a possible career, and one reason I like software and systems, for with a modicum of care you can recover from most mistakes.