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What a derogatory term: "code monkey"! Writing, maintaining and managing source code requires quite a bit of talent. It is not a trivial job. It is often also a
by eriksank 13y ago
What a derogatory term: "code monkey"! Writing, maintaining and managing source code requires quite a bit of talent. It is not a trivial job. It is often also a very difficult job that most outsiders would be incapable of doing, not even to save themselves from drowning.
- guerrilla 13y agoThank you for saying this. I've seen this a few times now on HN and really bothers me.
- nknighthb 13y agoIt's common industry jargon in the US, tongue-in-cheek like so much other jargon, and widely used by people to describe even their own jobs. You're ascribing a sense of malice to something that carries none.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- guerrilla 13y agoYes, I'm well familiar with the term. I did not mean to imply it was intended maliciously (nor that it wasn't.) I simply think that it is easy to interpret it as a devaluation of skill. This reactive feeling may just be based on my personal experience, but I also know I'm not the only one.
- smm2000 13y agoIt's not really derogatory. It's just self-humiliating humor that is pretty common in many professions.
- lilsunnybee 13y agoself-deprecating
- sliverstorm 13y agoHere it is a literary device to succinctly contrast the highly specialized PhD to the most basic of all programming jobs. It is not intended to be derogatory; rather, simply to emphasize the contrast between the two roles/qualifications. In general it falls into the same category as other colorful ways to reduce a role either for the purposes of humor or simplicity, such as 'keyboard warrior' or 'desk jockey'