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A person who looks around at the people he's socializing with, then apparently immediately grabs a computer, downloads a statistical data set and begins to anal

A person who looks around at the people he's socializing with, then apparently immediately grabs a computer, downloads a statistical data set and begins to analyze it in R wonders why he's surrounded by other programmers?

minimaxir 12y ago
You can analyze data and use R and not be a programmer. Less than half of the students in my advanced stats classes at college which used R were CS majors. Granted, for me, knowing how to program made things a lot less frustrating. Spreadsheet programs are built for analysis without deep programming knowledge too.
- dsp1234 12y ago
  I am not, nor have I ever been, a CS major. Yet I am a programmer.
  - scottmwinters 12y ago
    I think you're kind of missing the point. There are not nearly as many MBA, liberal art, lawyer, etc people on here as techies and programmers.
  - scoggs 12y ago
    Same here, but my experience is that I only know other programmers through work. I'm sure that's as much of my own fault as anything but I still wish I had more people in my circle who I could talk to about work and my technical interests.
- Crito 12y ago
  I'd say that by virtue of using R, regardless of your major, you are a programmer.
  - bgilroy26 12y ago
    The author of the article seems to mainly be concerned with being in a really homogenous social group according to job title. You're right that everyone who programs is a programmer, but 'programmer' in the article means someone for whom programmer is their job title.
    - kelukelugames 12y ago
      I bet they people in his social circle would have the same argument.
- hasenj 12y ago
  I'm a programmer and I hate doing this kind of statistics analysis. Not my cup of tea.
- IndianAstronaut 12y ago
  A lot of the programmers at my company have never even heard of R.
austenallred 12y ago
Exactly. As ridiculous as it sounds, that's an act worthy of ostracism in the small town where my wife grew up (and I lived for a while). Living in a small town and working (remotely) in tech was an eye-opening experience. There wasn't another programmer within 100 miles. I learned that not only had I previously surrounded myself with a very homogenous group, but that the way I think and act most of the time simply isn't compatible with the way a lot of average Americans think and act. I don't say that to be prideful - it was a struggle. I simply approached situations and thought about things differently than most of the farming community around me. Now, (and I'm a touch ashamed to say it), my social circle has become homogenous almost consciously. I just couldn't handle it anymore. Being the outcast "nerd" gets really old. I love technology and the Internet. I want to live in the future. If you don't want to come with me, that's fine, but I'm not going to stay with you. I can't pretend to give a shit anymore about who has the biggest truck or who shot the biggest deer, and yes, I do care about whether my president is intelligent. I like acknowledging soccer as something more than "a Mexican sport" and not dismissing Tesla as something "for tree huggers." Does that make me "classist" of some sort? Maybe. But I'd just rather not put up with it. There's a longer essay I could write about how it feels like learning to program made me an introvert, but that's a different topic altogether.
- joesmo 12y ago
  Nothing wrong with not wanting to hang out or be around stupid people ("average Americans" as you put it). And yes, calling soccer a "Mexican sport", Tesla "something for tree huggers", and wanting a stupid president are exactly what makes one stupid and insufferable. I totally relate to your situation at the time. Unfortunately, it's not limited to small towns.
- randomdata 12y ago
  Interestingly, I also work remotely from a rural farming area and have found that the farming community is a lot like the tech community. They, like you, love the future and technology. Robotics is huge in agriculture right now. Tractors that drive themselves, cows that can milk themselves, how software can be used to improve the bottom line, etc. are hot topics, and come up frequently among my farming friends. In my eyes, if there is any competition, it isn't who has the biggest truck, it is who makes the most effective use of modern technology. In addition to being a developer, I also farm. Maybe I have a different perspective than you by being able to speak their language? It makes a big difference, in my opinion. I also enjoy being around programmers for the same reason. I find you can get into much deeper discussions more quickly when you have a shared background.
AgentME 12y ago
Yes, a programmer is wondering why he's only surrounded by other programmers. That's the premise of the article.

minimaxir 12y ago

You can analyze data and use R and not be a programmer. Less than half of the students in my advanced stats classes at college which used R were CS majors. Granted, for me, knowing how to program made things a lot less frustrating. Spreadsheet programs are built for analysis without deep programming knowledge too.

dsp1234 12y ago
I am not, nor have I ever been, a CS major. Yet I am a programmer.
- scottmwinters 12y ago
  I think you're kind of missing the point. There are not nearly as many MBA, liberal art, lawyer, etc people on here as techies and programmers.
- scoggs 12y ago
  Same here, but my experience is that I only know other programmers through work. I'm sure that's as much of my own fault as anything but I still wish I had more people in my circle who I could talk to about work and my technical interests.
Crito 12y ago
I'd say that by virtue of using R, regardless of your major, you are a programmer.
- bgilroy26 12y ago
  The author of the article seems to mainly be concerned with being in a really homogenous social group according to job title. You're right that everyone who programs is a programmer, but 'programmer' in the article means someone for whom programmer is their job title.
  - kelukelugames 12y ago
    I bet they people in his social circle would have the same argument.
hasenj 12y ago
I'm a programmer and I hate doing this kind of statistics analysis. Not my cup of tea.
IndianAstronaut 12y ago
A lot of the programmers at my company have never even heard of R.

austenallred 12y ago

Exactly. As ridiculous as it sounds, that's an act worthy of ostracism in the small town where my wife grew up (and I lived for a while). Living in a small town and working (remotely) in tech was an eye-opening experience. There wasn't another programmer within 100 miles. I learned that not only had I previously surrounded myself with a very homogenous group, but that the way I think and act most of the time simply isn't compatible with the way a lot of average Americans think and act. I don't say that to be prideful - it was a struggle. I simply approached situations and thought about things differently than most of the farming community around me. Now, (and I'm a touch ashamed to say it), my social circle has become homogenous almost consciously. I just couldn't handle it anymore. Being the outcast "nerd" gets really old. I love technology and the Internet. I want to live in the future. If you don't want to come with me, that's fine, but I'm not going to stay with you. I can't pretend to give a shit anymore about who has the biggest truck or who shot the biggest deer, and yes, I do care about whether my president is intelligent. I like acknowledging soccer as something more than "a Mexican sport" and not dismissing Tesla as something "for tree huggers." Does that make me "classist" of some sort? Maybe. But I'd just rather not put up with it. There's a longer essay I could write about how it feels like learning to program made me an introvert, but that's a different topic altogether.

joesmo 12y ago
Nothing wrong with not wanting to hang out or be around stupid people ("average Americans" as you put it). And yes, calling soccer a "Mexican sport", Tesla "something for tree huggers", and wanting a stupid president are exactly what makes one stupid and insufferable. I totally relate to your situation at the time. Unfortunately, it's not limited to small towns.
randomdata 12y ago
Interestingly, I also work remotely from a rural farming area and have found that the farming community is a lot like the tech community. They, like you, love the future and technology. Robotics is huge in agriculture right now. Tractors that drive themselves, cows that can milk themselves, how software can be used to improve the bottom line, etc. are hot topics, and come up frequently among my farming friends. In my eyes, if there is any competition, it isn't who has the biggest truck, it is who makes the most effective use of modern technology. In addition to being a developer, I also farm. Maybe I have a different perspective than you by being able to speak their language? It makes a big difference, in my opinion. I also enjoy being around programmers for the same reason. I find you can get into much deeper discussions more quickly when you have a shared background.

AgentME 12y ago

Yes, a programmer is wondering why he's only surrounded by other programmers. That's the premise of the article.