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In this thread there's a lot of complaining about mediocre developers. I'm still finishing my undergrad, and looking to go the PM route, but how do I avoid bein

by DGAP 11y ago

In this thread there's a lot of complaining about mediocre developers. I'm still finishing my undergrad, and looking to go the PM route, but how do I avoid being the type of developer complained about here?

angersock 11y ago
You shouldn't go trying to be a PM, because you've got neither the experience nor the respect to get there. Sorry to be blunt, but this'll save some time. Instead, focus on being the best engineer you can be, on building and crafting software as well as you can. That will earn you the respect of the people whose respect is worth something, and will give you the insights needed for leading a team properly.
- DGAP 11y ago
  >You shouldn't go trying to be a PM, because you've got neither the experience nor the respect to get there. Sorry to be blunt, but this'll save some time. I get that, the only reason I have my sights set on it is that I'm already working as one for a company. :) I think that I'll best be able to leverage my experience and skills in some sort of technical product or program manager role, but I wanted to be sure I can pass a big 4 technical interview ect in addition to my pm/ business skills.
  - bbcbasic 11y ago
    > I'm already working as one for a company. :) Wow THAT is a touche!
    - angersock 11y ago
      Depends on the company. :) Either way, the desire to hone the technical skills is in the right place.
jschwartzi 11y ago
Just act like you give a crap about the future of what you're building more so than meeting deadlines and other engineers will enjoy working with you. People have different ways of measuring this, so watch other team members to see what they value in code, and try to make sure you include those features. You don't have to put out clever or insightful code, only code that is succinct and readable and can be maintained by the existing team.
SomeCallMeTim 11y ago
Do you have a passion for developing software? Do you read Hacker News to find out about the latest technologies? ;) Do you spend time trying to improve your own skills? If you answered yes to all three, you're probably not going to be a mediocre developer. No guarantees; there's a bit of genetic luck involved. But if you do care enough, you can almost certainly get above the "commodity developer" level.
chipsy 11y ago
As long as you have a healthy measure of anxiety to keep your skills current, and are sincerely concerned about the ramifications of your code, you'll be in the above-average range. It's entirely possible to land a coding job by being a persistent bullshitter(operative word: persistent), but the very most top-notch folks feel pleased to stray outside of their comfort zone and into something unknown. If you're ultimately aiming for a PM role, you can limit yourself to doing a few technology skills well, and otherwise focus on other aspects of product.

by DGAP 11y ago

angersock 11y ago

You shouldn't go trying to be a PM, because you've got neither the experience nor the respect to get there. Sorry to be blunt, but this'll save some time. Instead, focus on being the best engineer you can be, on building and crafting software as well as you can. That will earn you the respect of the people whose respect is worth something, and will give you the insights needed for leading a team properly.

DGAP 11y ago
>You shouldn't go trying to be a PM, because you've got neither the experience nor the respect to get there. Sorry to be blunt, but this'll save some time. I get that, the only reason I have my sights set on it is that I'm already working as one for a company. :) I think that I'll best be able to leverage my experience and skills in some sort of technical product or program manager role, but I wanted to be sure I can pass a big 4 technical interview ect in addition to my pm/ business skills.
- bbcbasic 11y ago
  > I'm already working as one for a company. :) Wow THAT is a touche!
  - angersock 11y ago
    Depends on the company. :) Either way, the desire to hone the technical skills is in the right place.

jschwartzi 11y ago

Just act like you give a crap about the future of what you're building more so than meeting deadlines and other engineers will enjoy working with you. People have different ways of measuring this, so watch other team members to see what they value in code, and try to make sure you include those features. You don't have to put out clever or insightful code, only code that is succinct and readable and can be maintained by the existing team.

SomeCallMeTim 11y ago

Do you have a passion for developing software? Do you read Hacker News to find out about the latest technologies? ;) Do you spend time trying to improve your own skills? If you answered yes to all three, you're probably not going to be a mediocre developer. No guarantees; there's a bit of genetic luck involved. But if you do care enough, you can almost certainly get above the "commodity developer" level.

chipsy 11y ago

As long as you have a healthy measure of anxiety to keep your skills current, and are sincerely concerned about the ramifications of your code, you'll be in the above-average range. It's entirely possible to land a coding job by being a persistent bullshitter(operative word: persistent), but the very most top-notch folks feel pleased to stray outside of their comfort zone and into something unknown. If you're ultimately aiming for a PM role, you can limit yourself to doing a few technology skills well, and otherwise focus on other aspects of product.