The Landscape is Changing
This morning I read a tweet that was re-tweeted by a guy I used to work with. The tweet said:
If anyone needed to hear it: I don't care about .dev domains or mechanical keyboards, I don't read Hacker News, I don't have a customized terminal, I don't spend all weekend coding, I sometimes use the Git GUI in my IDE, and I am valid in tech and so are you.
The person that wrote this isn't important - they are right - they are every bit as valid in this industry as anyone else. There isn't a "test" of "worthiness" to get, and keep, a job in this industry. And those that treat someone as less of a person, or less of a value to the organization are just missing the point. Badly.
Not everyone has to want to do these things. That's perfectly fine. Take another industry - doctors, lawyers, professional sports - there are all kinds of doctors that don't read up on the medical journals in their weekends... and plenty of lawyers that don't read briefs to stay up on things... and all kinds of different levels of pro sports.
But we can't then also insist that the very best surgeon work on our loved ones. Or that if we're in trouble, and need a lawyer, that you get the very best one you can get to get out of trouble. Right? And we certainly can't be disappointed in our favorite team for not winning - Right? They are just as valid as anyone else in that industry. Right?
Or is 'valid' the only metric we want to use here? I agree that the old Doc Hollywood story is about what you value - and sure, you're not doing amazing surgery saving lives, but that's not what you value - relationships are. But no one would call a Doc Hollywood to do heart surgery - and when you need a heart surgeon, you don't want to think that Doc Hollywood is your best alternative.
And when you feel you've been wrongly accused - you probably don't want to have to rely on the Public Defender. They are just as valid in the legal profession... and no one should make them feel like "less" of a lawyer because they are in the Public Defender's office... right?
As I read this tweet two things struck me:
- This person works with some serious jerks - it's clear that this person has been working with, or working around, some major jerks that feel there is some litmus test to be a "good developer" - or even a "real developer". That's just wrong, and you can't change other people's attitudes, so my advice would be to find another job. There are better ones out there.
- 'Valid' isn't the same thing as 'Value' - no one should be so marginalized that they feel that their fundamental worth is in question - but that's not to say that everyone is equal, either. Skills matter. Experience matters. Value isn't the same thing as validity. I can play basketball... but I have no business playing on the Lakers. And I shouldn't expect to.
I would like to tell this person: "Listen, you're right - you work with jerks - ignore them. Get a job that you like, and do your best." but at the same time, I can't say that this person should also expect to see the same paycheck as those that work 7 days a week. Or those that have devoted decades to their craft. Just recognize that choices matter.
Technology really has become the new workplace where classic blue-collar and white-collar jobs are mixed into the same pot. There's nothing wrong with picking what you want to do, and what's important to you - and you should not be made to feel your choices somehow make you less of a person. But they do have consequences.