Advice From An Old Programmer
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Advice From An Old Programmer
1–10 of 124 posts
Re: Advice From An Old Programmer
#2> "People who can code in biology, medicine, government, sociology, physics, history, and mathematics are respected and can do amazing things to advance those disciplines"
True. I have a theoretical physics friend who's now applying a ton of machine-learning techniques to biophysics stuff (in an academic setting).
I've no idea exactly what he's doing other than he's always snowed under and people keep coming back to him for more.
Re: Advice From An Old Programmer
#3"People who can code in the world of technology companies are a dime a dozen and get no respect" , I disagree with that, I think you got a lot of respect in a company that is focused on technology. But If you are working into a marketing company in the development team, then yes you will not get much respect..
Re: Advice From An Old Programmer
#4You're much better off using code as your secret weapon in another profession.
That's why Bezos is my hero.
Re: Advice From An Old Programmer
#5"People who can code in the world of technology companies are a dime a dozen and get no respect" , I disagree with that, I think you got a lot of respect in a company that is focused on technology. But If you are working into a marketing company in the development team, then yes you will not get much respect..
I'm sure the OP would agree that a coder in a marketing company would get even less respect as you'll merely be executing their (not that technically challenging) vision.
If on the other hand you're in an industry where your skills as a coder enable those around you to do new things they otherwise would not be able to do, you'll be revered for that.
Re: Advice From An Old Programmer
#6"People who can code in the world of technology companies are a dime a dozen and get no respect" , I disagree with that, I think you got a lot of respect in a company that is focused on technology. But If you are working into a marketing company in the development team, then yes you will not get much respect..
What I think he means by "if you have coding as a secret weapon" in this case would be, if you are a Marketer that can code as an extra, you will be highly valued.
I think it is hard to argue with that.
Re: Advice From An Old Programmer
#7"People who can code in the world of technology companies are a dime a dozen and get no respect"
Generally in business, those people whose job title is 'programmer' or 'developer' or 'software engineer' get relatively little respect even with lots of experience. (I am 37 years old and programming since 12) Previously I thought the only way out of this is to become a 'manager', which I never really wanted to do... Recently I have discovered 'quantitative finance' which is a quite respected and interesting geek profession (with lots of math, which i like), and I am planning to transition into that in the long term. (Theoretically a relatively smooth transition is possible because there are 'quant developer' jobs out there.)
Re: Advice From An Old Programmer
#8> "People who can code in biology, medicine, government, sociology, physics, history, and mathematics are respected and can do amazing things to advance those disciplines" True. I have a theoretical physics friend who's now applying a ton of machine-learning techniques to biophysics stuff (in an academic setting). I've no idea exactly what he's doing other than he's always snowed under and people keep coming back to…
My favorite example of this is OsiriX[1], a GPL'd medical imaging (DICOM) viewer written by a radiologist who couldn't find existing software that did what he wanted. It's now an established part of the DICOM world.
Re: Advice From An Old Programmer
#9"Finally, I'll say that learning to create software changes you and makes you different. Not better or worse, just different. You may find that people treat you harshly because you can create software, maybe using words like "nerd". Maybe you'll find that because you can dissect their logic that they hate arguing with you. You may even find that simply knowing how a computer works makes you annoying and weird to them."
This is very true, unfortunately being a programmer requires dedication, non-stop learning to keep up. And this can lead to a very lonely life in a way that you don't socialize too much by favoring what we love to do. If you live with a tech-oriented city you should be fine, but for the rest of us it sucks a little, knowing that most of your friend/relatives don't understand what you do, and why do we spent so much time in front of a screen.
Re: Advice From An Old Programmer
#10"People who can code in the world of technology companies are a dime a dozen and get no respect" , I disagree with that, I think you got a lot of respect in a company that is focused on technology. But If you are working into a marketing company in the development team, then yes you will not get much respect..
I'm a web developer in a marketing company. What you said is partially true, especially if your management doesn't really understand development (highly likely.) However, if you are able to look at the work that comes down, and come up with better ways to do it and engage management (rather than just being a set of hands to do their bidding) you can increase your value. You will never be as valued as you would be at a tech company, but you can try.
That said, there are a number of small development companies that focus on marketing. Meaning, they are small developer run companies that take on contract code work for marketing firms (mobile apps, HTML5, etc.) and they are by default developer friendly. If you're a good dev being beaten down by management in a marketing firm, then either find one of these companies or go start your own.