This is nerd-shaming, and just as bad as other types of shaming.
I don’t see it as nerd shaming. It seems to be more poking fun at the skills people list on their résumés.
I cannot begin to tell you how proficient I am in Microsoft Word
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Re: I cannot begin to tell you how proficient I am in Microsoft Word
#12I never understood The New Yorker. This is in humor, is this supposed to be funny?
Yeah The New Yorker always seems pretentious in away how the guy in the bar scene in Good Will Hunting is. Typically cater towards Ivy league educated trust fund crowd.
Re: I cannot begin to tell you how proficient I am in Microsoft Word
#13Maybe I'm the one misunderstanding this, but...
This piece isn't about Word or nerd-shaming or the author's self-perceived mastery of desktop publishing.
It reads like a take on the absurdity of people constantly adding inane things like "must be proficient in Microsoft Word" to job postings and, consequently, their appearance on the CV of every person who applies to be a corporate drone in the western world.
On the other hand, I wouldn't mind if people started flagging "knows how to use pivot tables in Excel..."
Re: I cannot begin to tell you how proficient I am in Microsoft Word
#14Inside humor is a kernel of truth, and in the subtle washed-out humor of this article I think the kernel of truth is that people WANT tools that they can use from childhood to old age. Tools that will remain constant. Tools that can serve a variety of purposes. Tools that will be familiar even as the world changes.
This is a challenge for software development. We are reaching the point now where there are tools like Microsoft Word which have been available with recognizable continuity for 30+ years. But even it isn't clear the right business model for software which is intended for a decades-lasting long term stable release. Is it the Office 365 subscription? Copyleft open source?
Re: I cannot begin to tell you how proficient I am in Microsoft Word
#15This is nerd-shaming, and just as bad as other types of shaming.
I don’t see it as nerd shaming. It seems to be more poking fun at the skills people list on their résumés.
I agree with you that it's probably not nerd shaming. Having said that, I read it as poking fun at the skills people are expected/forced to list on their CVs.
"M.Sc. in Software Engineering. 15 years of software development experience. Successful founder of two startups. Other skills: E-mail, Word, Excel, Powerpoint".
In any case, and seeing how varied the comments here are, I officially label it "art".
Re: I cannot begin to tell you how proficient I am in Microsoft Word
#16This an attempt at humor, and very inept at that.
I would, however, welcome an article that explained the difference between being proficient or event competent at Word and claiming you are.
I spent a lot of time as a high schooler and as a student working with Word. Even today, 20 years later and with Google Docs I routinely use "arcane knowledge" like setting tab stops in the ruler which looks like magic to many friends who never had to work with Word.
Re: I cannot begin to tell you how proficient I am in Microsoft Word
#17I never understood The New Yorker. This is in humor, is this supposed to be funny?
A "Proficient in HTML" title might be more funny to the HN crowd.
Re: I cannot begin to tell you how proficient I am in Microsoft Word
#18Maybe I'm the one misunderstanding this, but... This piece isn't about Word or nerd-shaming or the author's self-perceived mastery of desktop publishing. It reads like a take on the absurdity of people constantly adding inane things like "must be proficient in Microsoft Word" to job postings and, consequently, their appearance on the CV of every person who applies to be a corporate drone in the western world. On the…
I've worked adjacent to financial consultants who build excel models all day. There is such thing as an "expert" at excel. I've interviewed lots of people who say they "know" excel, but when you dig into it, it's the equivalent of saying they know a programming language because they know basic flow control syntax.
With word, I'm not sure if you can go as deep expertise wise as excel, but there is still much more to it than knowing that you can type words and change their font as in the article.
Re: I cannot begin to tell you how proficient I am in Microsoft Word
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don’t see it as nerd shaming. It seems to be more poking fun at the skills people list on their résumés.
I agree with you that it's probably not nerd shaming. Having said that, I read it as poking fun at the skills people are expected/forced to list on their CVs. "M.Sc. in Software Engineering. 15 years of software development experience. Successful founder of two startups. Other skills: E-mail, Word, Excel, Powerpoint". In any case, and seeing how varied the comments here are, I officially label it "art".
I am surprised by the number of people completely missing the piece's tone!
I wonder if the folks seeing nerd shaming are being thrown off by the Napoleon-Dynamite-esque photo.
Re: I cannot begin to tell you how proficient I am in Microsoft Word
#20Maybe I'm the one misunderstanding this, but... This piece isn't about Word or nerd-shaming or the author's self-perceived mastery of desktop publishing. It reads like a take on the absurdity of people constantly adding inane things like "must be proficient in Microsoft Word" to job postings and, consequently, their appearance on the CV of every person who applies to be a corporate drone in the western world. On the…
I've worked adjacent to financial consultants who build excel models all day. There is such thing as an "expert" at excel. I've interviewed lots of people who say they "know" excel, but when you dig into it, it's the equivalent of saying they know a programming language because they know basic flow control syntax. With word, I'm not sure if you can go as deep expertise wise as excel, but there is still much more to i…
Reading your comment I remembered the guy who implemented 3D doom in Excel
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/3d-engine-entirely-made...