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The 501 Developer Manifesto

501manifesto.org

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Re: The 501 Developer Manifesto

#11

Post by peteretep » 

  If you:
  Write a technical blog
  Contribute to open source projects
  Attend user groups in your spare time
  Mostly only read books about coding and productivity
  Push to GitHub while sitting on the toilet
  Are committed to maximum awesomeness at all times, or would have us believe it
Much of this applies to me, and applies to me because I love programming. If you don't love programming, I am unlikely to ever respect you as a programmer. Doubly so if you confuse loving programming with being at the beck and call of a given employer, or confuse loving programming with what hours you spend in the workplace.

The 5:01 article it links to is insightful, though.

Re: The 501 Developer Manifesto

#12

Post by agentultra »

Funny thing is that I prefer to go home @ 5 as well... but when I do get home I often read books about programming, catch up on articles and papers, or work on some amusing side-project.

Often I'll learn some maths, experiment with some new approaches to solving problems, or watch screen casts to learn how other people approach the craft.

I don't do it because I'm some corporate shill. I just really love programming.

I also have a wife, a child on the way, and my life seems pretty balanced to me.

I just look at overtime and think: well I only have so many minutes left to live, what's in it for me if I do this? Sometimes the answer is just money because that's probably what I needed at that moment... more often than not in recent years I don't bother unless there's equity on the line (which has never been on the table anyway). If my employers ever had a problem with it I just moved on. Things got tight but they never hit rock bottom.

It's all just about priorities and sticking up for yourself.

Re: The 501 Developer Manifesto

#13

Post by bguthrie »

Some of these things relate to employers, and some of them relate to programming and craft. I'm all for keeping a sustainable pace on your project, and not letting your employer's priorities continually override yours. But some of this sounds too much like a defense of those whose dedication to learning stops at the office door.

I respect those people for the time they spend with their families and loved ones, and wish them the best, but I don't much enjoy working with them. I love what I do, and if you do too, I expect to see some evidence that you enjoy it in your spare time. Particularly for consultants or independent contractors, I find the notion that all of your professional learning should be on your client's dime to be ethically troublesome at best.

Re: The 501 Developer Manifesto

#14

Post by zmoazeni »

I don't classify myself as a 501 developer. I'm probably the opposite that they're rallying against. But I don't dismiss 501ers. Two things strike me from the manifesto.

Since I've become a parent, I've noticed 5:00 has become more important to me. We put our kids down to bed around 8:00, so I only have a few hours of quality time with them each day.

Secondly, there are just things you won't learn on the job. And that doesn't mean it's a bad job. My new shiny is currently Haskell. I shouldn't get huffy if my work doesn't allow me to time to explore it. It'd be nice, but I'm not entitled to it. And further, it doesn't mean I should start hunting for a "better job". So in my opinion, 501ers are left with three alternatives:

1) They only learn/play/explore things that apply directly to their 9-5 job. Or are limited to whatever time their work allows for exploration.

2) They find a job that aligns with their interests.

3) They make an business case to the company to incorporate the technology. (However this is best done after you have a level of experience with it)

People could argue which of those are better. But if you're someone like me and like to play with a large number of technologies, sometimes removing the job out of the equation is much easier...and maybe even more fun.

Re: The 501 Developer Manifesto

#15

Post by rizzom5000 »

My opinion tends toward the idea that professionals, by definition, participate in continuing education. This can be sponsored by an employer, but it seems that in the software industry it is more often than not up to the individual.

On the other hand, I also have passions that extend outside the realm of software development. I'm not sure that this makes me any less passionate about my profession - and in many ways likely enhances my 'personal brand'. For those who are consumed entirely by software engineering - more power to them.

Re: The 501 Developer Manifesto

#16

Post by ricardobeat »

> Our personal creative projects over commercial products the world doesn't need

This invalidates the whole manifesto. Why are you working?

I think it's bad to polarize things like this - being a 501 developer vs not having a life. Balance is key, and you should work on things that matter to you. Don't blame the world.

Re: The 501 Developer Manifesto

#17

Post by undantag »

During our latest "crunch project", we worked pretty crazy hours to ship on time. One guy in the team works 6 hour days, and continued doing so all the way, with a few exceptions.

As the rest of us turned to Zombies he remained calm, focused and sharp. Without him, we wouldn't have shipped as well as we did.

Re: The 501 Developer Manifesto

#18

Post by elemenohpee »

bguthrie wrote: post #13

Some of these things relate to employers, and some of them relate to programming and craft. I'm all for keeping a sustainable pace on your project, and not letting your employer's priorities continually override yours. But some of this sounds too much like a defense of those whose dedication to learning stops at the office door. I respect those people for the time they spend with their families and loved ones, and wi…

> But some of this sounds too much like a defense of those whose dedication to learning stops at the office door.

I don't think it's fair to characterize it that way, there are other things to learn about outside of programming. I spend a lot of time learning about biology, sociology, economics, philosophy, etc. I spend time learning more about friends and partners. I spend time learning about myself. Yours is exactly the mentality that the article is addressing, the one that does not see value in or respect any activity not directly related to coding. What's troublesome to me is that some people focus so narrowly on technical proficiency that I wonder how they have the time to develop the perspective to know where to apply those skills.

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