A Programmer's Loss of Identity

Post by quietbritishjim » Wed, Feb 18, 2026, 1:27 PM UTC

PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #140

jbstack wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are they mutually exclusive? Can't you hang out with and chat with other programmers ... about food, hiking, travelling, culture, or relationships? In the same way that lawyers don't have to talk about law, and doctors don't have to talk about medicine when they hang out. When I think about my friendships, it's rare that we ever spend any significant amount of time talking about our work.

One reason for their mutual exclusivity is that I am self-employed, have worked at home for the last 30+ years and live in a tiny village in New Mexico. "Other programmers" is not a thing that just happens in my life, and I'm generally reluctant (one might say "loathed") to go track them down when the benefits of doing so seem pretty thin.

Post by aristofun » Wed, Feb 18, 2026, 2:45 PM UTC

MisterTea wrote: post #122

aristofun wrote: post #119

Controversial point - many problems of today's IT industry stem from people taking their job too personal. Do you know many plumbers or doctors who are so connected to their work that they do plumbing or doctoring as a hobby? I personally try to avoid such Programmers when possible, they usually overengineer everything they touch just for the sake of engineering. Without even realizing there is a problem.

There is a middle ground: programmers who want to program as a hobby and do something else for a job. They tend to want small, efficient code that is easy to understand and debug. Unfortunately, most find themselves writing code for a living.

Post by iberator » Wed, Feb 18, 2026, 3:47 PM UTC

cableshaft wrote: post #80

iberator wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lost my job as a programmer and I think it's over for me. No, you will not hack the device drivers in the basement but you're gonna be flipping burgers and out of cash or energy for anything else. Worst thing: you never gonna even be good at flipping burgers without experience or young age... Once you are out of the field, and your money is gone: suddenly you are useless, old trash. No one even wants to employ ex p…

Flipping burgers really isn't that difficult. It was my first job, and I even have nostalgia for it at times. If I had to go do that again, the main problem would for me would be that I don't think I could stand in one place for that long anymore, my thigh and lower back start stinging and want me to sit down (at least they do when I cook at home). I interacted with way more people at a fast food restaurant than I do…

Post by iberator » Wed, Feb 18, 2026, 3:53 PM UTC

elzbardico wrote: post #158

iberator wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lost my job as a programmer and I think it's over for me. No, you will not hack the device drivers in the basement but you're gonna be flipping burgers and out of cash or energy for anything else. Worst thing: you never gonna even be good at flipping burgers without experience or young age... Once you are out of the field, and your money is gone: suddenly you are useless, old trash. No one even wants to employ ex p…

Most of us had been laid-off at some moment in our careers, and frankly, it always seem like you're unemployable. This is not true in the majority of cases. This kind of feeling is mostly just our old minds that cannot stop identifying this situation as social rejection or being shunned off; both things amongst the most terrible events that can happen to social primates like us.

Post by temp8830 » Wed, Feb 18, 2026, 5:03 PM UTC

pjmlp wrote: post #83

aleph_minus_one wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Doesn't matter what traits they have, the only way up, to get that raise, additional benefits, or not being thrown into some improvement program is to accept becoming a manager in one of its various forms You did not get my point: it is not about non-acceptance of becoming a manager, but rather about having traits that commonly imply that "those in power" won't select you for becoming a manager.

You are the one not getting it, there are companies where those in power only offer two pills, the red one allows to remain a company employee, the blue one means out willing or not. People aren't selected, they are dragged into their Peter principle role.