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The Mediocre Programmer

themediocreprogrammer.com

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Re: The Mediocre Programmer

#61

Post by _cs2017_ »

username90 wrote: post #52
ShroudedNight wrote: post #45

I half read, half skimmed the contents, and what I found was significantly divergent from what I was hoping for. I was hoping to find some combination of a breakdown of potential paper cuts that hold programmers back, and an insightful breakdown of seemingly insurmountable problems that keep programmers in their provincial comfort zones, providing a series of bite-sized victories to lead one to greatness. Instead I f…

The point of the book is to help people manage the struggle, not how to become a great programmer. If that isn't what you want then you can go find some other book. The authors own explanation: > There are plenty of books on how to become a better programmer out there. Books like this tend to have checklists and other advice that the author deems important enough for you to do in order to become a better programmer.…

So basically the book is teaching people to accept their mediocrity and be happy? Kinda like brainwashing people into being less ambitious, to counteract the brainwashing they experienced that made them too ambitious relative to their potential and abilities?

Re: The Mediocre Programmer

#62

Post by perl4ever »

smallnamespace wrote: post #57
username90 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Problem with that comic is that it doesn't take skill acquisition into account. Automating something increases your skills in automating things and therefore can be worthwhile even if automating this specific task isn't. Lets say that automating a task saving you 1 hour takes 10 hours. Is it worth it? No, you'd say. But what if you had 100 such tasks, and the time to automate them goes down as you become a better pro…

Knowing what’s important, and having the discipline to focus on it is one of the most important skills to acquire.

I think "having the discipline to focus on what's important" means consistently and periodically interrupting yourself, and asking "am I doing what's most important".

I think there's a tension between this and the deep concentration or "flow state" that people like to talk about on HN. In effect, there are different value systems, and people have a hard time stepping outside of that.

Re: The Mediocre Programmer

#63

Post by sdwr »

_cs2017_ wrote: post #61
username90 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point of the book is to help people manage the struggle, not how to become a great programmer. If that isn't what you want then you can go find some other book. The authors own explanation: > There are plenty of books on how to become a better programmer out there. Books like this tend to have checklists and other advice that the author deems important enough for you to do in order to become a better programmer.…

So basically the book is teaching people to accept their mediocrity and be happy? Kinda like brainwashing people into being less ambitious, to counteract the brainwashing they experienced that made them too ambitious relative to their potential and abilities?

Those sound more like expectations/goals/perspectives. Brainwashing reads like someone is jamming this stuff down your throat

Re: The Mediocre Programmer

#64

Post by EVdotIO »

username90 wrote: post #25

Being a mediocre professional is great! Do you complain when the guy cooking your meal at a restaurant is a mediocre restaurant cook? Or when the doctor prescribing your medicine is a mediocre doctor? Anyone who is mediocre in their profession should still feel pride in what they do. Are you among the best? Maybe not, but you are good enough that people value what you do and that is what matters the most. If you find…

I'm a mediocre programmer, able to create interesting stuff, and have built tangible value in companies I've worked for, but mid pack in terms of programming chops. The problem is getting work, and hovering over destitution gets incredibly old.

Re: The Mediocre Programmer

#65

Post by _cs2017_ »

sdwr wrote: post #63
_cs2017_ wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So basically the book is teaching people to accept their mediocrity and be happy? Kinda like brainwashing people into being less ambitious, to counteract the brainwashing they experienced that made them too ambitious relative to their potential and abilities?

Those sound more like expectations/goals/perspectives. Brainwashing reads like someone is jamming this stuff down your throat

Yeah, brainwashing carries a negative connotation. I'm not sure what the right verb would be. "Persuading" is too weak, since we're talking about changing the person's fundamental value system away from being too ambitious.

Re: The Mediocre Programmer

#66

Post by chillacy »

mapgrep wrote: post #29
yarg wrote: post #2

> before we can become better programmers we have to pass through being mediocre programmers Sure it's true, but it leaves out a fundamental truth about programming (and technically complex disciplines in general): most people that attempt programming will never be a good programmer - indeed most never even cross through the gate of mediocrity. There seems to me to be a superegalitarian notion that all people given t…

These statements are perfectly compatible with one another: “ most people that attempt programming will never be a good programmer” “ all people given the same opportunities will be capable of achieving, if not the same, then comparable results on a given task” Persistence is exceedingly rare. Falling short of your capabilities is exceedingly common.

Yea this. "people given the same opportunities will be capable of achieving" leaves out the difference in time spent.

On the one hand, I don't know anyone who has put in thousands of hours and not been a decent programmer. On the other, that mixes cause and effect a bit, since it takes a certain type of person to even want to throw a thousand hours into programming in the first place.

Re: The Mediocre Programmer

#67

Post by 5350-uiop-1130 »

I don't think it's so much about being a "programmer" as a just a better person.

In my experience the worst programmers usually have some bad personality traits, either lazy, unqualified or whatever else or sarcastic, rude, arrogant and runs across the spectrum of bad to good in terms of ability.

I think one of the keys to being a better programmer/person is having a good ability for self reflection and self awareness. Unfortunately these skills are developed at a very young age and in many cases it is too late to cultivate that mentality except some rare cases.

Re: The Mediocre Programmer

#68

Post by onethought »

phkahler wrote: post #28
onethought wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Simply not true? Given exactly the same opportunity you think they cannot get comparable result? So you are saying there is genetic (dis)advantage to technical things that cannot be overcome?

Not sure if it's genetic, but if you've read the blub paradox about languages, I think there is something similar about how people think and solve problems. Maybe the higher level abstractions can be learned or maybe not. IQ is a real thing.

IQ is a real thing and the vast majority of people’s IQ is comparable... which weakens the original point not strengthens it.

The bulb paradox isn’t really a thing... just a single opinion from Pg right? I’m not sure I agree with it.

Re: The Mediocre Programmer

#69

Post by paulie_a »

chaboud wrote: post #49
bluedino wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. Never underestimate a bad, but determined programmer. The worst part is he’ll feel extra smart afterward, because he finally figured out enough of the bugs in his horrible implementation to call it “done”, and he’ll likely be re-visiting this code for a long time to come, as issues pop out that he still doesn’t understand fully.

The energetic stupid programmer is the single most destructive thing you can have on your team and in your codebase. They make messes for everyone else, and a dummy writing bad code can produce more volume than even the best coder writing good code. Eventually, guardrails and processes get put in place to protect against their damage, and the whole team slows down. Good coders walk, and you're left with the dummies,…

The codebase is probably not that good to begin with and quite frankly doesnt need to be

I think programmers have a chip on their shoulder about the importance of the work they do. You are not painting the sistine chapel

Most programming is what you refer to as "workaday"

Re: The Mediocre Programmer

#70

Post by mathgladiator »

username90 wrote: post #33
Waterluvian wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be the best darn USAF cargo pilot there is!

Yeah, it is great to aim at the top but at some point you have to be happy with what you have achieved instead of constantly feeling bad for not achieving more. Getting to the level where you can be considered a mediocre programmer is a huge achievement and hundreds of millions of people in the world would love to be in your shoes.

comparison is the thief of joy.
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