Career Advice: Don't Call Yourself a Programmer

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Career Advice: Don't Call Yourself a Programmer

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday October 29, 2011 @04:48AM from the be-a-leveraged-syngeristic-cloud-solution-instead dept.

Ian Lamont writes "Patrick McKenzie has written about the do's and don't's of working as a software engineer, and some solid (and often amusing) advice on how to get ahead. One of the first pieces of advice: 'Don't call yourself a programmer: "Programmer" sounds like "anomalously high-cost peon who types some mumbo-jumbo into some other mumbo-jumbo." If you call yourself a programmer, someone is already working on a way to get you fired.' Although he runs his own company, he is a cold realist about the possibilities for new college grads in the startup world: 'The high-percentage outcome is you work really hard for the next couple of years, fail ingloriously, and then be jobless and looking to get into another startup.'"

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But ... by WrongSizeGlass · 2011-10-29 04:50 · Score: 5, Funny

I'm self employed, and even though my boss is jerk he's not going to fire me because I call myself a programmer.
Depends on why I'm referring to my profession by Mean+Variance · 2011-10-29 04:52 · Score: 4, Insightful

In casual conversation among people who wouldn't know the nuances of the various "programmer"-like terms, I do say, "I'm a programmer." It gets the point across simply that most people understand.
If I'm in a semi-professional setting of white collar adults, I usually say "software developer."
On a resume or among those who know the industry standard, I say "I'm a software engineer" because that's my title.
If it's tied to a conversation that might have career potential, I give the true classification at work: senior software engineer.
Such sage advice... by The+Living+Fractal · 2011-10-29 04:54 · Score: 5, Interesting

Because, you know, the 1000+ currently open job postings for keyword "programmer" on Monster.com are just a perfect example of situations where people are already looking to fire you. After all, that's why they created the posting, just so they could waste company resources and fire someone.

/sarcasm

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I do not respond to cowards. Especially anonymous ones.
1. Re:Such sage advice... by snowgirl · 2011-10-29 04:59 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Because, you know, the 1000+ currently open job postings for keyword "programmer" on Monster.com are just a perfect example of situations where people are already looking to fire you. After all, that's why they created the posting, just so they could waste company resources and fire someone. /sarcasm
  Sarcasm and all, this is the rantings of a single person at a single company, about his own personal view of the topic. I could probably find someone who would tell you that using the Oxford comma is likely to get you fired, and due to some forms of projection (the assumption that you are "typical", and you model everyone in the world based on yourself) they will assume that it's the prevalent opinion.
  
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Programmer != Engineer, idiot. by sichbo · 2011-10-29 04:59 · Score: 5, Informative

In Canada, it's illegal to practice engineering, or call yourself one, without a engineers license. There's nothing worse than retards who get a college degree in programming and start calling themselves "engineers". It's an insult to every actual certified engineer in the world.
1. Re:Programmer != Engineer, idiot. by FooAtWFU · 2011-10-29 05:14 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  There's nothing worse than retards who get a college degree in programming and start calling themselves "engineers".
  
  I work with these machines - design them, refine them. You could, with just the slightest hint of fancy, refer to them "difference engines". I am an Engine-er. Welcome to the English language; I suggest that you save yourself some grief and just deal with it.
  (Of course you need a license to do something useful in Canada. Woo flippin' hoo. Canadian industry is all about the incumbent industries protecting themselves from competition through regulatory capture. That's also part of why you have such sucky telecom services that you're always complaining about.)
  
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  The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
2. Re:Programmer != Engineer, idiot. by RichMan · 2011-10-29 05:21 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  In Canada the degree does not matter. No one, no matter what qualifations can call themseleves and engineer unless they are a professional engineer.
  To be a professional engineer they must be a member of their provincial professional engineering association. This is roughly equivalent toa US lawyer being a member of the bar for a particular US state. The idea is that "Engineers" are professionals and to call yourself one you must be a member of the professional assiation.
  What is a professional engineer (Ontario Professional Engineers Organization)-> http://www.peo.on.ca/registration/LR.html
  Most civil and a high percentage of those who graduate from mechanical engineering do become professional engineers. It gets you the official STAMP which is used to mark building and machine documents. Most electrical engineering college graduates do not. Those who work in power engineering do. In Canada the main reason to become a professional engineer is to get your stamp. If your job requires you to stamp designs then you will get your professional engineering membership.
  Very few software projects get engineering stamps. The link above also discusses the seal.
  http://www.ccpe.ca/e/index.cfm
Everybody is an engineer? by babblesaurus · 2011-10-29 05:01 · Score: 5, Insightful

. . . and 'real' engineers everywhere weep. Obviously every case may be unique, but calling yourself one thing which has a set of implications does sort of slander professionals in the field whose titles you are trying to snag.
1. Re:Everybody is an engineer? by FooAtWFU · 2011-10-29 05:05 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  . . . and 'real' engineers everywhere weep. Obviously every case may be unique, but calling yourself one thing which has a set of implications does sort of slander professionals in the field whose titles you are trying to snag.
  I agree 100%! As we all know, real engineers drive trains.
  chugga chugga chugga chugga choo chooooo!
  
  --
  The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
I knew AD&D would help! by Rinikusu · 2011-10-29 05:29 · Score: 5, Funny

That's why I put "20th Level Code Rogue/Network Warlock" on my resume.

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If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
Re:Makes sense by etymxris · 2011-10-29 05:30 · Score: 5, Informative

Programming seems easy to you and me, but you would be surprised at how many people just cannot do it no matter how much training you give them. Anyone can clean, most people can do construction. Maybe 1 in 10 people could program if they really wanted to, and only 1 in 10 of those will actually want to.
Re:Makes sense by Lemmy+Caution · 2011-10-29 05:38 · Score: 5, Funny

Are you saying you are the 1%?
Re:Makes sense by Dr_Barnowl · 2011-10-29 05:50 · Score: 4, Insightful

Exactly ; they've done studies that prove this - not everyone can program a computer. Every time I see one of those GUI programming environments designed to enable users to program, I sigh. Real programmers detest them (unless they are a mile-high model overview and they fill in the gaps), and people who can't program still can't program, so implementing them is pointless and counter-productive.
If 30-60% of people who self-selected to go on a Computer Science course can't program, what's the percentage in the general population?
Re:Makes sense by CodeBuster · 2011-10-29 05:52 · Score: 4, Interesting

Programming seems easy to you and me, but you would be surprised at how many people just cannot do it no matter how much training you give them.
Please mod parent up. This is exactly right. All of my experience, both in school and now working as a software developer, confirms this.
Re:Makes sense by anonymov · 2011-10-29 06:48 · Score: 4, Informative

Well, filling in a bunch of formulas IS a form of dataflow programming.
It is easy for non-programmers because it quite closely maps real-world calculations on a sheet of paper to the computer screen - just fill in the initial values and write down formulas without worrying about operations ordering. VisiCalc and those who polished the concept after them did a pretty nice job.
On a side note, Visicalc authors' notes make for quite an interesting read.
I'm a programmer by msobkow · 2011-10-29 08:58 · Score: 4, Insightful

I'm a programmer. I have been for over 25 years.
I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon of "software engineer". I think it's as ludicrous as "sanitation engineering."
Any employer who thinks "programmer" is a derogatory or lesser term is too blinded by buzzwords for me to be happy working for them anyhow.

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I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.