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More Than a Hoodie: How We Talk About Developers (medium.com)
An anonymous reader shares an article: For generations, movies, video games, and tv shows have portrayed the developer as either an awkward hoodie-wearing nerd, or an insane and menacing basement dweller (or both). From Ace Ventura to Silicon Valley, everyone has had their chance to portray the developer. Few actors do this with the same grace they'd reserve for a role portraying a doctor. [...] I think it's time for all of us to try and elevate our understanding of what a developer is. If you are a tech company who markets to developers, or is hoping to hire developers this is doubly true. So, how should we talk about developers? First, we should talk about how important their work is. Programming is one of the fastest growing industries in the world as it serves a role in every part of society. Developers maintain and build critical parts of our infrastructure. Second, we need to talk about the craft of what they do... we need to show more code. Every developer may use a different set of tools, but across the board their craft is evolving at increasing rates. [...] I think we can drop developer stereotypes all together at this point. It's a job people know -- it's time to add some vitamins to that kool-aid. After all, we're just like lawyers, librarians, electricians and cab drivers... we're just people, totally unique and different people. But if there is one thing that unites us, it's a unifying desire to build new things, improve old things, learn when we can and avoid being stereotyped. It's as simple as that.
I prefer we keep the stereotype of software development as a socially unappealing career, not a job welcome in high society like doctors and lawyers (more like the better-paid-after-insurance vets and dentists). Two reasons.
The less appealing the field is presented as, the lower the supply of labor, and thus the more I'll be paid.
Also, the less appealing the field is presented as, the more it will be populated by people actually interested in problem solving, instead of people pressured by parents to pick this career as the best option, as is the norm in India (and the norm for doctors and lawyers here).
I'm quite content to be seen as socially awkward, but be well paid and work with the right crowd.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
I ran across a blog many years ago that made a good point about programmers: while many of us are keeping up with the joneses on the who's who and what not, the vast majority of software developers are just ordinary people. They drive their ordinary Camry or Accord to work in an office with ordinary cubicles, go home to the suburbs and play with their kids and spouses, do soccer on saturdays, etc. They don't do meetups, conferences, seminars, or follow the latest blogs or programming fashions. They just do their work, go home, and live their lives. The blog called them the "dark matter" programmers because they are the vast majority of working software developers out there, but you'd never know it because they're too busy living life and not living code.