Marketing people are beautiful; they are handsome. This seems to be a general truth about the industry.
Beauty sells; Handsome plays. I don't get it, and other people like me don't get it, and we resent it. But there it is.
I suppose this class of people has evolved by cultural selection (or natural selection?), and for good reasons. Marketers must get things done that people like me cannot get done.
I won't say "Hire beautiful." The idea is so repellent, that if I were an eccentric billionaire, I would do is post a job for Director of Marketing with the requirement: "Must be dowdy." (All the lawsuits and hate, interesting way to burn up my fantasy fortune.)
But think about it. Maybe arrange several informational interviews with professional marketing people, or go to a conference of marketers. Step away from your own marketing needs, and make an objective survey of what marketers do as an industry.
Perhaps this Smart City technology can shed light on the Glasgow Effect:
The Glasgow effect refers to the poor health and low life expectancy of Glaswegians compared to the rest of the UK and Europe. The hypothesis among epidemiologists is that poverty alone does not appear to account for the disparity.[1] Equally deprived areas of the UK such as Liverpool and Manchester have higher life expectancies, and the wealthiest ten percent of the Glasgow population have a lower life expectancy than the same group in other cities.[2]
Various hypotheses have been proposed to account for the effect, including vitamin D deficiency, cold winters, higher levels of poverty than the figures suggest, high levels of stress, and a culture of alienation and pessimism.
The Wig reasoned that all that obsolete silicon had to be going some where. Where it was going, he learned, was into any number of very poor places struggling along with nascent industrial bases. Nations so benighted that the concept of nation was still taken seriously The Wig punched himself through a couple of African backwaters and felt like a shark cruising a swimming pool thick with caviar. Not that any one of those tasty tiny eggs amounted to much, but you could just open wide and scoop, and it was easy and filling and it added up. The Wig worked the Africans for a week, incidentally bringing about the collapse of at least three governments and causing untold human suffering. At the end of his week, fat with the cream of several million laughably tiny bank accounts, he retired. As he was going out, the locusts were coming in; other people had gotten the African idea.
Thanks for the clarification. The nit I picked was out of scope, given the understanding that defect-free software assumes the integrity of the hardware.
Mod parent up, I'm in complete agreement: "If there's a better way, show us. Come up with a solution. What's stopping you?" And indeed it's not obvious, or we would already have the solution.
I'm not sure I agree that it's possible to develop defect-free software. All hardware is unreliable. Mean time between failure.
Perfect software may be perfect in our minds; but software immediately degrades when implemented as machinery.
Perhaps the original poster is frustrated by the perfection in our minds failing to overcome the limitations of physical reality... much as we all wish to live forever, even though we know that's not going to happen.
After repeated failed attempts to contact the mass-mailing house(s) that send me my recycling each week (in the form of coupons, circulars, etc. in my mailbox), I spoke with a Post Office clerk.
Who told me, in effect: "They pay us too much to stop sending that stuff."
In other words, money is money, and most companies take whatever is there for the taking... because (they say, oh so reasonably) "We can't afford to *not* take the money".
Why do we almost viscerally and intuitively feel that "good stuff" is "up", and "bad stuff" is "down", and how did that sense get propagated from the development of our physical biology to a nearly-universal conceptual and linguistic "understanding"?
Gravity is the reason we perceive down as bad: our tree-dwelling ancestors evolved a sensible fear of falling to their deaths.
We see this in elevator design: the "down" arrow is red, because "down is bad -- the direction that tends to spill blood". The "up" arrow is green or white, because "up is good" (e.g. "up in a tree, where the lion can't get us").
Carl Sagan discusses this theory in The Dragons of Eden.
I teach at a technical college, and I can say some of my students get jobs; I know this because I get referral calls from employers, and the occasional thank-you note.
Is it worth it? I can't say. I see a wide range of students, with a wide range of abilities and goals. For some, tech school is a good thing; for others, not so much. You will have to judge yourself and your goals for yourself.
In a future where all flora is extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's plant life being kept in a greenhouse on board a spacecraft.
Sadly, I must rely upon cheap clients for major portion of my income.
I get my major-money clients through headhunters, which means (a) the headhunter's cut, and (b) the client want a bargain. "Save us money! Good, Fast, and Cheap!"
But of course there is no Free Lunch, you get what you pay for, and turnover is high under this business model... which means that a relatively solid, presentable guy like me can find work at places where they burn through other contractors.
They burn through contractors for a reason, and sooner or later they let me go, or I quit. But it's good while it lasts, I love what I do, some of the work is quite interesting.
Generous clients? Clients who Get It? Who appreciate the art and science of software, and are willing to pay software guys at least as generously as they pay plumbers? Only small accounts, personal clients, one-on-one relationships pay this well... and these are few and far between, alas.
For the most, everybody wants a bargain. Which is, I suppose, how the Devil -- who is said to be exceptionally skilled at bargaining -- stays so busy.
We are not alone: I could name friends in the same age group in similar situations and of the same mindset.
We are, however, the minority: most of my fellow contractors are in their twenties and thirties; I am something of a Bohemian oddity at fifty-one, preferring the gypsy contractor's insecure freedom when I might instead have swallowed the obedience pill and taken a degree and a career and earned the big money at the cost of my happiness.
Obviously the opportunities ebb and flow with The Economy, and not everyone has the mind for perpetual self-education... but all things considered? Age counts, experience matters -- especially for naturally shy introverts (such as myself) who prefer machines to people and might benefit from an extra decade or two upgrading their human relation skills.
Another thought: I find that my concerns on behalf of my client are very different from the concerns of the 20's-30's developers... they are smart cookies, and better than me in a number of ways, to be sure... but they tend to focus on code, and not share my interest in issues like documentation, accessibility, technical debt... the older I get, the more concerned I become about long-term issues.
I find that self-confidence (which I sure as Hell did not possess when I was young) comes with age: we discover ourselves through years of research and practice.
Self-confidence is what makes the difference between:
(a) Answering questions about your resume during an interview, and
(b) Using the interviewer's questions as a starting point, then talking about whatever you think will persuade the interviewer to love you so much that they hire you on the spot.
And yes: a touch of grey, worn with pride, enhances the effect.
I am 51, and currently enjoying the best phase of my career to date. Front end development -- lots of work for JavaScript/jQuery developers at present, here in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
The best part is, I seem to be getting more respect as a Senior Man in my field... mind you, that's not my job title, I'm just another contract developer... but I hold my head high, let my confidence shine, and enjoy the generous measure of respect that people seem to give me.
Twenty years ago, my assumption was that I would be obsolete within twenty years, and that I should expect to degrade (as gracefully as possible) from developer to technical writer. That hasn't happened: I'm still a developer, and more in demand than ever.
This is only possible, I suppose, because I love to learn; in effect, I am constantly in training. If you have a similar mindset, I would advise you to Go For It.
The police in Sao Paolo have bigger problems than policing the citizenry:
... more than 70 police officers killed this year in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest and most powerful state. The sharp increase in murders of police officers, up almost 40 percent since last year, has raised fears of a resurgence of the First Capital Command, a criminal organization that carried out a harrowing four-day uprising here in 2006 during which almost 200 people were killed.
While visiting a farmer's market this summer, I asked a beekeeper, "How are the bees?"
I was concerned that he had not understood my full message, so I amplified: "Nationally, I mean... globally... Colony Collapse Disorder...?"
"There is no 'Colony Collapse Disorder'," he assured me. "This is an industry bugaboo, a distraction from the real problem, which is industrial-scale beekeeping.
"Oh, there are bees with mites, and diseases. But the real problem is industrial-scale beekeepers who move their colonies twice a year. When you keep your bees in Minnesota for a few months, then move them south for the winter -- move them next to industrial zones, toxic waste dumps -- then what can you expect?"
I don't know beekeeping, but this guy clearly does: the jar bears his name, his product is widely sold at grocery stores around town (Minneapolis/Saint Paul), and he had the absolute serene confidence of a man who has seen the future, knows the score, and will faithfully answer any question you care to ask.
Furthermore, it sometimes happens that non-programmers need to read code for a general understanding of what's going on. For example, a project manager might have to review code after a developer quits.
Slashdot Mirror
Marketing people are beautiful; they are handsome. This seems to be a general truth about the industry.
Beauty sells; Handsome plays. I don't get it, and other people like me don't get it, and we resent it. But there it is.
I suppose this class of people has evolved by cultural selection (or natural selection?), and for good reasons. Marketers must get things done that people like me cannot get done.
I won't say "Hire beautiful." The idea is so repellent, that if I were an eccentric billionaire, I would do is post a job for Director of Marketing with the requirement: "Must be dowdy." (All the lawsuits and hate, interesting way to burn up my fantasy fortune.)
But think about it. Maybe arrange several informational interviews with professional marketing people, or go to a conference of marketers. Step away from your own marketing needs, and make an objective survey of what marketers do as an industry.
Perhaps this Smart City technology can shed light on the Glasgow Effect:
Source
Count Zero
Thanks for the clarification. The nit I picked was out of scope, given the understanding that defect-free software assumes the integrity of the hardware.
Mod parent up, I'm in complete agreement: "If there's a better way, show us. Come up with a solution. What's stopping you?" And indeed it's not obvious, or we would already have the solution.
I'm not sure I agree that it's possible to develop defect-free software. All hardware is unreliable. Mean time between failure.
Perfect software may be perfect in our minds; but software immediately degrades when implemented as machinery.
Perhaps the original poster is frustrated by the perfection in our minds failing to overcome the limitations of physical reality ... much as we all wish to live forever, even though we know that's not going to happen.
Amen to that, brother. You have reduced the argument to its most fundamental terms.
Yes, we can do it. But no, we won't pay for it.
After repeated failed attempts to contact the mass-mailing house(s) that send me my recycling each week (in the form of coupons, circulars, etc. in my mailbox), I spoke with a Post Office clerk.
Who told me, in effect: "They pay us too much to stop sending that stuff."
In other words, money is money, and most companies take whatever is there for the taking ... because (they say, oh so reasonably) "We can't afford to *not* take the money".
I don't expect ads when I pay good money to enter a movie theater. Yet there they are -- dammit.
Gravity is the reason we perceive down as bad: our tree-dwelling ancestors evolved a sensible fear of falling to their deaths.
We see this in elevator design: the "down" arrow is red, because "down is bad -- the direction that tends to spill blood". The "up" arrow is green or white, because "up is good" (e.g. "up in a tree, where the lion can't get us").
Carl Sagan discusses this theory in The Dragons of Eden.
We think for a living. We build worlds in our head -- like a novelist, except software instead of novels.
Is it any wonder that we are jealous of our genius? We build worlds in our head!
I teach at a technical college, and I can say some of my students get jobs; I know this because I get referral calls from employers, and the occasional thank-you note.
Is it worth it? I can't say. I see a wide range of students, with a wide range of abilities and goals. For some, tech school is a good thing; for others, not so much. You will have to judge yourself and your goals for yourself.
Silent Running
Amen to that, brothers and sisters! Amen to that!
Sadly, I must rely upon cheap clients for major portion of my income.
I get my major-money clients through headhunters, which means (a) the headhunter's cut, and (b) the client want a bargain. "Save us money! Good, Fast, and Cheap!"
But of course there is no Free Lunch, you get what you pay for, and turnover is high under this business model ... which means that a relatively solid, presentable guy like me can find work at places where they burn through other contractors.
They burn through contractors for a reason, and sooner or later they let me go, or I quit. But it's good while it lasts, I love what I do, some of the work is quite interesting.
Generous clients? Clients who Get It? Who appreciate the art and science of software, and are willing to pay software guys at least as generously as they pay plumbers? Only small accounts, personal clients, one-on-one relationships pay this well ... and these are few and far between, alas.
For the most, everybody wants a bargain. Which is, I suppose, how the Devil -- who is said to be exceptionally skilled at bargaining -- stays so busy.
We are not alone: I could name friends in the same age group in similar situations and of the same mindset.
We are, however, the minority: most of my fellow contractors are in their twenties and thirties; I am something of a Bohemian oddity at fifty-one, preferring the gypsy contractor's insecure freedom when I might instead have swallowed the obedience pill and taken a degree and a career and earned the big money at the cost of my happiness.
Obviously the opportunities ebb and flow with The Economy, and not everyone has the mind for perpetual self-education ... but all things considered? Age counts, experience matters -- especially for naturally shy introverts (such as myself) who prefer machines to people and might benefit from an extra decade or two upgrading their human relation skills.
Another thought: I find that my concerns on behalf of my client are very different from the concerns of the 20's-30's developers ... they are smart cookies, and better than me in a number of ways, to be sure ... but they tend to focus on code, and not share my interest in issues like documentation, accessibility, technical debt ... the older I get, the more concerned I become about long-term issues.
Direct hit, every line!
Made me laugh!
I find that self-confidence (which I sure as Hell did not possess when I was young) comes with age: we discover ourselves through years of research and practice.
Self-confidence is what makes the difference between:
(a) Answering questions about your resume during an interview, and
(b) Using the interviewer's questions as a starting point, then talking about whatever you think will persuade the interviewer to love you so much that they hire you on the spot.
And yes: a touch of grey, worn with pride, enhances the effect.
I am 51, and currently enjoying the best phase of my career to date. Front end development -- lots of work for JavaScript/jQuery developers at present, here in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
The best part is, I seem to be getting more respect as a Senior Man in my field ... mind you, that's not my job title, I'm just another contract developer ... but I hold my head high, let my confidence shine, and enjoy the generous measure of respect that people seem to give me.
Twenty years ago, my assumption was that I would be obsolete within twenty years, and that I should expect to degrade (as gracefully as possible) from developer to technical writer. That hasn't happened: I'm still a developer, and more in demand than ever.
This is only possible, I suppose, because I love to learn; in effect, I am constantly in training. If you have a similar mindset, I would advise you to Go For It.
The police in Sao Paolo have bigger problems than policing the citizenry:
Perhaps you are thinking of ungood thoughts ... or maybe even plus-ungood thoughts.
By the way: is your Newspeak license valid, citizen? or do I need to report you?
You think soft scientists have problems with repeatability?
It's the sweet scientists that I'm worried about.
"The bees are fine," said the beekeeper.
While visiting a farmer's market this summer, I asked a beekeeper, "How are the bees?"
I was concerned that he had not understood my full message, so I amplified: "Nationally, I mean ... globally ... Colony Collapse Disorder ...?"
"There is no 'Colony Collapse Disorder'," he assured me. "This is an industry bugaboo, a distraction from the real problem, which is industrial-scale beekeeping.
"Oh, there are bees with mites, and diseases. But the real problem is industrial-scale beekeepers who move their colonies twice a year. When you keep your bees in Minnesota for a few months, then move them south for the winter -- move them next to industrial zones, toxic waste dumps -- then what can you expect?"
I don't know beekeeping, but this guy clearly does: the jar bears his name, his product is widely sold at grocery stores around town (Minneapolis/Saint Paul), and he had the absolute serene confidence of a man who has seen the future, knows the score, and will faithfully answer any question you care to ask.
"... without causing frigidity or revulsion."
Actual text from box containing sex toy made in South Korea.
When I'm buying a French tickler, I definitely want it to not cause frigidity and revulsion, yes ma'am.
Not all good coders are good writers. (Very few, I'm guessing.)
Not all good writers are good coders. (Very few, I'm guessing.)
It take a whole village ....
Well said -- Mod Parent Up.
Furthermore, it sometimes happens that non-programmers need to read code for a general understanding of what's going on. For example, a project manager might have to review code after a developer quits.