You remember Nick Burns, no? Who didn't relate to that guy, users can be annoying. I've recently noticed myself snapping at more and more people, though. Last week I found my voice getting testy when I was explaining to someone how to install SQL Server 2005 on their home machine. Just today I caught myself acting like the poor support guy at GoDaddy was completely incompetent because he was trying to tell me that “Default Website” is not something they install in when loading Windows Server 2003. I'm sitting there talking to him like a child, and I had to stop myself. Why was it so bad he didn't know that? How long ago did I not know that? Where is this coming from?
Is it because now I'm the one sole-ly responsible for the success of my project? Is it because just now am I getting the confidence that, yes, I may know a few things about programming (though reading this blog you'd think I might know everything, lol)? I can't tell you what it is, however I'm going to try to nip this in the bud.
I mean, I've worked with some Nick Burnses in my time. Sometimes my questions have been met with incredulous looks and patronizing answers. I thought that these guys had just always been more negative. You know, those guys who spend their free 8 hours in WoW forums flaming noobs. It's ironic that I find myself acting this way. In fact, it wasn't that incredibly long ago I had to have someone explain to me what a checksum was. Why am I so quick to judge people that may need a little of the same help?
I've become that commenter lately too. Where I give feedback on articles and opinions with answers that scream “duh" or "this is such the obvious answer, how could you NOT see it?"
It's getting a little funny, I think about someone touching my code.... like if I were to hire a more junior developer to work on this project, and I cringe at the thought of them screwing things up. This is borderline ridiculous due to the fact that not six months ago I was that developer in someone else's code. I'm sure there were many times they were cringing and ready to bite my head off for doing things in a way that they wouldn't, or considered incorrect.
Have any of you reached this point in your career? Is it just developer adolescence? The responsibility of my own project?
Hopefully this is something I will be able to get under control before I am dealt a heaping serving of humility.
Oh, and by the way, YOU'RE WELCOME.
I have reached this point with two different groups of people. One set of developers at work (don't even get me started), and Best Buy Geek Squad.
ReplyDeleteGeek Squad is useless. They know about as much as fixing computers as my 15 year old cousin (who got a computer two years ago). I took my laptop in and they said they were going to have to look it over, reformat the hard drive and it would probably take 3-6 weeks just to diagnose a problem. I said no, took it back home, looked it over and found the hard drive had a lose connection.
I then backed everything up, took it into best buy. They took 7 weeks and ended up replacing the unit because they couldn't find what was wrong with it. What a joke.
I've been there before, and it was the path to being the worst developer I could be.
ReplyDeleteI've since dropped the attitude, and try to approach everything from the standpoint as if I know nothing.
It really helps in relationships, learning, and making me a better programmer. I'd drop it quick if I were you. =) Good that you noticed!
Ah yes, the first introspective view of your own Elitism. That's what the normal people call it btw =p
ReplyDeleteI would say that it happens to everyone, but I wouldn't know, most people bore me in the first few minutes of interaction.
It came to me as a combination of getting everything I want, having to earn it, and some personal quirks.
By earning it I look down at people who don't or can't, and by having everything I want it's hard to fathom why everyone else doesn't. Since I had to work for everything I have I've never missed a deadline, and every product delivery is met with the typical you rock statements. Given my need for competition and as SlackmasterK would put it: You need to win, if you didn't win, you would cease to exist. personality, it makes for a healthy level of egotism/narcissism.
Added together you end up with an ego that has its own gravitation pull, which isn't always a bad thing. It's a strange side-effect, but people with huge egos attract other people with huge egos and as is almost a law of science, they must meet on the field of battle before finally agreeing to a cease-fire. Which I think is how you end up with what is called a group of Elitists, or a clique.
In an attempt to curb my elitism a few years ago I revisited my hometown, trying to get back to my roots. I realized after a couple of trips that this was pointless. If I stopped being the person my chosen career had evolved me into, I would revert back into that 16 year old kid who thought joining the Air Force was the best use for his time.
Looking at this logically if I tried to be nicer and more understanding to people who don't know what I'm talking about the following would occur:
* My projects would suffer. My bosses get racing blinders, and if I don't rip the blinders off, they will not be receptive to a possible solution. If I don't sound confident in the solution, they will not listen. Consider this Alpha Male syndrome if you like, but I find it to be effective.
* My personal life would suffer. If I deliver the god awful product my bosses wanted me to they would fire me and point the responsibility pole in my direction. I can't say I would blame them; I wouldn't want to have my name associated with that piece of crap either.
* It wouldn't be as fun. It's cynical, but being on top is better than being looked down at.
It's not just a developer thing, it's not just a smart people thing, it's an everyone thing. I can't think of one person I know, who having lived my life wouldn't turn out the same way.
But there's the rub, for it to be Elite, everyone can't join the club. That would be communism, and that's just crazy hippie talk.
Embrace Capitalism,
Ix
hee hee...touching my code...hee hee hee
ReplyDeleteI was that way when I was in the networking world and wound up contracting for a helpdesk. Damn those users really had a way of p*ssing me off! I would leave work everyday just in a horrible mood. Then I moved over to development...(about 6 years ago or so now) and found that some people were anxious with me poking about while others were encouraging.
ReplyDeleteNow I apparently have some experience but still feel like the junior wherever I go, and have recently found myself bringing someone up to speed on a project that I'm rolling off of. For the first time I find myself in that teaching role and all goes well until that person tries to tell me he knows better than I do about this particular language/project etc even though he's never touched it. Matter of fact, he's from the .Net world, and this is a Grails project. he's never touched it and I really fear for the project after I leave because he'll be in charge. Ouch...my poor code...
I am usually very patient until I get the attitude from a Junior...I rarely take attitude from a Senior...but an entry level giving guff...I have ZERO tolerance for that...
I once heard it said, if you want to talk with the smartest developer on the team, find the grumpiest one, its him. Saying that, smart doesn't mean your the best...attitude counts for a lot.
I think that this comes from the fact that developers (and probably techies in general) enjoy working with things, and not people. Perhaps some of us enjoy working with things simply because we hate working with people.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if you don't take developing soft skills seriously and count on sheer technical ability to get you there, you'll never be the best developer you can be. A commenter above said that (s)he approaches everything from the standpoint of knowing nothing, I think that is a great approach to take, especially when attempting to elicit end-user requirements (which I think must be at least as frustrating to the end-user as any of our frustrations with them). As an added bonus, when applying it to your own work you may see opportunities for improvements.
Anyways, good on ya for recognizing the problem and taking steps to correct it. It will pay off I'm sure.
Been there, done that, even went as far as stating I'd rather do it all myself because it would probably take less time in the long run. Looking back at it it would have been faster if I did it myself, but looking at my team now that they've had the chance to learn they don't seem so bad.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest problem was realizing that not everybody has the same passion for this stuff that I do. Just because you have a programming job doesn't mean you're a rock star, which still takes me a while to get through my head when we bring a new-hire on board.
I've been there often. My theory is it happens when you are concentrating on too much 'stuff' in your head for long lengths of time. Somebody coming in from a 'duh' point of view, I mean that in the nicest way, tends to upset the apple cart and you end up having to concentrate on them rather than you work.
ReplyDeleteI've taken to stepping back from my work when things get too 'head heavy' - taking a walk or something else physical tends to work out and you aren't really that less productive.
@Ix: I can't think of one person I know, who having lived my life wouldn't turn out the same way.
ReplyDeleteNow you can.
@lifewithryan: all goes well until that person tries to tell me he knows better than I do about this particular language/project etc even though he's never touched it.
ReplyDeleteSo now you've gotten to the point where you don't listen; congratulations. We all have the capability to learn from everybody, even those that don't know the language, framework, project, whatever. Whether you choose to take the opportunity is up to you--and a great portion of teaching is being patient and explaining *why* the student may not know better--and having the courage and wisdom to accept it when they do.
@Johnson: Now you can.
ReplyDeleteI don't know you, so no I can't.
Prejudice is the child of ignorance.
ReplyDelete