Signs that you're destined for more
Signs that you're destined for more
These are not always the traits of "good" programmers, they're the traits of people who go beyond programming and change industries, some of them are even detrimental to what an employer would consider "good". If any of the following fits you then you should start your own company. I can't say if it'll benefit you to squander a few years in the bowels of a corporate beast to "learn the ropes", because if you exhibit these traits then I doubt it will be worth it. You are Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or their successors, and there's no way to learn these traits either because if you don't have them, then you ain't ever gonna.
1. Indifferent to Hierarchy
Richard Feynman once pointed out that "it doesn't matter who your dad knows", if something is wrong then it's wrong no matter who says its right. Don't fear the consequences to your career, you''ll find another job. Society never wastes real talent.
Symptoms
- Getting into arguments with the CEO
- Quitting on principle
- Organizing teams without permission
- Creating new products after-hours while hiding from the Rent-a-Cops
- Re-organizing the workspace "Peopleware" style, against company policy
- Helps themselves to the boss's private stash of bottled water
2. Excited by failure
Most of us learn from failure, but most of us also fear it. Even fewer of us have so much faith in their innate ability to cope and adapt that failure is actually seductive to them, and they must tempt more. They don't deliberately try to fail, they justfeel instinctively that failure can be as beneficial to them as it was to Spencer Silver.Symptoms
- Can tell you, step-by-step, what happened on United 232, Air France 447, March 28th 1979, or April 26 1986, and what changed as a result
- Snapped up an HP Touchpad when they went on sale for $100
- Took broken appliances apart as a kid, did not necessarily fix them
- Has tried every pick-up line there is and has the slap-marks on his cheeks to prove it
- Owns schwag from Dr. Koop, Enron, Pets.Com, excite, RIM and Yahoo!
- Founded a second start-up with the essence of their first start-up's failure
3. Indifferent to circumstances
"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."Symptoms
- Has transitioned from rags to riches to rags and shows no sign of regret to the latter
- Little or no loyalty to physical location or local traditions
- Disinterested by the outcome of elections
- Stock options and bonuses are ineffective retainment techniques
- Makes the best damn PB&J you've ever tasted, can prepare ramen sous-vide style with a ziplock bag and a space heater
- Cashes-in their 401k to fund their next venture
4. Unswayed by obligations
Obligations are a social construct, and some see them as props for the lazy. While that's a dishonest oversimplification, some make it a point to break free and do something different. We'd still be bashing rocks together if they didn't.Symptoms
- Routinely applies for an extension to file taxes
- Antagonistic when asked to maintain code for "backwards-compatability"
- Contemptuous of Girl Scout Cookie order forms left out in the break room
- Dropped out of high-school, university, law or medical school because they didn't see the point anymore
- Has deeply religious parents but doesn't attend church
- Uses the free return-address envelope stickers given out by a cancer charity, frowns when you ask how much they gave
5. Substitutes impulse for commitment
Companies are formed to 1: reduce the cost of a transaction, and 2: provide customer support. Our stereotypical "free spirit" isn't very good at the last one, but that's why they sell their stock to The Suits and fly away to build another nest.Symptoms
- Forgets Mother's Day/Valentine's Day/Anniversary but swamps the beloved with overcompensatory gifts shortly afterward
- Tends to give gifts that came from the SkyMall catalog
- Dedicates books/product launches/office buildings to close persons who didn't show-up for the ceremony
- Recruits a steadier person to run day-to-day operations
6. Driven by experiences
The biggest programming challenges are still unknown; they're not quite the same as solving P=NP and more like figuring out how to get your customer laid. So somebody reacts boric acid and silicon oil, and that's nice, but it took a toy shop owner to turn it into Silly Putty.Symptoms
- Shows you a birds-eye photo of a woodland creek. When you shrug, they explain that it was taken on the return bounce
- Has opinions on the best parts of the Adirondack Trail
- Shows up at work with welts all over their arms, says it had something to do with a company called "Airsoft"
- Has eaten Ikizukuri or Fugu
- Laughs knowingly at the "strawberry cough" scene in Children of Men
N.B.: While the toy-shop owner figured out that Silly Putty could be a toy, it took someone who was already $12K in debt to survive the silicone shortages of the Korean War before becoming rich. Not even the most inspired programmers, inventors, or entrepreneurs live in a vacuum. Someone invents it, another figures out what to do with it, and somebody else figures how to turn it into a business. Just look at the gadget you're using to read this article.
Signs that you're destined for more
These are not always the traits of "good" programmers, they're the traits of people who go beyond programming and change industries, some of them are even detrimental to what an employer would consider "good". If any of the following fits you then you should start your own company. I can't say if it'll benefit you to squander a few years in the bowels of a corporate beast to "learn the ropes", because if you exhibit these traits then I doubt it will be worth it. You are Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or their successors, and there's no way to learn these traits either because if you don't have them, then you ain't ever gonna.
1. Indifferent to Hierarchy
Richard Feynman once pointed out that "it doesn't matter who your dad knows", if something is wrong then it's wrong no matter who says its right. Don't fear the consequences to your career, you''ll find another job. Society never wastes real talent.
Symptoms
- Getting into arguments with the CEO
- Quitting on principle
- Organizing teams without permission
- Creating new products after-hours while hiding from the Rent-a-Cops
- Re-organizing the workspace "Peopleware" style, against company policy
- Helps themselves to the boss's private stash of bottled water
2. Excited by failure
Most of us learn from failure, but most of us also fear it. Even fewer of us have so much faith in their innate ability to cope and adapt that failure is actually seductive to them, and they must tempt more. They don't deliberately try to fail, they justfeel instinctively that failure can be as beneficial to them as it was to Spencer Silver.
Symptoms
- Can tell you, step-by-step, what happened on United 232, Air France 447, March 28th 1979, or April 26 1986, and what changed as a result
- Snapped up an HP Touchpad when they went on sale for $100
- Took broken appliances apart as a kid, did not necessarily fix them
- Has tried every pick-up line there is and has the slap-marks on his cheeks to prove it
- Owns schwag from Dr. Koop, Enron, Pets.Com, excite, RIM and Yahoo!
- Founded a second start-up with the essence of their first start-up's failure
3. Indifferent to circumstances
"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."
Symptoms
- Has transitioned from rags to riches to rags and shows no sign of regret to the latter
- Little or no loyalty to physical location or local traditions
- Disinterested by the outcome of elections
- Stock options and bonuses are ineffective retainment techniques
- Makes the best damn PB&J you've ever tasted, can prepare ramen sous-vide style with a ziplock bag and a space heater
- Cashes-in their 401k to fund their next venture
4. Unswayed by obligations
Obligations are a social construct, and some see them as props for the lazy. While that's a dishonest oversimplification, some make it a point to break free and do something different. We'd still be bashing rocks together if they didn't.
Symptoms
- Routinely applies for an extension to file taxes
- Antagonistic when asked to maintain code for "backwards-compatability"
- Contemptuous of Girl Scout Cookie order forms left out in the break room
- Dropped out of high-school, university, law or medical school because they didn't see the point anymore
- Has deeply religious parents but doesn't attend church
- Uses the free return-address envelope stickers given out by a cancer charity, frowns when you ask how much they gave
5. Substitutes impulse for commitment
Companies are formed to 1: reduce the cost of a transaction, and 2: provide customer support. Our stereotypical "free spirit" isn't very good at the last one, but that's why they sell their stock to The Suits and fly away to build another nest.
Symptoms
- Forgets Mother's Day/Valentine's Day/Anniversary but swamps the beloved with overcompensatory gifts shortly afterward
- Tends to give gifts that came from the SkyMall catalog
- Dedicates books/product launches/office buildings to close persons who didn't show-up for the ceremony
- Recruits a steadier person to run day-to-day operations
6. Driven by experiences
The biggest programming challenges are still unknown; they're not quite the same as solving P=NP and more like figuring out how to get your customer laid. So somebody reacts boric acid and silicon oil, and that's nice, but it took a toy shop owner to turn it into Silly Putty.
Symptoms
- Shows you a birds-eye photo of a woodland creek. When you shrug, they explain that it was taken on the return bounce
- Has opinions on the best parts of the Adirondack Trail
- Shows up at work with welts all over their arms, says it had something to do with a company called "Airsoft"
- Has eaten Ikizukuri or Fugu
- Laughs knowingly at the "strawberry cough" scene in Children of Men
N.B.: While the toy-shop owner figured out that Silly Putty could be a toy, it took someone who was already $12K in debt to survive the silicone shortages of the Korean War before becoming rich. Not even the most inspired programmers, inventors, or entrepreneurs live in a vacuum. Someone invents it, another figures out what to do with it, and somebody else figures how to turn it into a business. Just look at the gadget you're using to read this article.