I am seeking a position as a Linux IT consultant, software engineer, or programmer. According to Paul Graham and Joel Spolsky, a "hacker-centric" culture tends to be an all-or-nothing proposition. They say that the very best programmers and software engineers are part of an inner circle, and they all follow each other around. If a company develops a "hacker-unfriendly" culture, these top people move elsewhere en masse to another company that is "hacker-friendly". The corollary to all this is that companies without this "hacker-centric" culture tend to be mediocre at best and often populated by pointy-haired idiots. None of the top people want to work there, so none of them do, and the negative culture perpetuates itself. Given this, which companies have this "hacker-centric" culture? Who are the best people? Are there any any professional organizations? In addition to making Swift Linux the biggest success story since Ubuntu, is there anything else I can do to make sure I am one of these top people? More importantly, what can I do to distance myself from the mediocre people and the pointy-haired idiots? I want to avoid being like them, and it would help to stay far, far away from them. Those losers obviously don't see themselves as losers and are probably full of covers and rationalizations, so I know better than to think I can avoid being one by reciting a few mantras every day. Given such a sharp divide, I need to make sure I'm on the correct side. If I'm part of the "hacker-centric" culture, I'll be automatically more productive, enjoy my job, and have superior career prospects. If I'm on the wrong side of the divide, it will be like trying to go up a floor on the wrong escalator. -- Jason Hsu <jhsu802701 at jasonhsu.com>