-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA256 Adam Morris <adam.morris at redstargaming.net> wrote: >Honestly, stop thinking about it so much. The very best programmers in >the industry never distance themselves from so-called "mediocre" people >because often those "mediocre" people turn out to have a really slick >idea once in a while. Instead they take it upon themselves to rise to >the top and lead those very same people you would call "mediocre" to do >great things. More importantly, those people often, with a little >guidance, tend to turn out to be very excellent programmers, even if >some of them may not fit in with the hacker culture. > >In my experience the best programmers have often also been the best >leaders. Of the two traits, the ability to lead others to great >successes is what has made people like Richard Stallman and Linus >Torvalds to being considered the best. > >An arrogant attitude will not take you very far in the hacker culture >or a professional career in programming. Do yourself a favor and >accept the fact that there are people out there who don't share the >same passion for programming that you do, and you'll take yourself a >lot further than you would with a poor attitude towards them. > >-Adam > >On May 16, 2011, at 10:10 PM, Jason Hsu wrote: > >> 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> >> _______________________________________________ >> TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota >> tclug-list at mn-linux.org >> http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > >_______________________________________________ >TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota >tclug-list at mn-linux.org >http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list True. Also, as a man that very much enjoys his hairgel from time to time, I'm offended by the notion that a hacker can be determined so easily by hairstyles. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: APG v1.0.8 iQFHBAEBCAAxBQJN0e0dKhxNYXJrIEthdGVyYmVyZyA8bWFyay5rYXRlcmJlcmdA Z21haWwuY29tPgAKCRARdikJk4Hr1xrOB/9d9bSVztwi/4c8iL1HHNZZj2mIGTJT FVcfdvjDTRjfI0UYMUnMzfVc0b6JpnLQcEwDrV0vEQ8e2SavyPFP4EnPEGhpjAtF 6Jv0NOvIpJfYe/qzdbvplUSfZiz3xe62znmm1vyy/55kXIVGkOkB9jFvWTu0Fi0l JKlBPipvjsCssslS6TBikv86qc6Ii075QPJxmyDOCJBaAT9lW5ASABJymOZDU8ml NhzQwU6RtndWjtzfZ9mTD18xBeTUOIfz615pfiQo5zeMbrrlSE0SL4go9eTypS9A KfKqfAAXWIFBPNb9aj6HDmDzcBKBiX6nih47PEAKPfETLOASfQ14ttDg =hHoP -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----