I came across an interesting image on twitter. I shall not fault the poster, nor the re-tweeter, nor the creator of the original image. But I struggle with leaving my thoughts on the topic unspoken.
In the image above, the programmer is portrayed as a ditch digger. The tweet account was clearly owned by a programmer, and the caption for this image read: “Sad, but true…”.
I feel no sense of empathy for this ditch digging programmer. I don’t believe this to be true.
While we do end up with the metaphorical shovel (a keyboard), I have never considered a programmer someone who toils endlessly while a team of “managers” dictate what, where, and how to dig. It’s also not what I expect other programmers to be.
I expect much more from management than the ten people circled around our hard working friend in the picture. Enterprises tend to have a thicker layer of bureaucracy, but I’ve seen bureaucracy work. If you continue to dig mindlessly while they stand around and watch, you get no credit as a programmer in my book. Either beat them over the head with your shovel or get out of the hole. Disclaimer: I do not endorse the actual physical beating of such lame-duck technology parasites, but it’s up to you to push back or push out.
I realize this is an over-reaction to a developer poking fun at management, but I know many who actually believe this to be true. If as a programmer you feel empathy to this ‘fellow’ ditch digger, I humbly ask you to leave the profession. If you’re a programmer who feels like you’re being constrained to ditch digging, leave your company. There’s refuge for you out there.
Programming is a beautiful blend of science and art. You have freedom to be logical and expressive. Good management will provide the environment for you to say, “hey I think our problem will be solved by digging a hole here, but I want something more powerful than a shovel to do it with.” I have no empathy for the downtrodden developer, and feel no comradery to the man with the shovel as a metaphor for myself.
But I do appreciate him performing his job, so I don’t have to.
Tandem is custom software development company in Chicago with practice areas in web application and custom mobile development.
