Jay Kimble writes a sad post about us developers being all alone in the wilderness (and I'm not sure what the “petty user group“ thing is all about -- maybe I've not been to the user groups he has been to!). I do know some of those solitary developer types, but I don't have a negative outlook -- although I'm sure my weblog isn't required reading in offices across the planet or anything and I don't have any misconceptions about my level of influence. I think that the percentage of the programmer world that follows blogs or blogs themselves, participates in user groups, and is generally part of a greater .Net community (like INETA, for example, is fostering) is a fraction of the broader development population. Maybe 5%? Maybe even less? They're missing out because there are really interesting people and cool stuff going on.
While it can certainly get discouraging when it feels like “all this amounts to nothing,” things have vastly improved over the last several years. The internet is such a free medium for expression, there are blogs, newsgroups, user group meetings, even online articles about development that are stitching us together in very positive ways. I've learned so much and feel very lucky because of the community and friends I've made. Is it perfect? Hardly. Is it a step in the right direction? You bet. I get more than just code snippets from these interactions, I build human relationships and experiences that enrich my life. It's not just about the code. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true.
One thing I work hard to not lose sight of, however, is that this software stuff is ultimately a means to an end. If I'm ever not having fun with it or finding it rewarding, I should move on to something else. As the good book Coding Slave points out, the state of the industry is largely our collective doing. So, Jay, I'm reading your blog. I don't know where you're located, but WeProgram.Net would welcome you if you're ever in the Hampton Roads or Richmond areas. We're having a BBQ and Cricket game Saturday June 12th -- the only code will be in the unavoidable programmer jokes that seem to come out at these sorts of things. Brian “Andretti” Lamprecht will have some dreadful tie-died WeProgram.Net t-shirts with “Get Your WSDL On” printed somewhere. Community is a work in progress!
This morning I was part of a professional panel speaking to “Talented Youth” and their families about the professional world; the students, apparently, came from all over the Atlantic. It's a cool program, organized by Johns Hopkins and William & Mary, that helps high schoolers on their search for colleges and initial career choices. The kids all seem very bright and I offered to try and hook some of the interested ones up with summer internships etc; we'll see if any are bold enough to take me up on the offer! I even demonstrated a quick c# app and showed a little source code to thrill the more technically minded in the audience . . . the others were probably bored to tears.
I feel a little odd representing the entire “Technology“ profession, and maybe in the future they'll expand the panel some. For what it's worth, I like to think I did an adequate job communicating the pace of change and what it's like working as a “Technology Professional.“ Physicians have to learn the human body one time, and have many years of schooling to master the topic, while computer professionals have everything changing on them every year or two -- it's a constant learning process for us developers.
I also felt obligated to discourage the high schoolers from feeling a lot of pressure to lock in a career choice at age 18! I know very few people who knew what they wanted to be “when they grew up“ at age 18 -- give me a break -- that's the age to explore new things. I also emphasized studying abroad and doing internships while in your college years, there's lots to learn outside the classroom.
There's something really cool about the enthusiasm of the high schoolers . . . it helps me re-energize as I get back to work after Devscovery last week.
Happy .Netting!