

Don't be a Coder, Engineer, or Developer ... - cschanck
http://designbygravity.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/dont-be-a-coder-engineer-or-developer-be-a-software-artisan/

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martythemaniak
Unfortunately, calling yourself a "Software Artisan", "Computer Artiste" or
anything like that WILL make you sound like a pretentious douchebag.

Give your ego the middle-finger and just call yourself a software developer.
It'll make everyone's lives easier.

~~~
pavel_lishin
You're absolutely right, and he's updated his blog to briefly address this.

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axod
>> "What is your job description? What do call yourself, or tell people you
do?"

I tell people "I do computer stuff". Anything else sounds pretentious and
stupid eg "Senior software architect", and is usually more information than
they really wanted.

"Software Artisan" just sounds ridiculously pretentious.

~~~
pavel_lishin
If I suspect a person has problems with their Windows install or needs a
website built "for this great business idea, you'll see, we can split the
profits, you just have to design the website!", I tell people I'm a database
administrator. This discourages questions.

Otherwise, I generally tell people I'm a code monkey or a web designer.

~~~
axod
Good strategy.

The worst thing is being known in the family/extended family as "A computer
guy" - someone to ask when your crappy Windows XP machine won't boot.

When faced with this tricky situation I usually explain that I last used
Windows about 10 years ago and have no clue how to make their Vista/XP thing
bearable, and they back down.

~~~
julsonl
Not only this, they often ask you to hunt them a brand-new laptop with 6 gigs
of ram, 17" screen, a high-speed quad core cpu (basically the works) for all
around $400. I'm exaggerating a bit, but this happens a lot often than I would
like.

~~~
billswift
Goody, I want one of those too, when can you get it to me?

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ZitchDog
When non-technical people ask what I do, I say, "I write software."

It's been the most well-received title I've found. "Software Developer" is too
technical and euphemistic, and "Programmer" is a little nebulous, and also
pretty technical. Most people don't necessarily know what a "program" is.

I think that hearing "I write X" is also a more accessible conversation
starter since you aren't saying _who you are_ , but _what you do_.

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tocomment
I always say I'm a programmer. Is that ok?

~~~
geebee
+1. This is what I always do too.

I do understand why people avoid "programmer", since it sounds low on the org
chart, but replacing it with "senior architectural web consultant" is bad, and
suggests that you're embarrassed to be someone who writes code. "Software
Developer" is alright, but we're adding letters and a a space between words,
and I don't really see why.

Sometimes I think that changing a name over and over shows a bit of
insecurity. You know, how lawyers like to introduce themselves as "civil
rights lawyers" when in fact they are essentially personal injuries lawyers.

Programmer goes way back. It's a great word, let's use it.

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hxa7241
It is strange that people who work with an entirely logical medium -- software
developers -- continually want to pretend they are 'artists', 'craftspeople',
'artisans', 'writers', 'performers' even. It is some kind of delusion. If you
design systems by some logical understanding of their component properties,
and some experiment where things are incompletely known, then you are doing
engineering. And there is nothing wrong with that! It does not mean the job is
automatable or predictable -- engineering requires insight, judgement, and
creativity.

~~~
modelic3
Artists work with an entirely logical medium as well. There is nothing more
logical than the physical properties of color and the geometry of perspective.

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makecheck
If I can see what a person is doing, I don't necessarily care what they call
themselves.

However, in my experience, once a person has chosen to accept an overly-
important title, their value to the organization is severely diminished.

What seems to happen is that people are first promoted to practical positions,
like Manager. But after awhile, upper management figures out that they have
too many managers. There's some unwritten rule that seems to prevent the
layoff of managers. So they hold onto the over-promoted people; but out of
some need to avoid bruising egos, they never suggest demoting them to where
they would be the most useful. Instead, the managers are "reassigned", and a
fancy new title is born.

But I've seen firsthand the big problem with this. After awhile, there are
plenty of projects that require Just Programmers, and they are understaffed.
You often have 3 or 4 figureheads (er excuse me, Chief Worldwide Technology
Strategist Architect Artisan Leads), who you _know_ possess the knowledge to
help you, if they would only accept being Just Programmers. But they won't,
because their job is some pointless paper-shuffling thing that keeps them far
away from code.

If any of you is ever in a position where your title seems to be the most
important part of your job, please do your organization a favor and either
accept demotion gracefully or quit.

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bad_user
I just call myself a "computer scientist".

I do get funny looks from people not familiar with the term, but it's how I
feel, and it also keeps me on the right tracks (gigs diverting into technical
support or sysadmin or software development that was boring me out of my skull
... were only temporary because I know what I want to be).

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jpatte
When I began writing small programs on my calculator 10 years ago, I claimed
myself a programmer. Now that it became my job, I usely say I'm a developer.
But the truth is I've always considered software development as a kind of
crafting activity, where you can build something totally cool starting from a
blank page using unlimited resources (well, almost).

When I design and write a complex piece of code I like to imagine it being
transposed in a different crafting domain, e.g mechanics. Writing your own
software is like building your own car. You design the blueprints, you create
each part one after the other (the chassis, the engine, the transmission,
...), then you assemble it and you see how far and fast it can ride. I like to
see my numerous projects on my computer as as many pieces of (un)finished
robots and gadgets in my workshop.

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ori_b
When people ask what I do, I tell them I "play with computers", or that I'm a
"code monkey". If anything more formal is needed, I give a job title.

It's not something worth spending much time thinking about.

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patio11
I have always liked "[software] engineer". It is what it says on my degree and
visa, it is literally accurate, it isn't overlimiting like "programmer", and
it commands a certain modicrum of societal respect.

The full sentence is usually "I'm a software engineer working on the
admissions system used in places like $LOCAL_UNIVERSITY." Most people don't
need any technical detail, but a bit of showing that your work matters in
their world doesn't hurt.

~~~
geebee
I really don't like using the word "engineer" to describe a programmer,
largely because I don't want the engineering accreditation/licensing bodies to
start thinking they have a claim on what I do.

~~~
gaius
Trust me, the engineering institutions wouldn't touch 99% of software with a
bargepole.

Software engineering to me has always meant the software part of an engineered
system, e.g. the software flying on an airliner or controlling a power
station.

There's nothing wrong with being a programmer, it's an honest trade. Certified
Java Enterprise Solutions Architects, on the other hand...

~~~
geebee
Well, the problem is that licensing often morphs into cartel building over
time. The ABA and state bar associations are notorious for this, but they're
hardly the only ones. Read about how various bar associations have pursued
"cease and desist" injunctions against "We The People" (a company that fills
out legal forms for a fraction of what a lawyer would charge) for a sense of
how far this can go.

If engineers want to include a software component in their licensing of, say,
civil engineers, that's fine by me. But it needs to be clear that they are
licensing _civil_ engineers who write software as part of their civil
engineering work, not _software_ engineers per se. Once they get their hands
on software engineering, and discover how lucrative the newly formed cartel
(er, profession) can be, you'd be surprised with how broad the scope of work
that needs to be licensed can become.

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prpon
For my local 7/11 or gas station, I 'repair computers'. For my relatives who
are not into software, I am an 'Engineer'. Working on 'open source enterprise
service bus' was the most nebulous thing to explain, even to programmers who
were doing SAP implementation or web design.

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modelic3
He has a point. Saying I'm a mathematician never conveys the meaning of what I
do. If you practice something long enough it does become an art but getting
this sense across to non-practitioners is almost impossible.

~~~
jamesbritt
" ... but getting this sense across to non-practitioners is almost
impossible."

And maybe besides the point. I'm sure there's an art to be a lawyer, for
example, but I really don't think anyone wants to hear about "Justice
artisans" or some such crap.

"Software artisan" just sounds inane.

~~~
modelic3
The author is trying to convey his passion to other people when they ask him
what he does so it certainly is not besides the point.

~~~
jamesbritt
It is beside the point of what people are looking for when they ask someone,
"What do you do?"

Also, FWIW, it conveys for me not passion, but self-infatuation.

Perhaps it's a matter of what to do when someone asks you a basic question.
Simply tell them what you think they want to know, or tell them what you want
them to hear.

