
Ask HN: Do you call yourself Ninja/Hacker? - paukiatwee
Do you like a job post &quot;We looking for JavaScript Ninja&quot; or &quot;We are hiring RoR Hacker&quot;? Or some blog title &quot;I am UX Hacker and love to..&quot;?<p>I personally feel annoying. I prefer to use &quot;Talent&quot; or similar term. What do you think?
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sevilo
Nope, "Ninja"/"Rockstar" on a job posting automatically makes me not want to
apply. "Hacker" is alright, though I never refer to myself as a hacker.

On a side note seeing "we want people who get things/sh!t done" on a job
posting really bothers me too... but that might just be me.

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krapp
No.

If you have to call yourself a hacker, you probably aren't one.

And if you call yourself a ninja, you're _doing it wrong._

Whenever I see that kind of thing in a job posting it always seems like an
effort to be exploitative.

... of course I never qualify for any of those jobs but then I would never
call myself a hacker or a ninja or rock star anyway.

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pmurach
When I see the term ninja, wizard or hacker in a job title it suggests to me
that the people recruiting are looking for above average developer. I imagine,
the rationale behind that is to do with looking for someone who will bring
increased efficiency and productivity by being very intimate with a given
technology and deliver value from the start. I am not saying this is the case
at all but it seems like a plausible rationale behind such words. However,
there is quite a stigma attached to these terms and most of the time the
interpretation depends on the context. Many recruiters or companies feel that
these terms resonate with developers and work for them like a bait for fish. I
would definitely approach them sceptically and seek clarification of what the
role involves. Probably the biggest issue with these terms is how do you
actually quantify qualities of ninja or someone who has talent? Everything
depends on context and these are quite murky waters. Software developer or Web
developer as a job title sends much clearer picture of the company recruiting
needs.

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jamestomasino
The term ninja makes me think that the people running the company don't
understand software development and have relegated it to a category filled
with mysterious doings. I expect the same sort of folks to call it wizardry or
magic.

Hacker isn't as clear-cut a term because there are several different trends in
the industry using the term in different ways. Are you a 40 year unix veteran
who hacks things together or are you a front-end hipster-stack web developer
claiming the title? No, most likely the folks using this term on a job posting
are trying to seem youthful, but I can't be certain. I just avoid it as much
as possible and, like the others commenting, prefer traditional terms that
have legitimate and clear use in the industry.

Think about what is implied for a software architect role vs a web developer.
There's much more differentiation in the denotation of those terms than
ninja/hacker.

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elviejo
I like the term Software Developer.

I wont apply to any job post with the words Ninja or Rockstar.

Hacker... I would read it.

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jfb
I find it embarrassing, but I chalk it up to a lack of experience. I always
assumed that "hacker", as a term of regard and a social signal, could only be
granted by others -- it was gauche to use it to refer to oneself.

Me, I write programs.

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edavis
I'm transported back to 2008 whenever I hear "Ninja." Same with "Rockstar."

"Hacker" doesn't bother me.

Developer, Programmer, Designer, Engineer. Stick with the fundamentals.

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k3oni
Nope.

Seems that i see more and more ninjas and hackers everywhere.

Funny thing is that some don't want an engineer, as somehow nova-days an
engineer is less then a hacker or a ninja in someones eyes.

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ACow_Adonis
Well if you see more and more of them, they clearly aren't ninjas :|

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2close4comfort
King S(&* of F&^% Mountain

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clasense4
I agree with you.

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adamredwoods
i prefer the term "desk jockey".

