
Never Be a Programmer in a Suit - dphov
http://thecodist.com/article/never_be_a_programmer_in_a_suit
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webnrrd2k
I don't quite get the point of this article... If you like wearing suits, then
go for it. A suit makes you no worse and no better as far as strictly
technical skills go. Almost any employer has a fairly liberal attitude towards
programmer attire. No one expects programmers to look like they just walked
out of a NASA control center during a moon landing.

However, a suit (or the lack of one) can affect how people think of you. Its
always good to be aware of your choices and how they affect other's
perceptions.

One other comment, as far as the suit thing goes, It can look _very_
different, depending on what look you are trying to go for.Do you look like a
famous actor between movies? A rockstar? A Houston oil mogul? English
professor? Southern gentleman? Mafia hit man?

Personally, I like suits and some formal elements mixed in with casual stuff,
too. But I'm also an artist, with blue eyes and long blonde hair and can pull
off a movie star look. T-shirts and crappy jeans are ok, too, but I got tired
of looking like a college student. Personally, I like looking good. And, to be
totally honest, I get a lot of compliments and I like the additional attention
from women.

Also, sometimes it's appropriate to go for sameness. Suits are goid at formal
events. Weddings and funerals, for example.

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jackvalentine
> "The idea behind the "suit" is to enforce sameness; everyone looks stupid
> but splendid and so no one will stand out. "

So... if everyone is wearing jeans and a sweater (like in my office currently)
you'll stand out with a suit?

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consz
Never be a programmer in a suit (because you will be discriminated against by
other programmers).

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kazinator
> _I 've always said that if a computer would work better if I was splendidly
> dressed then I would go Armani._

Nope! If computers worked better when the programmers were splendidly dressed,
that would make splendid dressing an effective tool.

Alas, programmers, by and large, don't like those; they prefer working with
crude tools, or none at all.

They would say, things like, "Real programmers can proudly make it work
without the cop-out of just putting on that Armani. Debugging with Armani is
no more effective than a well-placed printf if you know what you're doing."

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passivepinetree
Interesting article, but should be marked with a [2015] tag.

~~~
kazinator
Not to mention that it should be marked with a red 50% off tag and hung on the
discount rack.

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King-Aaron
I think the guy just doesn't like suits. I don't wear a suit in Australia
because it gets too hot, but in winter I love wearing them. You look sharp and
feel good for it. I guess not everyones the same.

~~~
wahern
Unless you're young and have a slim build it's very difficult to look sharp in
a full suit. It'll have to be carefully tailored (especially if off-the-rack),
and the moment you gain or lose a few pounds it can look bad again. As with
all things style you can more than compensate with attitude, but an outgoing,
forward, and attention-grabbing personality isn't something programmers are
known for. So it's a very expensive proposition.

Baggy pants and a baggy t-shirt look horrible but you won't stand out in a
room of programmers. A poor fitting suit will stand-out in the worst possible
way--it'll look horrible aesthetically and reflect either neediness,
incompetence, naivety, or some combination thereof.

If I had the money I'd wear a tailored suit every day. Not because I want to
look flashy, but because I know dressing well matters[1], and because I'd love
to be one of those guys with a closet of nearly identical suit "uniforms" that
would remove all choice from dressing in the morning. Plus I'd have to
professionally launder everything, so much less laundry. You can do something
similar with denims and a casual shirt, but for various reasons that can be a
trickier proposition, albeit much less costly.

[1] It's near impossible to come across poorly in a well-fitting, single-
breasted, conservative suit. But fall short of well-fitting and you subject
yourself to ruthless scrutiny.

[2] The conservative suit works well in almost any business-related
environment--again, zero decision making required in the morning--whereas a
Silicon Valley uniform would never fly in NYC, DC[3], a court room, etc, and
IMO is more likely to come across as more pretentious than a suit in some
environments, as denim+polo or similar attire can suggest bro culture, frat
culture, etc.

[3] Yes, plenty of technical people in DC and even NYC adhere to a California
business casual aesthetic, but the people with power or money almost
universally look down on those people. In California that same kind of
calculus is rarely so simplistic, but in any event on neither coast can you go
wrong in a good, conservative suit.

~~~
trevyn
Tailors are abolsutely essential to looking really sharp. This is lesson #1.
:)

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gcoda
Uniform helps most of people, there is something magical behind it. It puts
your mind in to productive state. Just a branded t-shirt for audio guy will
make him behave and feel more professional.

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nihonde
If someone (regardless of their avocation) wears their clothes well, I treat
them with more respect than someone who looks like they have a sink full of
dishes at home. It's an indicator that a person has their act together. Not at
all foolproof but important when first impressions matter. BTW, the "suit" in
SV is just a polo or a logo shirt and Bonobos.

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andrewl
I don't like being forced to wear formal attire every day, but this guy has
stronger feelings about it than I do.

You can be a good programmer in or out of a suit. I just did a Google image
search for Vint Cerf, and didn't find any pictures of him in anything _other_
than a suit.

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MR4D
Slacks & a sport coat. No need for the full suit. Even works with jeans and a
sport coat.

Keep it simple and easy to change.

