One of the things that absolutely destroys entry-level programming applicants is the fear that they won't be able to do "the job" once hired.
This fear is unreasonable and unfounded and I'll tell you why.
You're going to be the most junior and the most recent hire. You're not going to be in charge of *anything.*
They're funny because THIS IS 100% TRUE.
However. Once hired you will be building a Web application.
You may have already encountered some of the gigabytes of literature about how software complexity destroys products.
Once hired you will *only* be working on problems that are significantly below that threshold of complexity where products start to implode.
During the interview process you are at the mercy of a bunch of nerds who love complexity and try to foist it on you at every turn.
After hire you and the other nerds have to move buttons 3px left.
But that's not all
They could not move a div.
A huge number of programming job applicants cannot program. At all.
The bar is so much lower than you think it is. Pathetically low in fact.
The CTO spoke to him about it. Many times. Over the course of A YEAR.
This thread is for people new to tech so I'll assume that YOU assume 😀 he suffered some kind of consequence.
Was he placed on the tech blacklist, which surely is a thing that exists?
LOL.
LOL I say to you. LOL.
This is one example out of dozens.
But grifters are not the end of the story.
Now let us speak of the Dunning-Kruger effect…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E…
But why. Why is it so?
Dunning-Kruger is a common reason.
Welp. There's engineers out there who truly believe they're doing a much more sophisticated job than they actually are doing. Which is after all what "Dunning-Kruger effect" means.
- I won't understand what's going on
- Everyone will think I'm stupid
- I won't be able to come up to speed fast enough
You're assuming A LOT here.
You think this because you aren't yet taking the Dunning-Kruger effect into account.
But he never got any better at it. Why?
Dunning-Kruger.
They remain stuck at a relatively junior level of knowledge throughout their careers (barring some kind of awakening of self-awareness, which ime rarely occurs).
You can cruise along knowing a little bit and bossing others around and be fine
You, new to the field and to your role, will likely be listening *very* carefully to everyone around you.
Web programming is a lot more about listening to people than it is about code
But in fact they were right: I was the best listener on the team.
Listening is *the* difference between a so-so Web dev and a great Webdev
Listening is the differentiator, not code.
I know that if a candidate deeply groks my requirements and mission, I'll push back very hard against objections to hiring them based on technical deficiencies.
I cannot train anyone (so far) to be a great listener and to think deeply and understand the requirements of myself, my bosses and my stakeholders.
I'll take a good listener who bombs on the whiteboard over an arrogant technical wizard every time.
Could you have encountered someone who had Dunning-Kruger? Can you rule it out?
If you have been overwhelmed and intimidated by a senior engineer please consider the Dunning-Kruger effect. It's likely that person knows less than they think they do. A lot less.
I don't think so. What I have said simply by way of explaining the observed state of tech, where legacy code is rampant, data breaches are common and syntax errors regularly take down million dollar sites
You'll be the most junior but not the lowest skilled. That title is taken.
There are some popular theories.
If the leader of a group does not care or does not know enough to keep their team afloat, they can lean on other teams.
You are not.
You are applying for a better-paying job in a field that is just as fucked up as the field you are leaving.
What do I mean by factional? I mean if you hate me, then the people who hate *you* will not respect your blacklist. Tech is like this.
It's considered paramount to maintain the illusion that everyone in tech is smart and talented.