Thread by @jlengstorf

I like to code

I’m not passionate about coding

I would stop showing up to work if the paychecks stopping coming

a job is a job. if a company tries to convince you that it’s more than that (a “family”; a “calling”) that’s a red flag — that gets used to get you to donate time

I like working with people who enjoy their jobs, but there’s a HUGE difference between “I am well compensated for my work and take pride in doing a good job” and “I derive my value as a person from my code”

people who are so passionate about coding that they tie their entire identities to it are honestly kind of a nightmare to work with, tbh

if I was going to do what I’m PASSIONATE about and willing to do without a paycheck we all know I’d be trying to find out how much melted cheese can fit inside of one man

I’m seeing something interesting in this debate, which is that I think in a lot of cases people are violently agreeing with each other

so maybe it’s worth defining how I’m using the word “passion” because human language is a context nightmare

https://twitter.com/jlengstorf/status/1357706590896328709

I think some people are saying “passion” to mean “I enjoy code and I would do it as a hobby, even if I wasn’t getting paid” — me too!

others are using it to mean “I take pride in my work and I want to continually learn to be the best I can be” — I feel this way, too!

the definition of “passion” that I’m I’m taking about is the problematic definition I see more predatory companies use: “if we only hire people who tie their entire idea to their jobs, they’ll make personal sacrifices for the company and that means we spend less on compensation!”

here's a great example of how this goes wrong: if you're not fully willing to suffer for your job or you want to set boundaries for yourself, you're a "traitor" somehow

https://twitter.com/adham_benhawy/status/1363574782432866309

muting because I'm starting to miss messages from other folks. I appreciate all of you. here's my soundcloud hawk.dance