Whether they were once true and now outdated, or were never a thing: What are commonly held beliefs about software development careers that are actually myth?
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Whether they were once true and now outdated, or were never a thing: What are commonly held beliefs about software development careers that are actually myth?
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
dev.to staff -
dev.to staff -
Aaron McCollum -
dev.to staff -
Latest comments (63)
You can get rich really fast. People think once you start typing weird language into computers you turn Bill Gates style or FB Mark. But this is only non business people.
That you have to choose between tech and business as you grow your career. Also that the tech track is capped earlier is also a myth.
That you're always going to be working with fantastic, perfect, shiny, and bug-free codebases. Most projects I've been subjected to have been varying degrees of dumpster fires, some only less raging than others. You'll then wonder why the hell you can't just re-write the whole thing.
Myth: your ability to troubleshoot indicates your ability to write software.
I have seen lots of employers who think that troubleshooting is the easy more Jr. task and programming is a harder more Sr. task. Troubleshooting and writing software have some commonalities but you do not need to be good at one to do the other well. Companies that ask me to prove myself by troubleshooting first generally let me go within a month. Companies that ask me to program first end up liking me and keeping me a long time.
It's not my job, somebody else do it. Vs here's an opportunity to attain that label.
I see this mentality alot, Im guilty of it even if I wish I wasn't.
The point is I want to see a world in development where your ability to do something is controlled by your motivation and skill alone. FE and BE that's another frustrating label set, you are developer.
Myth as in Misconception: That who aces interview is a great performer in the everyday job.
A myth for outsiders (non-developers)
"can you fix my pc ? my screen is black".
You're doing something with computers, right?
Relevant Xkcd
"programmers are math geniuses, arent they?"
Myth/question I usually get: How can you sit at your computer all day and code?
The reality: I spend a good chunk of my time learning about the domain, talking to the SMEs and whiteboarding.
That everyone is a code monkey. Excuse my language.
Thank you everyone for these comments! As a recent grad I’ve been feeling like I don’t belong in these junior dev openings. I feel like I could learn loads more before even applying at an entry level position but part of me knows it’s just a confidence issue. How do you overcome that? Did you ever feel like you ready for these roles?
Hey, Shane! I'd say you never really feel ready and you should definitely just shoot! I was exactly the same in the sense that I always felt like I needed to know a few more things before applying but I still didn't feel ready when I applied for a load of companies and I'm heading off for the final interview in about 30 minutes to one of those companies! I have a pretty empty portfolio online but it was more a case of making a good impression through my application and interviewing that lead me here. I also had to do a small practical challenge but that was fairly simple. If you google "code newbies imposter syndrome" there's an awesome article on this kind of problem! I actually listened to it this morning just to give me a pep talk haha ... best of luck ✌🏻✌🏻
A lot of developers have a passive attitude when it comes to professional growth, further education, training and career development. Your employer may provide opportunities for all these things, and if it's the case and it fits your personal goals, that's terrific and I encourage everyone to make use of any possibilities that are provided, but at the end of the day, the sole responsibility for your career lies on your own shoulders. When it comes to your career, always act intentional.
You must have a degree in computer science.
My degree is in music performance.
Please give this gentleman a beer.
Does it end with a non-Unicode ellipsis … ? 😂
It's like the old joke:
One day a fellow programmer came one hour late to work, said nothing just sat down and started coding. Nobody said anything but everyone was gossiping and giving him bad looks. When he started packing his stuff one hour earlier one of the guys just exploded: "What? You came late and now you're trying to leave earlier? What's wrong with you?!?!". And the guy says: "Sorry, I forgot to tell you I'm on vacation..."
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