Ingo Steinke is a Berlin-based senior web developer focusing on front-end web development to create and improve websites and make the web more accessible, sustainable, and user-friendly.
Some people should better start caring what others think.
Some people should care less what others think.
More precisely: as developers, we need to communicate to do our job.
We can use empathy and communication to assess expectations and experience that others have and maybe won't tell us explicitly even when we ask them. Think of poorly defined customer requirements. It will make everyone's lives much easier when we care about what they think. Think of experience: seeking advice and asking the right questions could spare us errors and working hours wasted doing trial and error.
But of course the leading question sound like it's about a different kind of "caring what others think". Many people tend to have fears and expectations what other people might think about us and about our work. That might be those who have the power and task to judge about us, our behavior or our work, like team leaders, HR interviewers, judges or the police. But it might be someone, anyone, like a coworker, a neighbor or a complete stranger. In that case, yes, we shouldn't care much about what others think.
Some people should better start caring what others think.
Some people should care less what others think.
More precisely: as developers, we need to communicate to do our job.
We can use empathy and communication to assess expectations and experience that others have and maybe won't tell us explicitly even when we ask them. Think of poorly defined customer requirements. It will make everyone's lives much easier when we care about what they think. Think of experience: seeking advice and asking the right questions could spare us errors and working hours wasted doing trial and error.
But of course the leading question sound like it's about a different kind of "caring what others think". Many people tend to have fears and expectations what other people might think about us and about our work. That might be those who have the power and task to judge about us, our behavior or our work, like team leaders, HR interviewers, judges or the police. But it might be someone, anyone, like a coworker, a neighbor or a complete stranger. In that case, yes, we shouldn't care much about what others think.
Well captured nuance of the question.
As always, the answer must start with "it depends...." 😏