From 7b3c68d16d47eaed3ff268f0c62cbd325d04aff8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Lucian Mogosanu Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2019 18:47:52 +0300 Subject: [PATCH] Add draft for why computer programming ... is not a real trade --- ...mputer-programming-is-not-a-real-trade.markdown | 244 ++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 244 insertions(+) create mode 100644 drafts/000-why-computer-programming-is-not-a-real-trade.markdown diff --git a/drafts/000-why-computer-programming-is-not-a-real-trade.markdown b/drafts/000-why-computer-programming-is-not-a-real-trade.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..10cf738 --- /dev/null +++ b/drafts/000-why-computer-programming-is-not-a-real-trade.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,244 @@ +--- +postid: 000 +title: Why computer programming is not a real trade, and other assorted thoughts +date: October 1, 2019 +author: Lucian Mogoșanu +tags: asphalt +--- + +Motto: Ah, well, at least you have a real trade. Just think about how +stupid it sounds: "computer programmer". + +Before starting this, I guess I should share a very brief CV, so you +don't think I'm talking out of my ass. After finishing my (computer) +engineering studies at Politehnica of Bucharest, I: participated as a +"software engineer" cum "researcher" in a meanwhile failed software +start-up[^1] for about four years; taught various undergrad-level +(computer) engineering slash programming courses, also for about four +years; and now I'm working as a "software engineer"[^2] in some big +company hiring cheap work in Bucharest. So we're good, okay? + +Now, what's this all about something being a "trade", then? Let's see: + +> noun +> +> 1. the act or process of buying, selling, or exchanging commodities, +> at either wholesale or retail, within a country or between +> countries: +> domestic trade; foreign trade. +> 2. the act of buying, selling, or exchanging stocks, bonds, or +> currency: +> Stock brokerages typically charge a commission per trade. +> 3. a purchase or sale; business deal or transaction. +> 4. an exchange of items, usually without payment of money. +> 5. Sports. the transfer of a player or players among professional +> teams: +> a midseason trade. +> 6. any occupation pursued as a business or livelihood. +> 7. some line of skilled manual or mechanical work; craft: +> the trade of a carpenter; printer's trade. +> 8. people engaged in a particular line of business: +> a lecture of interest only to the trade. +> 9. market: +> an increase in the tourist trade. +> 9. a field of business activity: +> a magazine for the furniture trade. +> 10. the customers of a business establishment. + +The definition applying to our discussion, in case it's not clear from +the examples, is 7, and *I guess* 6. In Romanian I'd call this +"meserie", and I guess the term is closely related semantically to +"liberal profession", which most likely arrived in English via French. +In Romanian you'd say "liber-profesionist", which I guess in your +broken language translates to "freelancer", which factually has +nothing to do with anything. + +A trade is some (economically, intellectually and so on and so forth) +profitable work that someone does, which requires some specific +skill(s) that separate that someone from the crowd of people who can't +do said work. Let's take some examples: + +* Architecture, that is, the work of designing buildings, is a + profitable work; economically, because some people now have roofs + over their heads, which provide personal safety and a place to do + stuff whether it rains or not; and aesthetically, because said + buildings look good[^3]; and from a practical point of view, because + you can stand, lie, shit and fuck in them all the same. Meanwhile, + walking is a profitable work; practically, because it brings one + from point A to B; but all the same, it's not a trade, because + unlike architecture, which involves specialized training, almost any + bipedal monkey can walk after their first year of existence. +* Meanwhile, piloting[^4] a vehicle, be it an automobile or some kind + of (water or air)ship requires specialized skill, and it's + profitable, for the same reasons as walking, so this makes it a + (very important) trade. However, lifting 100kg weights with a dildo + stuck up one's ass is not a trade, because, while it requires plenty + of skill, it doesn't bring anything of value to anyone except maybe + the one who does it. +* The same applies to, say: medicine (plenty of theoretical study + required), whoring (contrary to popular opinion, plenty of practical + study required), carpentry (plenty of both) or [leather + work][logz-leather]. The same *does not* apply to, say: talking, + moving papers for one place to another[^5], appearing on + television[^6] or shouting loudly about how you want to make the + world "a better place"[^7]. + +Do these examples cover it for you? No? Well, come up with your own +then, imagination isn't a skill either. + +Now as for the *why* part, you'd imagine, like the naive little soul +you are, that programming computers falls into the same category as +say, carpentry or medicine. Programming is a highly specialized thing +that reads like fucking Chinese[^8]; and some people make money off it +somewhere, so it *must* be profitable work... right? + +Well yes, except: I hear the imperial religions dictate that, in the +vein of "no child left behind", "everyone gotta STEM" and other +nonsense, everyone's supposed to know how to write code[^9]. And as +far as I know "everyone" already does: I was writing code in the 8th +grade, and nowadays the average highschool kiddo can easily Google +their Javascript tutorial and whatnot for the basic glue and tape +required for their MacGuyvering. Except said kids have no notion +whatsoever of profitability -- in fact, they have no notion of +reality, given how all this magic computer stuff distorts their +perception. There's many of them and not all that much useful work to +be done, really, and even if they find it, they'll just wallow in +their ineptitude ad nauseam... remember [douchebag][douchebag], by the +way? + +Moreover, the people who "make money off code", don't make money off +that, for fuck's sake. They make money off selling you games, or +[standing systems up][stand-up-systems], or some other product which +has some actual *meaning* attached to it. Nobody gives a flying fuck +that that thing has any software in it, and the minute they figure out +how to do all that stuff without keeping [fungible cogs][fungible] in +the machine, you're out. And I sure as hell hope they do it too, given +all that irritating [exceptionalist][exceptionalism] yammering about +how you're a "developer". + +Are you aware that "sysadmins", yes, the lowest of the lowest in +computing, whom everyone despises when the [server][server] goes down, +the guys who, unlike you, have the courage to get their hands +dirty... are you aware that they do *tons* more useful work than you +writing all that code? And even that's not a liberal profession, +because... look, here's the thing: + +As long as you sit on your ass waiting for that +weekly/monthly/whatever dole[^10] to come jumping in your lap, you +can't call yourself a "liber-profesionist". So get over yourself +already. + +[^1]: Perhaps I should give an account of that sometime? Perhaps, + sometime. + +[^2]: In case you were wondering, the quotes mean that the term is + misused by the people loudly spouting it. The activity y'all call + that ain't got [anything][software-engineering] to do with actual + engineering. + + And yes, there's such a thing as "actual" engineering, since + there's bridges, planes and all that other stuff that works and + you can't build. + +[^3]: Debatably, nowadays, but what can I say. + +[^4]: Why is the aircraft pilot called a "pilot", while the guy who + drives a car is simply a "driver"? And yes, by "driver" I mean a + professional who knows reasonably well the technical aspects + pertaining to his car, not the nobodies who [buy Mercs on + credit][logz-merc]. What the fuck, am I to call all the orcs who + spend their entire day in Microshit Word "computer users" now? + +[^5]: Or however you'd call a bureaucratic job. You know, whatever + most government employees tend to do, whether they're hired in + some ministry or in the so-called "[academia][academia]". I know, + I know, the latter's highly specialized, but again, what can I + say. + +[^6]: Or MyFaceTube, whatever the kids call it nowadays. + +[^7]: Okay, maybe shouting loudly passes for a skill... somewhat. A + talent, even, but whatever. + +[^8]: And unlike Chinese, you "must write it this way and not that + other one!" or the computer will refuse to talk to you. Stubborn + fucking computers, aren't they? + + No, I'm telling you, there's no stubborness involved, they'll do + [precisely what you tell them][machine] to, but you gotta *know* + how to say the magic words, only because they're so fucking + stupid. What "artificial intelligence", man, are you mad? + +[^9]: [See][gartner] for yourself: + + > A **citizen developer** is a user who creates new business + > applications for consumption by others using development and + > runtime environments sanctioned by corporate IT. In the past, + > end-user application development has typically been limited to + > single-user or workgroup solutions built with tools like + > Microsoft Excel and Access. However, today, end users can build + > departmental, enterprise and even public applications using + > shared services, fourth-generation language (4GL)-style + > development platforms and cloud computing services. + + [Also][cacademy]: + + > Now, you can go online to Google, type in: Learn to code, and + > you will find hundreds of courses available for you. And you + > should do that. You don’t have to turn this into a career. You + > don’t have to be the world’s best software developer. But you + > need to learn it for three specific reasons. + + He's not even wrong, you know: just Google some shit, copy-paste + some of that other shit from Stack Overflow, and there! + coding. Which reminds me: I've done plenty of "coding by copying" + in my life, only I've copied it line by line, typing it with my + own fingers, which has forced me to understand what the fuck I'm + writing. And no, there was no Stack Overflow back then, muie. + + > The first is it’s a mindset that we live in now in the 21st + > century. It’s called an If This, Then That mindset, and it’s the + > mindset required to think in terms of coding. This will help you + > understand artificial intelligence, machine learning, + > algorithms, and the way technology works today. + + I have no idea what this means. + + > The second reason that we need to do it is: In almost all of our + > jobs we are going to have to interact with and connect with + > software developers over the next few years – software + > developers who are writing the algorithms that will ultimately + > replace part of our jobs – but the better job that we do of + > knowing what they’re doing and how they’re doing it, the better + > we are equipped to be of value to the business going forward. + + Software developers who are so [fucked in the head][sexy]. + + > And the third thing is: It’s kind of like reading, writing and + > arithmetic. It’s part of what is essential for all of us into + > the future. Sure, you did maths at school and you might never + > have used trigonometry or calculus again, but it’s the basics – + > the foundations – of our modern education. + + Except, most people have no fucking idea how to read, write or do + basic maths. No, I'm not hating, just looking around and calling a + spade a spade. + + Anyway, I guess we've had enough fun with this particular piece of + shit found on the interwebs. + +[^10]: Yes, I'm aware you call it a "salary". Whatever. + +[software-engineering]: /posts/y02/049-the-myth-of-software-engineering-ii.html +[logz-leather]: http://logs.ossasepia.com/log/trilema/2019-09-05#1933821 +[logz-merc]: http://logs.nosuchlabs.com/log/trilema/2019-07-29#1925480 +[academia]: /posts/y02/045-academic-hogwash.html +[machine]: /posts/y03/05f-two-plus-two.html +[gartner]: http://archive.is/LAhZZ +[cacademy]: http://archive.is/11uW9 +[sexy]: http://trilema.com/2017/the-sexy-problem-formalized/#footnote_11_74930 +[douchebag]: http://logs.nosuchlabs.com/log-search?q=from%3Adouchebag&chan=trilema +[stand-up-systems]: http://trilema.com/2019/so-i-was-thinking/#comment-131244 +[fungible]: http://www.loper-os.org/?p=69 +[exceptionalism]: http://trilema.com/2013/personal-exceptionalism/ +[server]: /posts/y00/01a-grim-fandango.html#fnref3 -- 1.7.10.4