Comment by amflare | Hacker News Reader

Comment by amflare | Hacker News Reader

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> Modern software engineering is rotten. I should know — it's been my livelihood since I graduated from college in late 2019.

I'm so sorry that one of the most lucrative entry-level jobs in the world didn't live up to your liberal arts hipster standards. Did they not have enough free lattes and kombuchas for you to drink while you idly wandered the gardens contemplating the beauty and spontaneity of a spiderweb? /s

God forbid I become one of those people that judges the next generation for growing up in a different environment, but this is one of the most entitled articles I've seen in awhile. The Computer isn't beautiful enough? Give it another 2100 years and perhaps a couple gaudy and ceremonial ones might end up in a museum.

This person either came from more money than they deserve, or else they have no concept how the real world works. Maybe even both. Go spend more than 2 years doing an honest day's work then get back to me. I'd have a lot more respect for this sort of project when it is born out of an honest labor, not a pretentious child's boredom.

I saw Jiro Dreams of Sushi the other day. For context, Jiro is this old dude (80?) who refuses to retire from being a sushi chef. He’s one of the best sushi chefs in the world. In the film, he talks about how he doesn’t do it to be the best. Or do it for the money. For him, sushi is a craft he does for honor.

I like that framing. I agree with the sentiment you quoted, and I’ve been programming for over 30 years. I don’t think there’s much honor in most software. We don’t honor the user when we make software full of ads. We don’t honor the computer when our software is slow and lazy. And we don’t honor our craft when our software is buggy.

Yes, this poster is obviously inexperienced. But I respect that they spent a bunch of time and energy trying to honor what they see as missing - especially when they needed to pick up a new craft in the process. I respect the old people who did things like that when they were young. Whether they led somewhere or not.

We are paid well enough to do projects like this in our spare time. You’re right - that is a privilege. But I think it would be a loss for everyone if they don’t follow their impulse to do something with that.

How the hell did this person start their SWE career at the same time as me and come to feel they have an authoritative view on the state of the industry? Maybe it's because they're a recent grad and I'm an older career changer, but I still feel quite new to the industry.

You mean: How the hell does a 25-year-old who spent most of their life so far in school being taught to write affected essays on a tight deadline for points not have an excess of perspective, wisdom, and humility?

A part time job washing floors? Any hobby that puts them in contact with the not-highschool reality? Spend a few days in the mountains? Meet someone who got into a great school despite not getting an A+++ in highschool lit?

I've been programming for 26 years, employed in the software industry for 20 years, been a SWE at multiple FANGs as well as a few smaller tech businesses, and I feel probably more similar to you than I do to the author regarding our views on the state of the industry.

Stopped reading at the very first sentence to come here and write this. Thankfully you have done it for me.

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