PROBLEM WITH ‘PROGRAMMERS’ I wholly agree with the sentiment expressed here. The

http://programming-motherfucker.com/THE PROBLEM WITH ‘PROGRAMMERS’

I wholly agree with the sentiment expressed here. The problem is that the members of the set of software developers who are capable of programming as responsible craftsmen is significantly smaller, if not, marginally insignificant, compared to the number of day laborers, and union workers who use the same moniker.

And while ‘programmers’ of the craftsman ethic, can identify one another, it is impossible for those of us who are responsible for other people’s money to tell who is indeed an artist, who is a craftsman, who is a union worker, and who is a day laborer.

And I realize that it sucks. But the truth is that everyone has the incentive to lie, because programming skill is a scarce good and is therefore valuable.

So the problem, is (a) programmers do not self-police the industry the way doctors do, and (b) no one provides ‘programmer insurance’ which is what certifications are supposedly for, but are again a perverse incentive that is exploited by union workers and day laborers (c) consulting companies profit by the fact that while they may have one or two craftsmen, they they are loss leaders, and they largely employ and make money on day laborers (d) customers can’t hire craftsmen because of bureaucracy and tedious work, so they have no other economy.

If you’re a programming mohterfucker, with a cause, take some money and create an insurance company that insures programmers are competent, and charge them fees for certification and maintaining it. If someone is insurable then when they are hired, the company pays the insurance company part of the programmer’s fee. But the motivation of the programmer is to capture that revenue, not pay the insurance company. And so the programmer is again at fault.

The problem is incentives. 🙂

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