You Are Not Special: A Manifesto
Say it with me, “We are not special. Our pay is dictated by market forces, not skill. We are not special.” Once more, with feeling. We are on the right side of a supply-demand curve. We are Uber drivers and it’s lights on at Feve right now and people are calling rides like gangbusters. We are the lucky ones. We didn’t grind to build the legitimacy of our profession yet we reap the reward of 50+ years of work. We are spoiled.
Software developers think that high pay is justified because nobody else can do what we do, but the dirty little secret is we got lucky, stupid lucky. Software runs our world and the supply of skilled developers has yet to meet demand. Our high pay is justified, but not for the reasons people like to think. It is not an insurmountable technological curve that only the best and brightest can overcome. It is a grind that some people are not interested in that leads to an under-saturated industry. Yet coders love to coddle themselves and pat each other on the back for how special they are and act like they are unreplaceable rockstars. You are replaceable. Software developers aren’t big on understanding market forces though, so this lie is easy to tell yourself, and easy to believe when you’re pocketing $100k a year fresh out of school. Once supply meets demand, some people will be in for a rude awakening when companies pay *gasp* market value and they find out Craig in marketing makes about the same as jr. developer Johnny, unreplaceable as he is.
Software development is a job, just like accounting or finance or civil engineering, yet it is built up as this secret club where everyone hacks in their free time or lives for software. It is expected that your life outside of work is still related to work. Imagine accountants that audit companies on weekends for fun, or janitors that try to clean a whole building in 24 hours as a challenge. Yeah, weird. Coding is fun (sometimes), but it isn’t everything. You know what else is fun? Hiking, drinking, seeing sunlight, all good things I can do on my weekends instead of coding.
This is the manifesto of the software developer, not the hacker. We are the silent majority. Software development is my job, not my life. My job is boring sometimes, but at 5:30 I put my Mac to sleep and get on the train. At 5:35 I’m thinking about dinner, not code. I like it that way. I like having a job and a life. I don’t think I’m special because I happened to get a degree with lucrative job opportunities, I’m not better than Craig in marketing. If I quit, a job posting would go up, business would be as usual, the sun would still rise.
Don’t complain that you only have one foosball table in the office, or they only give you free lunch twice a week. Who cares that twitter has a full bar and you just have a kegerator in the break room? I’m sure Karen in HR would love to get paid to play foosball and drink. We are not coders, we are workers. We are entitled to nothing, we have to earn everything we get. We are not special. You are the same as Craig in marketing. Craig is replaceable too. In the wise words of Bill Belichick, do your job.
P.S. Nobody gives a shit that you taught yourself Node or Flask last weekend, especially not Craig in marketing. Keep the watercooler talk to sports and the weather.
Portrait of a CS Student
By Kyle Williams
Where do they come from?
A Notre Dame Computer Science student can be from all over the country. Because of the proximity to Chicago, there is probably a decent amount of kids from that area. This student was probably a top kid at his or her high school. He or she was probably from a financially stable background, with loving parents, and a warm home.
What do they look like?
This Computer Science student probably blends in well with the rest of the Notre Dame student body. It is hard to determine one’s love for Computer Science, since he or she probably played sports in high school, he or she probably was really involved, and he or she is probably pretty good at speaking or conveying ideas. This is more of a mold for a typical Notre Dame student, but Computer Science kids still fit into it. The Computer Science student probably does not dress super nice, but he or she is still conscious of good hygiene and dresses respectably.
What do they do for fun?
This Computer Science student loves to have fun on the weekends with friends at New Finnies, Old Finnies, or even the Backer. He or she probably enjoys group dining hall meals or trips out to eat. He or she is probably into at least one extra-curricular activity, whether it be interhall soccer or an occasional hackathon. No matter what, this Computer Science student relishes a football weekend and cannot wait to tailgate with friends and members of the Notre Dame family.
What do they study (besides CSE)?
Some of the Computer Science students study a corporate practice as a minor, some study applied computational mathematics and statistics as a supplementary major. These individuals represent a small minority, as the typical student focuses on Computer Science alone and will be fine relying on that for a job.
What are their beliefs?
The typical Computer Science student believes in helping each other out. It was been an “us vs. the course” mentality. While some individuals toe the line between what is fine and what is breaking the honor code, they are willing to take the risk. This student also believes in making good money someday, but deep down, this student knows what is right and wrong and wants to make the world a better place for us all.
What will they do when they graduate?
When they graduate, these Computer Science students will go off into the world. Some will go to big tech companies. Some will go into consulting. Some will go into trading. And some might even go non-profit. Regardless of where everyone ends up, we will all come back for football games, and we will be a force for good in the world.