[mgirdley]

I loathe these type articles.

They're complex arguments to justify the attitude that "only we chosen few (men) with serious tech degrees are gifted enough to do important work in code."

Tech is a big, prosperous industry and will be bigger if we act welcoming rather than creating complex arguments to protect our turf.

Disclaimer: Am a white male with a CS degree who runs a coding bootcamp.

[mikehadlow]

Actually the article very clearly says that the majority of professional developers don't have 'serious tech degrees', and that a large number of those that graduate from such degrees can't code. it makes the argument that there aren't any artificial barriers to entry, it's purely about aptitude.

[whatever_dude]

From the article:

> Let’s stop pretending that there are artificial barriers to entry and accept that the main barrier to anyone taking it up is their natural aptitude for it. Instead let’s work on improving the social status of the software industry – I think this is in any case happening slowly – and also work on encouraging talented young people to consider it as a viable alternative to some of the other top professions.

I'd say he's arguing about getting more of the right type of people into the field, rather than pretending it's something anyone can do, and getting the wrong type of people into it.

If we (as in software developers) were trying to "protect our turf", all we had to do was to continue with what we're doing. The new candidates will be terrible, the potential good candidates will be somewhere else, and we'll be "safe" atop the knowledge tower we built.

[dandare]

The article arguments for the very opposite. Did your bias prevented you from reading it till the end before commenting? :)

[klunger]

No. The last paragraph of the article: "The majority of the population can not learn to code at all, no matter how much training they receive. I doubt very much if the plethora of quick learn-to-code courses will have any impact at all on the skills shortage, or the problem of unskilled low pay and unemployment. Let’s stop pretending that there are artificial barriers to entry and accept that the main barrier to anyone taking it up is their natural aptitude for it." This is very clearly another (tasteless) "we chosen few" type article.

[douche]

When I was a young man, I dreamed of being a center for the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, my growth spurt stopped at 6'3", rather than the 6'8" or 7' that I'd need to have a chance to even attempt it. I practiced my skyhook for at least 10000 hours in high school, but I'd still get destroyed trying to post up on Brian Scalabrine or Brian Cardinal.

Sometimes, you either have the capabilities to do the job, or you don't.

[aianus]

Where are you getting the gender and race aspects from?

It's considerably easier to get a top-tier CS degree if you're a female or a minority.

[jaegerpicker]

Did you even read the article? It makes while not directly opposite pretty close argument to that. It literally says that software development is a less respected industry than it should be and that aptitude can be anywhere not just the few well off privileged elite.