[ryanobjc]

You are so lucky! You have a huge chance to note the experiences of the author, and _change course_ now before you end up unemployable years down the road! (like the author, who is going to be one of those aging coders who can't seem to get a job)

The author clearly seems to know computers, but in general from reading his post, he is a bad engineer. He collaborates poorly, he offers solutions without context, and does dangerous things without even realizing it. (eg: the use of BATCH without consideration for the negatives of such)

One thing to realize is you are holding an absolutist view of programming as an immutable art form. Programming computers is an engineering discipline. It exists to serve an external purpose - help people, make money, solve problems in the real world. Like every engineering discipline, it involves a trade off. Marking off your coworkers as "obvious lack of ambition" and "lack of respect" in their efforts based on your own judgement of their coding skill is intensely disrespectful. That's the kind of attitude that is inherently pre-judgemental and is what can get you fired, not hired or just edged out.

Having worked with truly intelligent individuals, one thing I have noticed is their endless humility and lack of ego. They are kind, think well of others and endlessly question their own intelligence. The author falls short on every metric.