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by jeffbee 2133 days ago
Computer software development has none of the characteristics of a profession, either. There's no licensure, no guild, no liability, and many people practice it without formal training.

The software industry would benefit from moving in the direction of being either a "trade" without the manual labor, or toward being a real profession, but it currently occupies a weird middle ground.
3 comments
ceilingcorner 2133 days ago
TBH I think this is a feature, not a bug. Over-credentializing coding will limit creativity. If you want a better existing paradigm, consider design (as in the broad field of design, which includes graphic, fashion, industrial, etc.)
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jeffbee 2133 days ago
That's fine with me because I favor the trade direction. I tell my mentees to make things in good taste that they're proud to show people, like a cabinet maker.
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room500 2133 days ago
After dealing with many legacy projects from "creative" developers, I don't think standardizing on some basic practices would be a bad thing
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jquery 2133 days ago
That might increase efficiency but I bet it would reduce joy. As someone who joined the industry for the joy aspect, not the efficiency and money aspect, that’s not very appealing to me. Besides, I think standardization is already happening and being rewarded in the form of higher salaries for people who are fluent in modern frameworks and practices.
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0xffff2 2133 days ago
>There's no licensure, no guild, no liability,

Those are all things that are near-universally features of working a trade, so what exactly is the difference between a trade and a profession?

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jeffbee 2133 days ago
You got me there. I guess I think of specific trades that don't have those aspects. As far as I am aware, you don't need a state license to be a machinist. But yes, you do need those things to be an electrician etc.

So I guess software development is just basically like bagging groceries. Totally informal.

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elliekelly 2133 days ago
See now I don’t think I’d consider grocery bagging a trade because there isn’t really any skill involved. You could pick just about any person off the street and they’d be able to bag groceries.
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908B64B197 2132 days ago
That makes recruiting a very fun game.

I wouldn't believe the stories on candidates failing FizzBuzz until I saw it with my own eyes, several times!

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