It is a new year, and after all of the parties and gatherings, it is time to roll up our collective sleeves and get back to work. The global economy requires plenty of labor, and we do not have enough trained people properly to maintain it. Today, I want to talk about this challenge.
Less than five-hundredths of a percent of the world population know how to write software and maintain computer networks. All of the global economic data and information
travel through those networks, so recruiting new people each year is essential
to help maintain and improve those systems. I think we have done a poor job in this regard.
It is why I will always support people
looking to get into the profession.
In many respects, being a software developer is like being
and musician. Practitioners can be self-taught
or have years of classical training. Each
approach has its merits, but a musician needs to develop “chops” to succeed. It is when a musician learns to improvise and
interacts magically with an audience and other musicians.
Thus, writing software is not learning a particular programing
language; it is a way of working with others that maximizes quality and
delivers value. It requires attention to
detail and learning how to write a unit test to know that something will work
the same way each time it is in a production environment. It is not an easy process, and it took over
ten years of trial and error to consider myself competent. The profession has a way of humbling the best
of us.
Support others who are attempting to get into this crazy
business. Encourage people to set up
GitHub accounts and experiment with new coding tools. Encourage women and people of color to join
the activity because their presence will help improve quality and deliver value
to a broader audience. Agile is a significant
movement, and the more people we have creating quality software, the stronger it
will become.
Until next time.
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