It’s hard to tell if the things Paul Graham says resonate with me because they are what I want to hear or because they are true. “Yes, of course, Python programmers are much more productive than Java programmers.” (The observant reader will note that his argument also applies against PHP, which I will admit even though I’ve written more code in PHP than in all my other languages combined. It does not apply, however, unless you are dealing with a relatively large pool of potential programmers.) “Yes, of course young disruptive hackers are undervalued!”

His latest essay is no exception–he writes about how hackers fresh out of college often underestimate the value of their position. Most people look to get hired by a big company right away because they assume that’s the only way they will make it. What they should be doing is looking for innovative ways to do what the market wants, because their unique position allows them to be much more flexible to deliver what is in demand than a huge company would be.

What he says is encouraging, though, because I don’t want to work at a big company. Taking career risks (inherent in independence or smaller companies) that would be silly later in life is a prerogative as a soon-to-be graduate.

Graham’s wit and insight is perfect when he discusses why certain projects succeed: For example, the stated purpose of Powerpoint is to present ideas. Its real role is to overcome people’s fear of public speaking. It allows you to give an impressive-looking talk about nothing, and it causes the audience to sit in a dark room looking at slides, instead of a bright one looking at you. This is really key–the bigger the problem you tackle, the greater the the potential for success. (What, you think Powerpoint is successful because it’s a shining gem of software engineering?) And what unsolved problem is bigger than
that of public speaking?

The funny thing is, this has been on my own mind recently. For a long time I’ve been employed by people who want me to solve fairly well-defined problems in ways that were pretty much laid out in advance. My job has been getting from point A to point B using code. Recently I’ve been asked by The Academy to come aboard as their “Tech man”. This involves much more than just solving a given set of problems. My job is now “identify as many ways as you can in which technology can be harnessed to make things work better at the Academy”. (my own paraphrase)

This is really refreshing in many ways. Although it carries more responsibility, I think in the end it is more rewarding since it forces me to think more. It’s kind of tough to shake the cobwebs loose and actually think independently once you’ve been a code monkey for so long, but I’m loving the open-endedness. (As a bonus, it justifies some experimentation with new technologies, which is always fun. Instiki, Jabber, and Hula are first on the menu.) I really hope the projects I set up change the way things are done for the better.

you dont say

I almost posted this without a photo. But then I would have broken my 15-day record. So here’s a photo, courtesy of myself and Biola University. Don’t ask why the sign is there. It just is.