Tired Ones
Many programmers are tired. They are tired of struggling to learn new technologies. They are tired of dealing with difficult customers. They are tired of having to deal with half-baked solutions and unclear documentation. They are tired of listening to others tell them that they’re “falling behind.”
And, worst of all, they are tired of trying to change, because for them it does not work.
So they stop trying. And they mope. And they focus on the other parts of their lives. They don’t work long hours, unless they absolutley have to. They don’t try to keep up with new tech and new languages. They hope their company succeeds and prospers, because they’re too tired to summon up the energy to find a new job.
Good Things
- They are stable and predictable
- They know some things, and they know them very well. You can be fairly well assured that if you ask them about something they are familiar with, they will have a solid answer
Bad Things
- They suck the life from the organization
- They find ways to be skeptical about new ideas and concepts
- They will attempt to undermine changes that might lead towards their obsolescence
How To Identify Them
- They sigh with exasperation every time a new technology is mentioned
- They carry lists of articles explaining why their preferred tech is the best, so they can pre-emptively stifle “what about Tech X” discussions
- They rarely shave completely or regularly - it’s just going to grow back after all.
[...] Tired Ones [...]
Pingback by Indefinite Articles » The Fourteen Types of Programmers — October 6, 2006 @ 1:50 am
[...] Many of you might have had a different image in your mind when I wrote “Lazy Ones.” - you were probably thinking of the slothful slackers who stealthily sneak and slither, souring source code serendipitously. (Sorry, couldn’t resist) But I don’t think they’re lazy. If anything, they are Tired. Good Things [...]
Pingback by Indefinite Articles » The Fourteen Types of Programmers - Type 4: Lazy Ones — October 24, 2006 @ 12:47 pm
Comment by Ben — October 28, 2006 @ 8:17 pm
about the shaving part that is.
Comment by Ben — October 28, 2006 @ 8:18 pm
I second Ben. “There will always be slobs and neat freaks” - Steve Yegge. I think slobs tend to not shave completely or regularly, but they do not suck the life force from the organization!
Comment by wolf550e — October 28, 2006 @ 11:21 pm
[...] Application/Web Development NULL Trouble In SQL Server Land The fourteen types of programmers: Type 1 - Tired Ones The Fourteen Types of Programmers - Type 2: Those That Like Shiny Things The Fourteen Types of Programmers: Type 3 - Those that Blog The Fourteen Types of Programmers - Type 4: Lazy Ones Creating and writing ASP.NET 2.0 custom Configuration Sections My New Favorite Blog Code Highlighter .NET 2.0 Tip: Strongly Typing Configuration Settings [...]
Pingback by Test « Rhonda Tipton’s WebLog — October 30, 2006 @ 2:27 pm
[...] Application/Web Development NULL Trouble In SQL Server Land The fourteen types of programmers: Type 1 - Tired Ones The Fourteen Types of Programmers - Type 2: Those That Like Shiny Things The Fourteen Types of Programmers: Type 3 - Those that Blog The Fourteen Types of Programmers - Type 4: Lazy Ones Creating and writing ASP.NET 2.0 custom Configuration Sections My New Favorite Blog Code Highlighter .NET 2.0 Tip: Strongly Typing Configuration Settings [...]
Pingback by Web Links 10.30.2006 « Rhonda Tipton’s WebLog — October 30, 2006 @ 10:56 pm
Scepticism towards newfangled things isn’t a bad thing.
Refusal to even consider change is, but being wary of change isn’t.
Too often we see change for the sake of change, change without reason other than that the “old” technology is “old” (where old can mean a few months).
Comment by jtw — November 2, 2006 @ 9:43 am
[...] Then they get to their first job, and get assigned a bug. They come up with a somewhat flawed re-design that would fix this problem and are told just to put something in to get it working again. They work 60 hour weeks to complete a project and get the same 3% raise as everybody else. They spin their wheels waiting for the powers on high to decide what to do. Then they get married and start having kids and have more demands on their time. And they get tired. [...]
Pingback by Man Bites Blog » Blog Archive » I Wanna Be Forced Into Early Retirement — December 3, 2007 @ 3:14 pm