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Software engineers should be a little bit cynical (www.seangoedecke.com)
submitted 8 months ago by to c/programming@programming.dev
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[–] 33 points 8 months ago (7 children)

I don't think engineers need encouragement to be cynical. More often engineers need to lighten up.

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  • [–] 7 points 8 months ago (4 children)

    I just want them to stop acting like egotistical know-it-all jerks all the time. They love to speak in black-and-white absolutes and IMO it just shows how much they really don't know.

    I think Dunning-Kruger also applies to smart people... you don't stop when you are estimating your ability correctly. As you learn more, you gain more awareness of your ignorance and continue being conservative with your self estimates.

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 child)

    A bit off-topic, but:

    Knowing about these cognitive distortions always makes it so hard to self-evaluate too! Am I actually better than I think and I am just aware of how much I do not know, causing me to evaluate myself too lowly? Or am I an arrogant asshole, "knowing about the Dunning-Kruger effect does not make you special, especially with how often it's cited everywhere online now," and I should keep evaluating myself lowly? Imposter syndrome exists, but some people really are faking it and do not know anything, so am I underevaluating myself and feeling like an impostor when I should not be?

    However, I also know if I state things with confidence or say I'm good at something, I'm more likely (at least online) to receive challenges and arguments about why I'm a puffed-up blowhard who actually knows nothing about anything, so I always trend towards "actually I'm just stupid" to avoid being whacked with the "ARROGANT FUCKHEAD" stick. (This is in general, not just about the tech topics this forum is for.)

    I've read another article on his site that I have to be able to just at least appear to confidently make a decision and live with the consequences that maybe my guess is wrong instead of presenting the whole pro-and-con list, instead of hemming and hawing about how my judgment is imperfect and I'm afraid of thinking I'm competent but actually being someone the internet would tear apart for gross incompetence and the audacity to assume I'm not. (I went through a lot of his articles on a rabbit hole from another of his articles posted on programming.dev.) But luckily I'm not in the decision-making-advise-non-tech-folks-on-big-decisions-most-qualified-person-in-the-room position that this advice is geared towards and do not bear that responsibility.

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  • [–] 2 points 8 months ago

    What I've seen lead to success:

    • Arrogance
    • Overconfidence
    • Schmoozing with the right people
    • Doing flashy work, whatever that means in a given situation

    What I have seen lead to failure or, at best, being undervalued and ignored:

    • Caring about teammates and your future self
    • Caring about the end user and the business itself, when it conflicts with something sales, marketing, or a PM want
    • Creating resilient, well-engineered systems

    It's the same problem as anywhere else. Well-crafted systems are invisible and taken for granted. Saving the day by putting out a fire is applauded, even when you're the one who laid out the kindling and matches. Managers at all levels care about their own ego more than the company, product, or team.

    Maybe I just spent too much time with ex-Microsoft hacks.

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  • [–] -1 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    Sounds like your company needs to add educational programs so they can see the bigger picture. The opposite is also true. Plenty of managers whether project or people don't know anything technical and create more issues than would ever be acceptable for someone way below their pay grade would afforded.

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