My friend sent me
this article the other day, and it inspired me to write my version of the article, but with my point of view as a programmer.
You're at a party and start to mingle. You start to talk to a rather interesting person, things goes well, you're having fun. "So, what do you do as a living?" you asked. "Oh, I'm a programmer at X" he answers. All of a sudden you picture a cool swave Ryan Phillipe
hacking to a server. Before you ask for his number and hope for a happy ending, here are a few things you should know about programmers.
1.
No, we will not fix your computer. If that is first thing that crosses your mind, then give up. Stop. Do not pass go, do not collect 200$. There is nothing more annoying that assuming that a programmer can fix your computer "because it's so slow that I can't go on facebook". In fact, we hate fixing our own computer. Our solution to a slow computer? Erase the damn thing and reinstall everything. Actually, if you reply to "Oh I'm a programmer" is, "oh, so you know how to fix computers right?", we will instantly
pretend to not know anything about computers and slowly walk away.
2.
We are smarter than you. It's not really our fault. The IT industry is very competitive. Programmers are a dime a dozen, so the only way to stand out is to be the best and to be the smartest person in the room. Google, Apple, Microsoft, amongst others, only hire the best and the smartest people out there to create the next best thing. Due to the competitive nature of our field, we tend to be arrogant and prove that you are wrong and we are right. Furthermore, a lot of programmers have masters or phD degrees.
3.
Work trumps everything, including you. We are passionate about our work and give the extra mile to get things done and to make it look good. Sometimes we even forget to eat or sleep to meet our deadlines. When we are absorbed in work, we are in our little bubble world, especially during crunch period. So if we forget to eat or sleep, don't expect us to call you back. We are borderline OCD perfectionist, so we spend our waking hours trying to make our project as close to perfect as possible.
4.
We love our toys and gadgets. Don't be surprised if we jump like a 5 years old when we see a new gadget in the wild. It's usually something that we have been reading and hyping up for the past 5 months, so it's only normal to be excited when we see it in real life.
5.
We are worth your time and effort. We consider our job as an extension of our personality. If our work is an extension of our personality, chances are, our relationships are the same, for better or for worst. If the disclaimer above is putting you off, consider this:
The fact that we won't fix your computer doesn't mean that we
cannot fix computers, we just don't want to because we've done it so often. As a matter of fact, any good programmer started their life with fixing computers as a hobby, usually at a rather young age. But if fixing your computer gives us the opportunity to see you and ask you out on a date, we will gladly fix your computer, and we'll even do it with a big smile! (see point 1)
We like to use our brain to create the coolest thing out there. That also means we always have something smart and interesting to say. Beside, with all the research that we do, we are bound to have something in common with you (and if you think our research is uniquely about computer stuff, think again, we love to read about non-related work) and we can show you new things that you might never know you liked before. (see point 2)
Our passion for our work shows that we are dedicated to our relationships. Yes we might ignore or forget to call you back, but we DO call back (caller ID!), but most importantly, we will give the extra mile in the relationship and make things work. (see point 3)
Always fed up with unoriginal and boring gifts? Our love for toys and gadgets can remedy that. The fact that we love new toys and gadgets means that we can give you the most unique and cool things that nobody will ever think of. Once again, just because we like our toys and gadgets doesn't mean that it has to be geeky and nerdy by nature. We are the best at finding the quirkiest and cutest thing which will make you laugh or smile. (see point 4)
Ladies (and gentlemen), despite all the bad press and stereotypical concepts you have read/seen, and the 5 things you should know before dating one of our kind, let me reassure you that we ARE worth your while.
