Lucky to be a Programmer

Gustavo Duarte just wrote a great post entitled: ‘Lucky to be a programmer’ It’s a good read and very true. Those of us who love what we do for a living are very lucky and just like Gustavo, I love what I do.

"Love is, above all else, the gift of oneself." - Jean Anouilh

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Strengths Finder

I recently did the StrengthsFinder test online via Gallup. What is StrengthsFinder? The Internet-based StrengthsFinder Profile is the product of a 25-year, multi-million dollar effort to identify the most prevalent human strengths. The program introduces 34 dominant "themes" with thousands of possible combinations, and reveals how they can best be translated into personal and career success. In developing this program, Gallup has conducted psychological profiles with more than two million individuals to help you learn how to focus and perfect these themes.

My top 5 main “themes” are shown below:

Command

Significance

Intellection

Maximizer

Achiever

Having read the full explanations for each of these, I consider them quite accurate. I have passed them on to a couple of colleagues for feedback as to whether they also think they are accurate. So far it seems to me that this quick and cheap test could be useful to do when hiring certain employees. It at least appears to give an insight into their personalities in a way that will not necessarily come over in an interview.

“English - Who needs that? I’m never going to England!” - Homer Simpson

Complexities

Why is it that as I am putting considerable effort into achieving a simpler and more organised life, the universe is conspiring against me and trying it’s very best to make things more complicated. I guess this is one of those ‘tests’ that life throws at us occasionally just to try and keep us on our toes.

I am good at dealing with problems. Most of the time I am at my best under pressure, reacting in a calm and capable manner and I firmly believe that problems are there to be solved and sorted, and that we learn and grow from the experience.

Occasionally though, something will test me in a manner in which I am not easily capable of dealing with. Normal rules do not always apply and it is easy for us to confuse matters by inventing our own logical explanation in an attempt to deal with the situation. Logic is most certainly in the eye of the beholder.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place ? Yes, at the moment, I guess I am.

“It takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen.” - Homer Simpson

5 to 7 Years ?

The following is a quote from an ex Microsoft employee. I don’t think this experience is in any way unique to Microsoft. You could substitute the word Microsoft with any number of company names. It’s not about the company, it’s about the experience. I can really relate to this, I have experienced something very similar more than once.

‘You scramble, dash, pump yourself full of caffeine, and get into it! You do this again after the project fails, and again after the project changes, and yet again after a major reorg. You keep that energy up, you keep contributing. You are a good Microsoft citizen doing your part for the greater good.’

‘You do this for between 5 and 7 years.’

‘One day, however, there’s an epiphany. On that day you realise that your lawn is three feet high and you have a stack of unopened bills. Change sets in.’

‘You start to notice that you are more opinionated at group meetings. Schedules, feature sets and direction are questioned more. A caustic tone creeps into your speech.’

‘More changes set in.’

‘Your patience is a little thinner in other aspects of your life. You see things more clearly now and you’re more forceful in doing what is necessary to make plans a reality. You want things to happen faster, cheaper and more efficiently. You do not have time to waste time with people who cannot keep up.’

‘You will hear from your significant other that you are a demanding person. You will hear from others that you are opinionated, strong-willed, difficult and demanding. In every situation you will push others to their extreme, and you will achieve a measure of success.’

“If you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now, quiet! They’re about to announce the lottery numbers.” - Homer Simpson