What Leadership Think About Hardcore Programmers

Photo by Hans Leuzinger on Unsplash

You’re a 10x hardcore programmer. You never leave the office, and when you do you perform more programming tasks. 

You think that you’re awesome.

That may be right, or it might be wrong. In either case, your colleagues are thinking about you and (because they are software developers) they are judging you.

Here is a list of what leadership really thinks about you:

You know everything

That means you are a risk. Your knowledge needs to be spread around the team in case you leave. This means you might find yourself in receipt of some mentees as and when leadership finds out.

In this case, knowledge is a disadvantage.

You are underpaid

If you thought the leadership didn’t know you were getting paid less than your worth you don’t know quite as much as you think.

There are a number of strategies leadership will employ. This includes the knowledge that no amount of money will sate you, and you will eventually leave.

I can get paid more elsewhere.

Other developers do not like you

If you think your surly manner and behavior goes unnoticed. People avoid you in the corridor because of your judgemental attitude and people recognize that you do not know anybody else's names. 

This reputation that you’re difficult to work with, will filter up to the leadership team. If it becomes too much of a problem, you will probably be moved on from your role.

They are just astonished by my amazing coding.

You have no social life

If you have a friend, it is probably in the singular. Who you know from years back but never see. Leadership understands that this is why you can work long hours and are happy that they do not need to recompense you for this.

People get in the way of coding.

You never give up

Leadership feels you are resilient when it comes to coding. Therefore you are limited to coding, and will never grow outside technical roles.

Why would you wish to be a people manager anyway?

You dislike coding someone else's idea

You need to do everything your own way. This means you spend much more time refactoring code and are oftentimes unwilling to try new things. Leadership wonders if it might be better to have a slightly worse coder with a better attitude.

What is wrong with my attitude?

You won’t attend any social events

Your company provides an all-expenses paid Christmas party with a free bar. You sit in the corner with a long face, making everybody miserable who comes into your orbit. Some leadership teams might worry about your mental health, but invariably nobody cares.

So that's good.

Conclusion

You are hardcore. You know the score. Get it done.

10x