🥠 🛶 👩🏽‍🚒 The programmer does not have to solve business problems 🤦🏾 👩‍👩‍👧‍👦 🐩

Hi, I’m a developer and I think that the expression "a programmer must solve business problems " is a monstrous lie, destructive for the industry.

Find out why I think so

Introduction

This will be an article about nagging, disappointment, burnout, and rebirth.

This article I write primarily for myself, to sort through my understanding of a particular area at the moment.

Perhaps time will pass and I will change my mind. Adequate discussions are welcome.

Definitely want to say thanksfillpackartfor his article. I often disagree with his opinions and conclusions, but perhaps it was his publications that prompted me to think. The result of some of these considerations was this article.

An interesting discussion withTimecoder, in which I realized that I lacked well-thought-out arguments. “Like a dog, I feel everything, but I can’t express it!”

Who are you anyway?

We can say that I am a programmer by vocation. I saw the computer for the first time in 4 years, Dad at work gave me to paint on a black and white monitor in something like Paint. I was amazed and realized that I want to be able to command the machine, absolutely and completely. Then there were books like “Know the computer” at home, the first QBasic program at age 13, an institute with a degree in software and hardware with a qualification of “Engineer” and work. In production I wrote code in VBA, JS, T-SQL, PL / SQL, Bitrix (God forgive me) and as the main language of C #.

In general, the usual strong web macaque. And I don’t want to solve business problems.

Why do you say that?

When I was young, I found out about the separation of programmers by skill level - junior, middle, senior. And since I want to be able to command the car, then my goal is to become a senior! Not for the sake of a tag, but to deservedly possess the same amount of knowledge and skills.

As time passed, I read smart books, gained experience from older comrades.

And who is the seigneur?

At work, they began to slowly drag me to meetings. First, to discuss the parts of the service. Then to integrate the service with another service. Then for a discussion of UI design. And then I realized that I was sitting among the managers, they were discussing the increase in conversion and the sales funnel, and glancing at me, although I was generally a backend.

Then I asked my acquaintances, seniors, if this is normal, they answered me “Of course, this is the duty of the senor”. And these are really cool guys, I wanted to be like them. And I started going to meetings.

And there were more meetings and I was told, “We have to think how to solve business problems.”

And then I realized that the senior is the one who solves the problems of business.

And what does it mean to solve business problems?

At one work, they once gave me a senior lad. Although all the polls were senior there, I was still glad, and plunged into seigniority with my head. He argued with the project manager, and the analyst, and the designer, to make the user more convenient and comfortable, although it was ugly in terms of code and architecture. The project code was getting worse. The authorities set the task for the whole team, and then they asked me. "Well, you are the lord." I was the link between the manager, the bazist, the front, the analyst and the designer. And he also wrote a backend.

And somehow it all started to strain me and I thought, “I guess I need to find another job.”

The interviews looked something like this:

- Do you pretend to be a senior software developer?
- Yes. What are the responsibilities of senior software developer?
- Solve business problems, of course.

It turned out that everywhere the same thing.

The bosses, familiar seniors, recruiters, interviewers told me: “A real programmer must solve business problems. Business makes money. You have to make a product that brings money. Otherwise, what should you pay for? ”

And then I realized that to solve business problems is to think about how to bring more profit to the employer .

And what is the tragedy?

And I do not want to think about it.

Hey, what do you pay for then?

And finally, the cultured myth got out, that the senior is positioned as a Real Programmer! What all developers should strive for.

It seems to me that I opened a conspiracy of employers.

This myth is beneficial to business. “Hey man, do you want a little sting? We will call you a Real Programmer, and you think first of all about how it will be easier to sell what you write. ”

And the worst thing is that some meager developers themselves believe in and support the myth.

“I solve business problems, they gave me a senior lock, so I am a Real Programmer, but you are not!” - marketing bullshit.

Explain with examples

A programmer is a mixture of engineering and creativity.

Should the engineer who builds the bridge really think about how this bridge will pay off? In general, no, his task is to design and build a bridge that will meet the deadlines, budget and will stand idle for the number of years indicated by the plan.

An aviation engineer should not think about how the company will need to pay for flights. He must build an efficient, powerful, easy-to-maintain engine.

Since childhood, the artist dreamed about how his drawing on a box of cereal will contribute to increased sales.

The surgeon just does the operation to save the patient’s life, and the Real Surgeon does the operation and thinks about how to make it so that the patient pays more money to the hospital?

Is funny Rave? And for some reason it works with programmers.

Himself not a seigneur, that’s why you are mad!

“A slave does not dream of his freedom, but of his slaves.”

I realized that I did not care how business would monetize my work. Let managers, sales people, marketers, and product owners do this.

"Oh no, you're not a lord now!" - generally do not give a damn, the tags do not affect the qualifications of the developer.

I just try to do my job well, write high-quality and easily maintained code.

Let's remember Linux. Say that Linus is a bad developer, because he did not think about monetization.

I would advise developers who think about business problems to open their own business and think about it, it will be more useful for everyone.

And I wish everyone else to do what they love in a comfortable environment and not be fooled by all sorts of flattering tricks.

Thank you for reading.

The programmer does not have to solve business problems