I encountered a guy who claims to be a huge proponent of women in tech but insists that not just anyone can code and some people shouldn't be coding. I told one of my awesome Hackbright friends and she had this reaction:
He clearly thinks that he's above people that just want to try their hand at something they might not be amazing at and he thinks they have no business even ****ing trying and that's elitist and a serious problem in the tech community, and in society at large that he's just perpetuating and it's completely unacceptableThis conversation was one of many I have had in which someone implied that the problems I want to solve are not ambitious enough, or that having fun while learning to code means that I must not be learning rigorously enough, or that if I'm not coding 20 hours a day I must not be a "real" programmer. It's incredibly insulting and disempowering. And saying that not just anyone can code essentially means that you think there are two kinds of people - those who can code, and those who cannot - and that you are born one way or the other.
For the longest time I didn't want to give programming a try because I thought you had to be a certain type. Obviously there are some people who still think that. But I no longer do. This is really simple: I love programming and I want to learn more.
I enjoy the challenge and I really come alive when I am trying to solve a problem that is within my reach. I don't know whether or not I'll ever do anything super out of the ordinary or become an expert in some really impressive subfield. But I do want to code. Everyday. With awesome people. And keep learning. And have fun. And come home at a reasonable hour. And spend time on non-programmy things when I feel like it. And teach other people. And read books. And go swimming. Nobody is allowed to tell me I'm less of a programmer.
I will not let anyone make me feel small just because they are at a different level, or because they like to take on larger challenges than me, or because they personally prefer to spend more than 80 hours per week coding, or because they see themselves as part of an elite group of which they have decided I'm not a member, or because they have a CS degree, or because they went to an impressive school.
The most important thing to know about me is that I am a good person. In the context of a job, it is also pretty important to know that I am hard-working, collaborative, motivated, enthusiastic, and I have a sense of humor (plus I'm super modest).
It is totally legitimate for people to judge me based on my current programming abilities and how I solve problems in order to decide if they want to work with me or not. There is no need to put a cap on what I can do or tell me what my dearest ambition is. I will be the one who determines what I can and want to do. For now, I am looking forward to finding a great team of people who are passionate, supportive, inspiring, and fun to work with.
[power pose]
I love programming because I like to solve puzzles and when I'm coding I feel like I have superpowers. Let me know if you think you might like to have some superpowers. I would love to share the magic!
