I've been back-of-mind thinking about some subtle cultural issues in the tech industry. We've heard at length about the obvious ones, the gender and age gaps, etc., but I've been trying to pinpoint particular unsavory traits that arise among developers. I hadn't quite put my finger on anything. But then, I was listening to JS Jabber (podcast; check it out), and one of their "picks of the day" referred me to Hacker School's manual. In it, they have a section outlining a code of conduct which hit home.
They talk about Fear, and how it hinders their students from succeeding. In particular, the fear of looking stupid, which keeps students from asking "Why?", or saying, "I don't understand." This fear is perpatuated by traits that have developed within tech culture, and HS's code of conduct calls them out. I don't want to simply copy pasta their write up into this post, so take a minute and go read through their Social Rules.
https://www.hackerschool.com/manual#sec-environment
They strike at the root of behavior I'd like to see go away. I'm going to be particularly focused on ridding myself of these behaviors, as I know I'm a culprit. Seeing a list makes these actions easier to keep in mind and address.
They talk about Fear, and how it hinders their students from succeeding. In particular, the fear of looking stupid, which keeps students from asking "Why?", or saying, "I don't understand." This fear is perpatuated by traits that have developed within tech culture, and HS's code of conduct calls them out. I don't want to simply copy pasta their write up into this post, so take a minute and go read through their Social Rules.
https://www.hackerschool.com/manual#sec-environment
They strike at the root of behavior I'd like to see go away. I'm going to be particularly focused on ridding myself of these behaviors, as I know I'm a culprit. Seeing a list makes these actions easier to keep in mind and address.
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