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The 16-Hour Developer Workout
In this business it takes time to be really good — and by that time, you’re obsolete.
- Cher
15 years ago, I was a contractor working for a Fortune 500 client. My colleague was in a role whose title always fascinated me: BuildMaster.
Nowadays no one hires a BuildMaster, nor do they appoint one. I miss those days. BuildMaster is an application, though.
BuildMaster often snapped out of his couch to rush to the office at midnight. “I have to double-click that damn build script — gotta bill an (overtime) hour, you see.”
One day, I advised him to automate it using some scheduler.
He answered, “If they know that this can be done using a scheduler, why will they keep me?”
Programmer’s paradox: In order to buy time for useful things, one must spend time in apparently useless and worthless things.
“Well, there is nothing stopping them from knowing it one day.” I reasoned. “You will be replaced, and blamed for not knowing such an easy thing.”
“I know, and I am prepping myself for that every day. But if I pull the plug today, who will pay for that seat I warm learning web development?”