Scott Hanselman

This was just too good not to share…emphasis is mine.

Via Peter Provost, I came upon Kris Syverstad’s post drawing an analogy between great software developers and great athletes. Kris’s post in two sentences: Great developers and great athletes strive to be the best, and have the talent and drive to become so. The best developers are the ones who seek out help when they need it, and take steps to actively seek out learning opportunities on their own.

I think Kris’s analogy is right on. I found it ironic that Kris very clearly lays out the attitude one needs to excel in this business, and the absolute antithesis of this attitude is displayed in one of his comments. The comment I’m referring to was “[Building your skills on your own] takes time outside of your 40 hour work week and it is unpaid. So, what is the incentive?” 

Hrmm…investing in yourself? Personal pride? The desire to be the best? Loving what you do?  

I’ve had the privilege of working with some really, really great developers. I’ll tell you one thing they all have in common: software isn’t something they just do for 40 hours a week to pay the bills. [Brain.Save()]