The only time I've ever made a living from code is when I taught it to students at college. I've never been paid to write anything other than some HTML and CSS (I'm never sure if that counts as code in a programming context?)
But, I do enjoy code in the way that you can only enjoy something because you've never been under pressure to complete something for a project deadline. ONe of the things I always tried to communicate to students was that, even if you don't actually become a coder, it helps to be empowered and have a deeper level of understanding of the technologies you're using (Rob's point ). And just as it helps if you can take your car to a mechanic and explain what you think the problem is, rather than making sub-human noises and wobbling your shoulders as a way of explaining what the car did last night while doing 90 up the M6, it's always helpful to go to a meeting with developers and IT departments if you've got a modicum of knowledge about the system that they are installing (particularly SharePoint which has about a billion Terrabytes of JavaScript: I may be slightly exaggerating) and talk in the same language as them. Nothing amuses IT departments more than someone who has no idea what they're saying. Coding is it's own reward, but it can help you at work in many, many ways. I'd recommend everyone tried to learn or at least understand the terminology a little more. M On 8 Jan 2012, at 07:52, Geert Dekkers wrote: > You are not the only ones thinking about learning to code > :) > http://developers.slashdot.org/story/12/01/07/1935227/nyc-mayor-bloomberg-vows-to-learn-to-code-in-2012?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot+%28Slashdot%29 > > Geert > > On 8/01/2012, at 12:44 AM, James Morris wrote: > >> I'm one of the naive ones. But the naivity kept me producing (both >> code and other creative stuff) for a good few years. Having the >> desire to complete ever more ambitious goals also helps. As does zero >> social life ;-) >> >>> ... I wonder where exactly the divide between 'leisure/fun' >>> and 'work/labour' lies if not in the differences between having a >>> job - whether as a 'code monkey' or as 'paid' artist ... and not >>> having a job ... >> >> it's a problem. coding even if you're doing it in your leisure time >> isn't always fun. maybe we should remember that the divide between >> work/leisure is an artificial one? >> >> james >> >> >> >> >> On Sat, 7 Jan 2012 18:27:58 +0100 >> IR3ABF <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> I don't know Rob, >>> >>> I could afford maintaining my wife and childrens life by working as >>> a 'code monkey'. >>> >>> As an outcome of the crisis in the 80ties, the Dutch government >>> issued a program to train jobless academics (including me) by >>> cooperating with the demands of the cooperative forces and a huge >>> number of former philosophers, historicians, musiciens and other >>> 'trained and skilled' people found jobs in the IT industry in late >>> 90ties, early 2000nds >>> >>> When the financial crisis hits really hard the industry reacted by >>> disposing these group first, aged between 45 and 60, what effective >>> way is there left to (re)gain a living apart from being a >>> 'outsider', guised under the name of activist/artist/pauper or being >>> dependent on welfare as earning money (to pay for the financial >>> demands modern life imposes on every single individual) by practising >>> cultural/software/ creative activities not as part of the >>> cultural/software/creative industry is by far too less to survive >>> decently. >>> >>> It is one thing to discuss things from a comfortable position, >>> backed by whatever institutions who pay the expenses and the rent, >>> but a complete different thing when that is not the case, when there >>> is nothing to hold on >>> >>> What remains then is something else, not expressable in 'jargon' or >>> 'code', and I wonder where exactly the divide between 'leisure/fun' >>> and 'work/labour' lies if not in the differences between having a >>> job >>> - whether as a 'code monkey' or as 'paid' artist or as a 'cultural/ >>> creative/sex worker - and not having a job, or should I go into the >>> streets and fellate white collar workers to maintain my family? >>> >>> Send with consent from Judith V. - artist by birth - mother and lover >>> >>> Sent from my eXtended BodY >>> >>> On 7 jan. 2012, at 16:54, Rob Myers <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> On 07/01/12 15:18, Andreas Maria Jacobs wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Where and how are software skills degraded from a professional >>>>> craft to a hobby 'free' time occupation? >>>> >>>> There are two reasons why I suggest people on Netbehaviour learn to >>>> program using these resources. Neither is so they can get jobs as >>>> code monkeys. >>>> >>>> The first is so that they can get a feel for how code works. So >>>> they can >>>> gain an insight into how the software they use every day, and that >>>> affects their entire lives, works. This is important for thinking >>>> critically and realistically about software. >>>> >>>> The second is so that they can use code as a tool to achieve their >>>> own ends using software, less constrained by the fixed affordances >>>> of applications and web sites. Data visualisation, digital >>>> humanities techniques and web scripting are all useful ways of >>>> doing things with software. >>>> >>>>> What are the benefits from it when being outsourced and jobless? >>>> >>>> Software should not be an economic end in itself. It is a tool for >>>> achieving other ends. This is its benefit to artists and activists >>>> and academics, not that they might be able to make a living by >>>> writing code >>>> for multinationals. >>>> >>>>> The naivity - also expressed in this list - surrounding software >>>>> practices is astonishing >>>> >>>> We don't leave culture to the culture industry or sex to the sex >>>> industry. We shouldn't leave software to the software industry. >>>> >>>> - Rob. >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> NetBehaviour mailing list >>>> [email protected] >>>> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >>>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> NetBehaviour mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> >> >> >> -- >> http://jwm-art.net/ >> image/audio/text/code/ >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
