2026-09-20 04:54 UTC
"The engineer who, at forty, can still use a slide rule or logarithmic table, and make a true drawing, is a failure". – Everett Hughes, 1958.
As a fifty-year-old individual contributor: ouch!
Replies (1)
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@arclight@oldbytes.space 2026-09-20 12:09
@norootcause@hachyderm.io Sixty, but yeah. I didn't go into engineering to manage time, money, or people. The only times I've taken on project management are when I was trapped in a painful stagnant project and local management refused or failed to manage. It was very much like a wolf chewing off its own leg to escape a trap. I can do it but it's excruciating so it only happens when there is no other option. "Individual contributor" is such a lousy term. As opposed to what, an individual consumer? A parasite? As if I as an individual don't work as part of or in support of a team? Who comes up with this garbage terminology?