(begin rant)

Hi. Do you ever have a feeling that you have technical skills to qualify as a programmer, and there’s a demand for specialists, but, ironically, nobody needs them to design some useful information system or optimize the workflow in the factories, or do real science and push the limitations of human knowledge, but rather, all is just to spread some crappy advertising message as cheap as possible to the broadest audience as possible, usually without giving any respect to consumers, that feels like you’re losing your brain cells when interacting with the app/content you create. Quality level zero, consumerism level over 9k. Tons of boilerplate because ‘everything must be kept proprietary’ and it probably won’t work after 2 years because the framework you were using is down and the very idea of the becomes dated. Also, the more advanced technology, the more it’s used for shit. Like, we have generative neural networks that are used for turdposting conspiracies and generating profit/influence for some party.

I would say this clearly: I am very, very angry when I’m seeing this. I don’t want to participate in something that forces consumers to eat shit. Fuck SEO and e-commerce. Everything’s generative-AI, GANs, LLMs… now, which do not produce any value, at least to the user, or extracting every single bit of data of the user. Everything’s just to bombard people with information nowadays. Even Project Managers get biased (mostly because of naïve hype) and promote this crap.

(end rant)

So, my question is, how do you go through all of it? Of course, devs are better paid, but I don’t care about money. I’m still a student and, although I really like programming, and I’m really good at solving Competitive Programming problems (been at ICPC several times), I’m tired of this junk, besides I have a feeling I’ll be forced to do it. But, if I’m going to do it, somebody’s gonna get hurt. But it seems that it’s the only thing I’m skilled at, and I have no alternatives. So, how do you get through all of it, and what do you see it as relief, what does reward you at the very end?

EDIT: uncensored all swear words at request. I hope now you’re happy.

  • PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S [he/him]
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    59 months ago

    Not a developer but a recent engineering grad. I get SO MUCH spam from the literal US military and defense contractors looking for people to work on their actual weapons. Surface-to-air missiles, nuclear submarines, air warfare, electronic warfare … these are actual “opportunities” that have landed in my inbox courtesy of my dipshit school career center’s lack of morals. I need a job, but I would literally rather skin myself and eat it then work for those monsters at any salary.

    • @intensely_human@lemm.ee
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      -29 months ago

      So imagine if the US military didn’t have any weapons. How do you think that would play out? Would the overall outcome be ethically preferable to our current state of affairs?

      • PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S [he/him]
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        9 months ago

        So imagine if the US military didn’t have any weapons.

        Every single day. I can only dream so much.

        How do you think that would play out?

        Great!

        Would the overall outcome be ethically preferable to our current state of affairs?

        Fuck yeah fam!

        No we don’t fucking need anymore missiles thank you very much, LEAST OF ALL in the hands of the US government.

          • PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S [he/him]
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            8 months ago

            Because Russia is so friendly we don’t any weapons going by your logic.

            No, the US Government doesn’t need fucking weapons. Neither does the Russian government or any world government, because they won’t deserve to exist, so as a special case they certainly don’t deserve to defend themselves.

            We do. If you believe that the US government represents your interests you’re either a billionaire, a defense contractor, or a fool.