Take my Mr. Mom mini-van.
It’s only a couple years old. 2015 I think. Not even a year into owning it, it suddenly started leaking. Talk about annoying. This is WHY we bought a new van… to avoid this nonsense. So, I took it to the shop and it turns out the oil filter had cracked (er something). It was from the last place that did an oil change. They’d put it on too tight. So yeah, never going back to that place.
But, there’s the thing…
I didn’t really care.
I mean, I got it.
But, I didn’t care about the oil filter…
Or the gasket…
The exact torque the screws were supposed to be tightend to.
(I’m totally making stuff up, because I know nothing about this.)
What I cared about is that the damn think didn’t leak. I don’t care about the transmission or the pistons or the carburetor. Not really. I just care that it runs, it gets decent gas mileage and that the DVD player works (God yes, that… cuz the boys go ape otherwise).
It’s the same with code.
Nobody cares about your code.
Not really.
They care about the end result.
That doesn’t mean YOU shouldn’t care…
Just like a good mechanic does.
Just don’t expect your clients, customers, etc… to care.
They don’t.
Now, why worry about this fine-line distinction? Because, all too often, I see developers out there trying to market themselves or talk to clients by giving a 10-point dissertation on the inner workings of the carburetor.
They focus on their code…
And, not the thing the client or boss ultimately cares about…
The end result.
If you wanna get freelance gigs or tech jobs easier and be able to talk to and work with clients in a way that they understand and makes them appreciate you more (so you get more referrals, repeat business… promotions, etc) then start focusing on the end result they’re after, the language THEY speak… not the exact book specification on how much torque the carburetor screws require… or whatever.
You’ll find you have more influence…
And, the people you build stuff for will appreciate you more.
Of course, for you and I… we have to know those geeky little details… because we know those small things make huge difference in how the “car” runs. That without them, the app or the website or whatever we’re building (the end result) would suck.
That’s why I keep harping on this Udemy 10-buq deal.
Obviously, you can pass on it…
And, miss out on it…
Whatever you want…
But, it is one great way to learn all those geeky details and fast-track that initial learning curve in web development. To get to the point where you start doing this for a living instead of constantly being stuck in a rut of “still learning”. And, do it for a fraction of the normal cost.
Anyway, if that’s appealing to you, the link is https://johnmorrisonline.com/may. Just keep in mind this ends in less than 3 days, so you’ll want to take advantage here pretty quick before it’s gone for good. Plus, you get lifetime access so you can grab a few courses now, while they’re cheap, and then take them when you’re ready.
THEN, once you become a master Ninjitsu, Jedi, Kung-Fu code master…
You can be sure and talk to people like a normal human being… 🙂
Later,
John
P.S. Watch the video version of this message here:
https://youtu.be/-B4s5XxUMl4
Listen to the audio version here:
https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/nobody-cares-about-your-code
