[Python-Dev] [OT] Thank you, python-dev

[Tim Peters]

[Brett "Grad Boy" Cannon]
> ...
> And when I got CVS access I was scared out of my wits of touching
> other people's code and applied patches.  Now I have managed to do
> that, fix my own broken code, and cause several tests to fail and
> break other people's code.  As you can tell I am still working on
> this one.  =)

This is normal, and a good sign.  I've only worked for two companies that
had any concept of "career development" (beyond just tolerating it when they
couldn't stop it <0.5 wink>), and in those it was always true that a new
college-grad hire was useless until they lost their fear of breaking the
code.  It's like the human body that way:  we learn a lot more about how it
works by studying disease than by admiring a perfect specimen.  It's only
when the guts spill out all over the floor that you can learn what all those
misshapen juicy bits *really* do.

> I know there is no way I would be anywhere near the level of coder
> that I am now if it was not for everyone on this list.  You all have
> given me almost every major personal programming achievement in my
> life.  I feel like I can call myself a programmer now thanks to all
> of you.

Sorry, not a chance:  you're not a real programmer until your arrogance has
put at least one startup out of business <wink>.

working-on-my-fifth-but-i'm-old-ly y'rs  - tim