Chapter 2Metaphor
A programmer programs. A designer designs. But what does that really mean? There are no reality television shows or Hollywood films that showcase how we really work. And before you say anything, no, The Social Network doesn’t count as a representative look into our industry. So, when I’m asked what I do, I often resort to analogy. Our industry is chock-full of them. It’s the way we describe our work to everyone else.
A chef doesn’t have to come up with metaphors for cooking; a broth is too salty because you can taste it. A musician doesn’t have to describe songs in some roundabout way; a melody is too cliché because you’ve heard the same rhythm before. People get it. They are self-describing forms of work. Pipe fitters and ...
Get The Developer's Code now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
