While I do think our industry is filled with great people and opportunities, it’s also filled with gatekeeping, inferiority complex, and terrible “influencers”.

Some of these folks would say anything either to get some easy traction on their social profiles or to keep others from reaching to the top, either because they deem them “unworthy” or because they want to be the only ones “up there”.

Whatever the case might be, in my 20 years in this industry, I’ve seen (and heard) many lies. Some of them I even believed during my first few years, just to let experience prove them, and me, wrong.

So let’s take a look at some of the worst lies in our industry and why you should ignore them.

You need to be good at math to be a developer

Ever heard of this one? I remember it, I heard it many times before starting my own career.

Of course, it’s not only wrong, but it’s great for scaring people away from the profession. So stop repeating it!

Granted, if you do want to, you can end up with a software development role in a project that requires you to be good at math. For example, working as a Data Scientist, or I don’t know, working for SpaceX making sure their rockets land correctly.

But if you look at the whole spectrum of fields and industries you can be involved with, math as a developer doesn’t really play a big role.

One could argue though, that the abstract thinking we perform every day is quite similar to that of someone solving math problems. But that’s as much as I would stretch the comparison.

Math is not needed to be a developer, it’s not needed to land your first job and you should not pay attention to anyone telling you otherwise to detract you from trying to become a dev.

You need to love your job

That’s BS if you ask me.

I did love my job when I started, programming was my hobby before I was old enough to work from it. But now I don’t, now it’s just “my job”.

Does that mean you’ll go through the same process I went through? No, it’s just one example. Maybe you’ll love it forever, and that’s perfectly fine. But know that if you’re not in love with the practice of writing code, you can still be a great developer.

I think programming plays a huge role in our lives, and every kid should definitely be taught programming at some point during their education, but that’s not out of love.

That is out of necessity, we’re adding more and more tech into our lives every day, so knowing how to “speak” to these machines is going to be a big asset once they grow up. Even if it’s just to hack their coffee maker one day.

But love doesn’t really play a role here. This is not a profession you need to love to do well. It’s actually a very well-paid profession which means lots of folks will be attracted to it by the money they can earn, and that is perfectly fine. I see many devs (including me at one point) behaving as mercenaries, going from company to company based on who pays the most, and that is fantastic for them. There is no need to shame anyone or to evoke the “L” word here.

This is a job, just like others, so it’s about doing something you’re good at and getting the compensation you’re looking for.

You need to start young to get anywhere, old developers don’t matter anymore

Many cultures around the world treat old people with a lot of respect and they recognize the wisdom they’ve accumulated throughout their lives.

In our industry though, for some reason, we do the opposite. If you’re old, you’re outdated. But we’re not machines, we’re not software, the older a developer is, the more extensive their experience is going to be.

And even if that’s not the case because they’re just getting started, their life experience will also play a big part in how they tackle the work. I’ve seen my share of senior guys starting out as a Jr. developer with more work ethics than the 22-year-old “Sr” dev sitting next to them.

If you’re a young dev working with someone twice your age, pay attention, take notes, you’ll learn something from them.

Our industry is not a physically taxing one. A 50 years old programmer is not going to be at a disadvantage when competing for the same position as a 20-year-old. They can perfectly have the same mental capacity, and that’s all they need.

Age plays a very little role in our industry, so don’t turn it into a problem.

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You need a computer science degree to become a dev

I personally thought this one was true back in the day, but then again, the Internet was very young when I started (yes, I’m on the older side here).

Going off to college to do a 5-year engineering degree was pretty much all I could do at the time, so I tried it. Long story short, I dropped out in my 3rd year and eventually got a minor degree years later.

Do I think the degree is needed? No, absolutely not, especially now with all the incredible access to information. YouTube, Tech Twitter, online blogging, and many other sources of information make sure you have everything you need at your disposal. So becoming a dev can be “as easy” as getting a laptop with an internet connection.

That is, of course, if you’re good at self-learning, which not everyone is. I included, which is why I had to go back and get some formal education back then.

After a few years of improving on my own and through my work experience I realized I was still missing some of the basics. I had ignored the foundation thinking that I could get ahead of the game, I was wrong. The minor degree I ended up getting gave me that missing piece and helped me improve by solidifying my knowledge.

But that’s my journey, you might need a similar one or you might not. The key thing here is that every year fewer companies request a university degree for a developer role, and every year more online self-education opportunities are created. Take the chance, and dip your toes into the development water without having to commit to a 4–5 year degree. If you like it, you can do what I did and finish it later or start early and get those core skills out of the way first, the choice is yours.

Developers have terrible people skills

I hate this stereotype.

Yes, there are some developers out there who’re harder to interact with than a brick wall. But that’ll happen in other places outside of software development as well. It’s not “our thing” and it’s definitely not an entry requirement.

If you’re not a nerd, geek, or anti-social person, you also can be a developer, this is not an exclusive club. While there are some developers out there that definitely make it seem like it is by harassing others based on their gender or sexual preferences, that is not the norm.

Yes, we still have a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of people to fight before we make this a very inclusive industry. But I’d like to think we’re getting there, of course, as the white male I am I might be wrong here and I’d love to know your experience in the comments if you disagree.

Anyone can be a developer and anyone should feel entitled to. There is no stereotype for developers, testers, DevOps, SecOps, or any other role within IT. If you like it and you feel you can be good at it, then you should get into it.

Going for a degree is a waste of your time

I know, I just said you don’t need a degree to be a dev, and now this?

I mean, to keep it dev-related, it’s not an XOR, it’s more like an OR.

I’ll see myself out now, thank you.

The argument of formal education vs online learning doesn’t have a definitive answer, because it’s not about the content, it’s about the way we learn. And as many teachers and people researching education more than I know: every person learns differently.

That means that if you’re the type of folk who needs a teacher in front of them every day to understand a subject, then, by all means, go ahead and sign in!

If on the other hand, you get bored with the idea of going to classes, and would rather learn by tinkering, that’s perfectly valid as well. Start tinkering away!

Both places will give you valid information, I personally think that a healthy mix of both worlds is great, but that’s just me. Online education tends to hover around trendy topics, such as React.js for front-end developers or TensorFlow for AI, and so on. But formal education can’t be updated every year — or every month as some communities do (looking at you JavaScript developers!) —, so they cover less practical topics. These are, however, core to everything we do.

I wrote a story about this a while ago:

[I’ll Admit It, I’ve Never Had To Reverse a Linked List in My Career. Does Anyone Do That Anymore?
What’s the point?betterprogramming.pub](https://betterprogramming.pub/ill-admit-it-i-ve-never-had-to-reverse-a-linked-list-in-my-career-does-anyone-do-that-anymore-7e643904f191 "betterprogramming.pub/ill-admit-it-i-ve-nev..")

The key is to find the combination that works for you and go with it, no matter what others think or say about it.

Stack “A” is better than stack “B”

Man have I read endless arguments about tech! And let’s be honest, I’ve also been part of my share, especially during my first few years as a developer.

I think it’s a common trend that when you start programming and you find a stack (essentially a set of technologies that work great together) that resonates with you, you become an instant evangelist for it. Constantly trying to spread the good word and get everyone and their mothers to convert as you did.

The key learning here and the reason why this is such a lie is that the stack doesn’t matter.

I know, it’s hard to read sometimes, but let me say it again and with bigger letters:

The stack doesn’t matter

When building a product there are always plenty of technological choices that will give you the same benefits. Are you looking for speed? Maybe a nice community and documentation around it? Or perhaps a long track record of successful use cases around it? Whatever your conditions are, there is never just one combination of technologies that fulfills them.

So why bother arguing with someone else about the stack they’re using and how yours is better? It might be a better choice FOR YOU, but that doesn’t mean it is for them. Consider your context aside from your technical needs, it’s probably not the same as everyone else’s, is it? That makes your choice of stack uniquely perfect, for you.

Besides, fighting over technology is just an absolute waste of your time, so stop it already!

In tech, the proverbial silver bullet that solves all your problems doesn’t exist, and it’s about time you realize that.

Our industry is, sadly, riddled with people who like to speak out of their inexperience thinking that because something worked for them, or because a so-called “influencer” said it, it should work for everyone else. That’s not how life works though, and I hope that through this article you got to know at least about one thing you incorrectly thought to be true.

I mean, these are but 7 lies that we old devs have heard at one point or another during our careers, but what else have I missed? Which lies have you heard that I didn’t cover?

Share yours in the comments and let’s compile a list!

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