The Pointless Existence of Code Shaming
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Software developers face many challenges from the very beginning of their careers . Learning to develop software is a challenge big enough.
Then, when you start working, the feeling that you don’t know anything comes along and getting on track is another obstacle to get through. Three days are a failure and the fourth one is a success — that’s the magic circle of the job.
When you finally think you’ve started getting how things work around here, there comes another unexpected obstacle. This one might be harder to pass through than the previous ones because it’s more of a psychological one. It’s called code shaming.
Our family and closest friends are always here to be happy about our successes. Good colleagues will always congratulate on a job well done. However, there always seems to be this line of people that are waiting for us to fail. Their existence makes us feel like failure comes more often than success and that we’re not good enough. Simply because they’re too loud.
There will almost always be someone like that at work. Code-shaming isn’t new, it’s just not being mentioned a lot. Basically, code-shaming means making fun of other developers for the poor code they’ve created.
Code-shamers mock other coders with the thought of being “funny” in front of others and showing the “great” coders they are. This unnecessary act disrupts the whole existence of the programming community, which is known as generally supportive of new people. This industry relies on the need for discussion and advice. Constructive and valuable. Now, code-shaming raises a question: Is this the future industry you want to have?
Some developer teams publicly shame people who did something wrong and somehow opened more work for everyone. This often happens on Slack or on company meetings, when everyone is present. Yes, we get your frustration, but have you never made any mistakes?
It might look funny to you, but this can be really discouraging for people who are beginners and still learning. If you do it too often, it kind of looks like you’re just trying to put the blame on someone else and defend your own “perfect” coding way.
“The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.” — William Connor Magee
After this, young coders who are being shamed tend to communicate less and don’t ask for help that often. Instead of trying to learn new things, they focus too much on not to screw up the things they already know. However, it’s essential for them to understand that mistakes happen to everyone. What they should do is learn how to fix what they did and try not to repeat the same mistakes. It’s on their colleagues to make sure this learning process happens without guilt and shame.
Senior developers often review the code of their younger colleagues to make sure things run according to the company’s standards. The purpose of this code review is to give junior developers constructive feedback and tell them if something they did can be done better. Senior developers shouldn’t take advantage of their position to harass juniors that their code “sucks” or they are “bad coders”. Instead, this should be turned into a learning opportunity where seniors mentor juniors and help them become better. Take it as a way seniors can give back to the community.
Another thing to think about is shaming developers about the tools they’re using. Yes, there are company standards and everyone should work according to them. But, tools that are beyond company standards are a personal choice and you simply don’t get a vote here. Everyone gets to choose the way they work. You can’t simply say someone is a bad developer just because they don’t do things your way.
When giving feedback, there should be a balance between requiring quality and giving constructive advice. The limit of unpoliteness should never be crossed. You’ll always be more respected if you know how to disagree in a polite way.
However, not everyone is the same. There will always be people who just won’t bother to be nice. These are the type of people who simply don’t listen to the arguments of others. This is where employers play a big role. They are the ones who are supposed to “estimate” the level of politeness of a potential candidate and whether this person can contribute to a friendly atmosphere.
The same goes for candidates. Think about whether your potential employers can give you the working atmosphere that makes you comfortable.
Wrong choices can bring serious consequences. People usually don’t think about them when they decide to shame someone. They don’t consider that the mistakes could be a result of some larger issue. Small children, divorce, debts — we all carry our burden. The life of a developer isn’t all about a successful tech company with tons of benefits, private healthcare, and free lunches. Most of them don’t have this, actually.
The combination of all these problems + a stressful work environment most often leads to anxiety. Unfortunately, anxiety has been linked to the software developing industry a lot lately. It kind of seems like it comes with the job.
People even leave their jobs and pursue new careers because of this issue. When we hear that a developer has made a career switch, we often think they didn’t try enough, or that they were too weak. We never actually think that they might have been suffering from shaming, guilt, and anxiety.
Code-shaming is toxic. And totally unnecessary. In fact, how your company treats juniors is a perfect picture of its culture. Developers don’t have to become “tough” just to remain sane. Respecting individuals is the core of every healthy company culture.
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