Why Software Engineering Needs Philosophers

Gregory Kenenitz@aceofbassgreg (twitter, github, stackoverflow)

Education History

• 2006 Bloomsburg University Graduate• Double Major, Philosophy & English Literature

• 2008 Virginia Tech Graduate, MA Philosophy

Employment History

• Admission Counselor• ESL Teacher, Tongyeong• Higher Ed Administrator• Software Engineer

...Software Engineer?

• First computer at 17 years old• Struggled with Microsoft Word• No tech-related coursework in college...or ever

WTF, NO

Ways to Determine Career

• Figure it out in College• Fall into what you've always done• Follow Your Passion™

Greg's response:

• Didn't figure it out in college• Had work/study jobs, parlayed into higher ed jobs• No known career-related Passions

Self-knowledge seldom comes by spontaneous intuition...

Real introspection may be required

Writers Block

Writers block is a bourgeois luxury...Thinking of this state as a "block" is really counterproductive, pernicious even: you're not "blocked," you're on a detour, and maybe the sights aren't as pretty, but they're still really valuable.

Missing the Trees for the Forest

Maybe we get so wrapped up in the concepts like 'Career' and 'Passion' that we cannot step back and think about what really makes us happy.

What I Wanted in a New Career

• Flexible lifestyle (salary, time off)• Exciting work• Sense of purpose• Lack of bureaucracy• No additional certifications or degrees

Why Tech Fit The Bill

• High salaries, amazing benefits• Intellectually challenging• Cutting-edge and worthwhile projects• Start-ups w/ little to no bureaucracy• No degree or certification required

Liberal Arts FTW

Formal logic teaches software's basic structures & concepts: control (if/then) statements, loops, booleans, etc.

Frequent paradigm shifting breeds agility.

Liberal Arts students examine the world through different perspectives and schools of thought.

No CS Degree? No Problem

CS Programs can't keep up with rapidly changing technologies. A CS degree in most cases is not sufficient qualification for a job.

Greg's Path to Success

• Start with skills honed by Liberal Arts education• Free resources & opportunities• Lots of work• Lots of networking / learning the culture• Lots of failure

Free Resources Include:

Codecademy, Khan Academy, Coursera, Free Programming Books, Try Ruby, Learn Code The Hard Way, Rails Tutorial (build Twitter clone), Local meet-ups, Open Source Software

Tech Culture and You

Software Engineering needs Philosophers and Liberal Arts graduates to diversify viewpoints, practices, and the culture of the tech industry.

Stay AgileUnderstand when opportunities are present, and be prepared to take action.