The Sins of the Firstly Employed Software Engineer

Before I started writing software for a living (and before I really started working), I always considered myself as a reasonably decent person.

By the time I ended my studies, my forehead had already been hit by a few (figurative) walls I ran into that showed me that, if I wasn’t careful and even if it wasn’t intentional, I could be mean to people and hurt them (it did involve insulting some fellow students and making a mom cry in front of her young son – more on that another day).

I was aware that I was not perfect in that regard (and many others), but would have certainly not considered myself as an asshole. Consequently, I tended to look down on a lot of olders I encountered who were acting in very selfish and entitled ways.

Fast forward one year into my first full time (and well paying) job, and I suddenly caught myself thinking things like:

Ah, these poor people on the street, they should get a job!¹

Man, these people complaining about their salaries should just negotiate better. Or have studied something else.

Dude, I pay waaaay too much taxes!

I’m an engineer here, I should not wash the dishes or run any errands.

… and many more I don’t care to write down.

The Reverse Allure Of Money

Pre-work, I had never really been attracted by money. My dad financed ~75% of my studies' costs, the rest being covered by summer jobs, my mom, my military service and gifts from my grandma.²

Some friends and fellow students clearly had different mindsets already (long) before working, and I can clearly remember at least three distinct groups in my high school class:

• those in it for the lulz
• those in it for the knowledge
• those in it for the cash

I had no effin clue about what I wanted to do with my life back then. Although I did draw myself enjoying a glass of wine and a cigar on Mars' surface and clearly remember thinking “it would be awesome to actually make this happen”.³

But I digress. If you wonder where I sat, I was clearly in it for the knowledge. Where I’m now is material for another post.

From high school to first job, most of the people I knew were in one of these groups and stayed there. The funny thing is what happened once we started working: some of the lulz and knowledge people slided into the cash bucket.

This became clear to me when a recurring topic at parties suddenly became taxes, retirement funds and high-performance investment options.

Man, that’s not who I want to be. At least not right now

Or so I told myself.

What did not leave me unchanged was my new salary. My first pay was basically as much as my Mom is making now, at the end of her career. I could do whatever I wanted and always had enough cash on the side (I’m not exactly a huge spender – though the saying that expenses rise to match income has something to it).

And lo and behold, suddenly I was comparing salaries, projecting how much I could make in the future, looking into where I could put that money, thinking about retirement (more than 35 years away at the time!) etc.

Suddenly, I was hooked.

Rat Race Has You

The point I want to make to you, if you’re a (software) engineer at the beginning of your career:

Although freshly arrived, you’ll be propulsed from shitty student life into a world where your skills (but not necessarily you as a person) are in great demand and someone somewhere is always ready to shower you with just the amount of money that you believe is a lot.

It’s extremely easy to generalise from this that you deserve all the other good things this world has to offer and that everyone, everywhere, should hail you as their savior. Like that stupid waitress not giving a fuck about bringing you the bill or that guy that won’t stop annoying you with his guitar on the bus.

This combination of cash inflow and praise will very certainly affect you in ways that you currently don’t believe are possible. It will definitely challenge your values. I won’t judge you for changing them, but I’m adamant: you can enjoy money without being a bad person.

So, please, when you join the workforce, watch out and don’t become an asshole.

For the record, the three sins I fell for were:

Entitlement

I earn top money now, I’m the boss, I deserve everything I want, and I want it now!

Arrogance

I just fixed your whole systems three months out of school, I’m so much better than your entire team. Rever me!

Impatience

Why do we need to wait and think about what the other teams think about this problem? Let’s start working on this now, I’m the best anyway.

Memories from my past self really did make me cringe sometimes. But I’ve also learned to accept them as being part of the process of life.

Good luck on your path, wherever it may lead you.