They measure your intelligence this way
I came across an insight many years ago in a book by David Brooks. It stuck with me because it unlocked the mystery of many OF THE CHALLENGES I faced early on as an aspiring developer.
About a third of the way into the book, Brooks is reflecting on some research by a guy named Geffrey Miller, and Brooks writes this:
The easiest way to measure someone else's intelligence is through their vocabulary. People with an 8o IQ will know words such as "fabric," "enormous," and "conceal" but not words such as "sentence," "consume," and "commerce." People with low IQs will know the latter three words but probably not "designate," "ponder," or "reluctant." So people who are getting to know each other subconsciously measure to see if their vocabularies mesh.
Okay, so if you’re anything like me, you may have read through those SAT words and scrambled to ensure you understood them.
I know I did.
But after I got over that initial showed-up-to-class-without-my-pants-on anxiety, I re-read that last line.
People who are getting to know each other subconsciously measure to see if their vocabularies mesh.
I thought back to all the early meetings I’d had with potential employers, partners, and investors where something didn’t quite click - where I couldn't get someone important to my success to INVEST in me.
I realized that much of this disconnect had to do with my vocabulary at the time.
You see, at one point, Sean Sweeney was a great ball of energy and enthusiasm and can-do. But at the same time that I was expressing all of this ENTHUSIAM! the people I was talking to were matching their vocabulary to mine, either subconsciously or consciously, testing whether I was “one of them.”
Did I know and understand the language of the developer world?
Could I articulate what I wanted to accomplish in language that made clear what I wanted to do?
I remember talking to one well-known guy in the field.
I was kinda fan-boying to tell the truth.
I told him that I really liked the kind of “wavey look” that he had built into the face of his apartment buildings.
“Do you mean articulation?” he asked.
Ugh. Palm in face.
Yes.
That’s exactly what I meant.
But I didn’t own that word at the time. It wasn’t in my vocabulary.
Now, we can debate whether he should have responded like a prissy #%$#$#, but at the end of the day, time is money, and this guy was likely wondering if I was wasting his time.
This kid just told me he wants to be a developer and he doesn't know the language. The concepts. How serious can he be?
Fair enough.
The truth is that people take shortcuts to measure someone’s worth and ambition, and it’s understandable that this guy wasn’t going to stand by the punch bowl and gently try to coax intelligent things from my thick but enthusiastic head.
He was going to measure and move on.
That’s what people do.
They measure and move on.
Because time is valuable…because life is short….because we only have so much time to build our dreams. ←Notice I didn’t say “chase” our dreams. Screw that. You can run at the gym. Build your dreams.
Eventually, I realized I needed to spend more time absorbing the concepts, language, and vocabulary of development.
And wouldn't you know it?
Once I did, my conversations became more fruitful, and my connections became more valuable. Eventually, I found myself talking to people who leaned into the conversation instead of gazing over my shoulder, looking for the quickest escape.
And today, as an experienced developer who receives a ton of questions everyday, I can usually tell just based on the question asked where someone is in their developer journey.
Okay. So, here’s my question for you.
Do you own the language you need to be a developer?
Are you learning the concepts?
You know that I’m teaching a class.
You and I are standing at a party. You’re telling me that one day you want to build.
Okay.
But what are you doing about it?
Let’s learn some shit.
Peace,
You probably found me through Twitter, but if not, make sure you’re following me on social media.
X: seandsweeney