naive perceptions about software development

To help those seeking a future career path in SWD, and to clear up some of the beer and babes perceptions about work, allow me to detail some of my personal realizations.

1. You Can't Always Get It Done Overnight.

2. You Are Rarely The First Person With This Problem.

3. No One Is Really That Impressed Unless It Is Funny or They Can Play With It.

4. You Will Get Your Best Work Done, Alone, Far From Friends.

5. Be Prepared To Suffer.

6. Swallow Your Ego.

7. It's Rarely "Just A Small Project".

8. No One Cares How Neurotic You Are.

``Programmer time is fungible.''

Brooks's Law states that, no, programmer time is not fungible. In the terms Brooks used, ``Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later''.

For more information on this and other naïve perceptions programmers, software engineers, and management have about software development, see The Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks, and `No Silver Bullet', by the same author. Brooks was a manager over the development of OS/360---receiving the 1999 Turing Award for his work on OS/360 and for his contributions to our understanding of software engineering---so he knows what he's talking about.