I Would Rather Be A Jazz Programmer

I have reading a bit lately about “rockstar” programmers. Recruiter ads are proclaiming “Rockstar programmer needed”. Various websites named rockstar or alternately rockstars are springing up everywhere.

I would rather be a “jazz musician” programmer, myself. Nothing against rock, don’t get me wrong. Glam, punk, metal, I can go there. I frequently do. It’s the “star” part, that has been starting to bother me.

Here are some differences, as I see them:

Rockstar
- One big hit song, then disappears
- Embarrass themselves as they age
- Claims they wrote the song
- Keeps trying to get back that sound they used to have
- Gets back together with the old band after unsuccessful solo careers
- Wants to marry a model and have a movie cameo
- Won’t play without a contract and advance payment

Jazzer
- One big hit, and they become an influence
- Get cooler with age
- Claims the song is just a cool arrangement of a standard
- Keeps trying to produce a new sound
- Records with a variety of musicians over time
- Wants to become a professor at Berkeley School of Music
- Jams on the street corner just because they feel like it