maker: a person or thing that makes or produces something : a cabinetmaker.
I make software just like artists make art, carpenters make woodworks, or chefs make gourmet meals. You could also call me a creator or a craftsman. I manipulate code and the result, when executed by a computer, solves real business problems. I love it. It's fun and engaging.
So what?
I recently met two men from a local company. They informed me that they saw my resume on [insert name of major 'net job site here] and they wanted to meet me; would I come have lunch with them? I accepted.
The meeting was a full court press, an all out effort to convince me to become their employee. I barely spoke. They told me war stories about their business, grand plans for market domination, the fumblings of their competitors. They must have someone with exactly my background and experience to go on fighting the fight. Flattering, right? Mostly.
I barely spoke. I nodded and occasionally laughed, when appropriate of course. I wondered when I needed to speak up and prove some of the things they thought they knew about me. I didn't need to. When I did speak, I informed them of my preference for contract work. It's clean, I told them. You find a need, explain it to me and we agree on what my services are worth. I make something, you pay me. It's good. Repeat as needed.
Maybe they did not hear me.
Anyway, they believed they needed me for their job. But wait...I make stuff, I told myself, and they never let me show what I make. A question niggled at the back of mind: "how can you love me if you've never seen my code."
I don't suppose that Mr. Suit must open TextMate and appreciate some elegant bit of metaprogramming. He probably needs to see the finished product, like evaluating a home builder by walking through a fine home. He probably needs to see the fine materials, neatly fit and finished walls and cabinetry and perfectly installed fixtures and appliances. But Mr. Tech, oh he needs to see that elegant bit of metaprogramming because that sets me apart from the other makers out there. You find the love in the details.
The result? It didn't work out. I just wish I had listened to that little voice earlier.