Software Developer Influencers: The Modern Snake Oil Salesmen

The biggest intelligence trap of our generation - the LEARN TO CODE movement.

Snake Oil Salesman - Snake oil is a term used to describe deceptive marketing, health care fraud, or a scam. Similarly, Snake Oil Salesman is a common label used to describe someone who sells, promotes, or is a general proponent of some valueless or fraudulent cure, remedy, or solution.

Software developers have quickly become the modern rockstars of our internet-focused age. In a world where technology is all-encompassing, the lure of becoming a software developer is ubiquitous in today's younger generations especially, who are technologically literate and increasingly spending time alone on computers. Internet influencers such as YouTubers and TikTokers are often not far behind these types of societal trends, and have lined up to fill a psychological demand of today's youth. Programming influencers have become refined Snake Oil Salesmen who care about one thing: selling a one-size-fits-all myth to EVERYONE with a computer and a dream. All of these cultural forces have combined to create what is referred to as the "LEARN TO CODE" movement.

In this age especially, finding a stable career path is an extremely difficult task, and many fail to do this by the time they are 25. In the past, many were married, had a couple children, and even bought homes by the time youth today finish college. While it's a complicated issue, a big part of the problem is due to an excess in labor, which is driving competition through the roof. Historically, marriage rates are associated with people's financial security, so it's no surprise that marriage rates have plummeted in recent years due to this lacking need. This phenomenon has created an opportunity for influencers to capitalize on this societal trend, and offer people simple solutions to the complicated issues faced by modern young people.

A programming influencer is someone who wields the identity of a "software developer" while producing media (youtube videos, courses, etc.) that's directed towards people interested in software development either as a hobby, or as a career path. Not all of these influencers are Snake Oil Salesmen, and many of them genuinely do want to help people on their path to eventually becoming a true software developer, or landing a job. Regardless of their intentions, software development is a highly sought after industry that has always been difficult to get into, but these days, even more so than ever. Despite the amount of jobs in the industry being projected to go up over time (as it has), this rise in jobs is coupled with a 100 fold increase in cultural interest in software development. Everyone remotely interested in technology and computers who also has an interest in coding and working from a computer, possibly from the comfort of their own homes, is drawn to this career path.

What makes it so appealing, though? Software developers at many companies, especially top tech companies, boast salaries of 6 figures. The average software developer salary in 2023 is around $140,000. This average is not however, what most people make in the industry, as it is boosted by the very large figures made at companies such as Apple, Google and Meta. While big tech companies hire a lot of developers, many people end up working for smaller companies with smaller budgets, but even then, the average salary is still $60,000 and higher, depending on the location. Therefore, a big part of the lure is the notion of making a good living.

It's not only an economical lure however, but also a lifestyle lure. Programmers can often, especially as of recent years after COVID, work from home. The idea of working at home used to be unrealistic, exploited by many fraudsters. However with programming, it is entirely realistic to do all or most of your work from home. This creates an extremely marketable idea that anyone with a computer and a dream can get on board with. Rather than something done by intellectual elites, programming is more and more being sold to the masses, as something that everyone can and should learn to do, for their own "financial future."

Since software developers appear to be so high up the cultural status ladder, it is also seen as a means of achieving nobility and elevating one's social standing. While this is true, by its very nature, this also means it is RARE. College is typically the path most take towards increasing social status, and while it in no way guarantees a positive outcome, it's historically a trusted way to increase one's rank among the sea of competitors who seek to move up the nobility ladder. What has happened in the learn to code movement, is a hijacking of this status pathway, where influencers and course slingers tell people that they can get the same results without spending 4 years getting a computer science degree, without landing internships, and without a professional network. This has lead to the popular belief in software culture that you don't need a degree to become a developer. While it is true that it's not always a hard requirement, and you definitely don't need a degree just to learn to code, it is completely lacking of NUANCE.

The reality for landing a software development job relies on many factors, and there are some false premises that influencers have helped popularize by taking advantage of basic psychology, and exploiting societal trends. Let's deconstruct the beliefs which have been touted as universally true, for every person, in every circumstance, in every time period.

1.) YOU DON'T NEED A DEGREE TO GET A SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT JOB

This is a favorite of influencers, because most people don't have a degree, and will never get one. Removing this boundary allows creators to market their videos to anyone who wants to make more money, has access to a computer, and the willingness to learn programming, which is a very large market nowadays. It's not completely false, but let's add some nuance to this premise.

It's true, but it is also not taking into account the recent cultural shifts that have lead to increased competition in the software development field. The reality is, back in 2010, only 50% of developers had degrees, but as of 2022, 73% of software developers have a degree. When you sample the entire field of software developers, many of the people in the data set have been developers for their entire careers, which could span up to around 30 years. This means that many people in the field came onto the scene in a completely different era, when software development was not a fad, but a PECULIAR skill not held by many. What influencers and followers of their beliefs do not take into account, is that how people are hired NOW is what matters, not how it was 20, 10, or even 5 years ago. Software development is no longer a RARE skill, but a cultural obsession which has driven the competition up to new heights.

As an optimist myself, I tend to look at the fact that some don't have a degree as a fact that it is possible, and it is. But let's explore this possibility and see when it tends to manifest itself, and when it doesn’t. There are many different types of software development jobs, which are comparable to the construction industry. There are people who are building fences and porches, and there are people architecting the blueprints of skyscrapers. They are NOT the same. The software development field has a hierarchy of sorts in the prestige required to build different types of software.

Frontend web development is often the path of choice for someone who wishes to break in without a degree, but not always. Since web development changes by the day, there's an "art form" required creating a visually appealing website. Typically, a frontend web developer cannot do as much damage to a business if they are incompetent or make mistakes, so the possible risk associated with hiring one is less. This is the most realistic path to breaking into the software development field without a degree, but it's far from as simple as learning how to code.

Backend development is the more academic leaning side of software development. While there are developers who pursue careers in the backend and manage to do so without a degree, it's much more difficult than breaking in to frontend web development. The reason for this, is that backend developers work at the server level, rather than at the client level. Servers are required to "serve" as many users as possible, therefore there is a much greater emphasis on the ability to write scalable code, which requires much deeper knowledge of algorithms and data structures. Moreover, these servers are like corporate workhorses, which retreive and store MASSIVE amounts of data. Building software wrong on the backend can lead to catastrophic results for a business, such as security exploits or bad customer experiences that can cost market share, or potentially millions of dollars. Software influencers however, do not emphasize this. They strictly focus on the ability to code, and to build personal projects and a portfolio, which leads us to the next false premise.

2.) A GOOD PORTFOLIO OVERCOMES THE LACK OF A DEGREE

There is a reason this is believed to be true, and like the first premise, it requires nuance and an analysis of an individuals path and circumstances. Portfolios are touted as the ultimate secret sauce to get a job as a software developer.. "If you don't have a degree, just build a good portfolio!"- they say.

While having a portfolio is useful after you get to the interview stage, so that employers can see if you are as passionate about software as you say, there is a MAJOR part of the equation being left out - the fact that this mainly applies to FRONTEND WEB DEVELOPERS. If the job posting is for a backend role, there's a 99% chance that all of those projects you've spent loads of time on are NOT EVEN SEEN, especially for remote jobs.

For frontend web developers, a portfolio is a good way to break in, since companies are less concerned about your academic background, and more so on your ability to create a beautiful website. The market for frontend developers is also extremely competitive, since so many people are able to do it, and it can be done from anywhere in the world. Therefore, a good portfolio will no doubt help you if you can land interviews, but if you aren't getting interviews, your portfolio is likely not even seen. There's also nothing special about creating a portfolio, since any developer can put one together, so it's inherently not rare or highly valuable. There's a reason job postings require your resume rather than a portfolio, and if your resume does not pass the sniff test, your portfolio will never be seen.

3.) THERE'S A VERY HIGH DEMAND FOR (SENIOR) SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS

It's true that there is a high demand for "software developers", but what kind? The kind the market is starving for are SENIOR developers who have a lot of CORPORATE EXPERIENCE working with large software projects. This type of experience is not experience you can cultivate by building your own applications, unless you happen to build a very successful software startup, which if you did, you wouldn't be looking for a job in the first place.

The market is a completely different story for Junior Developers, or developers who have not yet gotten their first corporate job. Gigs and freelancing do not really count as the type of experience that companies look for, although it is better than nothing. Therefore, as a Junior Developer trying to break in for a limited amount of jobs and internships, you are competing with a large amount of graduates who want the same thing, and if you don't have a degree, this puts you at an enormous disadvantage.

In the sea of new computer science graduates lead by the modern obsession with coding, it's almost impossible to stand out on paper if you do not have a degree, which makes it very difficult to even land a single interview. It seems that the high demand for software developers, after looked at from a nuanced point of view, does not seem to mean what aspiring developers think that it means, and it is simply a half truth.

4.) THE SOFTWARE INDUSTRY IS A MERITOCRACY (JUST GET GOOD)

There's some truth to this statement. Compared to other industries, like education or physical engineering, the software industry does hire more people in the absence of a degree. This is because it's still a relatively young field, and there has been a lack of HIGHLY COMPETENT developers with experience working on specific types of problems that have arisen in the modern tech world, such as scaling and building complicated, high-traffic systems.

It's not the whole story, though; you can study all you want, build an impressive portfolio, build lots of cool side-projects, but that doesn't necessary translate to a resume that will get you noticed. The learn to code movement tends to focus a LOT on mastering software development, but not on building connections, or how to craft a good resume, which is what gets your foot in the door. Developers - when have you ever applied for a job, just for them to ask for a portfolio before your resume? This should tell you something.

I suspect that this sentiment comes from software developers themselves as well, many of whom went to college and got a degree themselves, but claim that they never "used" it. What? What does that mean? If you apply to a company with a resume that has your degree on it, that is USING the degree. Whether you use the things you learned at the college itself, is completely irrelevant.

5.) YOU CAN DO IT FROM ANYWHERE

This is possibly the biggest lie of all about the software development industry when it comes to landing a job as someone trying to break in. The remote software jobs that are posted online receive thousands of applicants, and many of them these days have computer science degrees and internships under their belt. Getting one of these remote jobs as your lucky break, as your first job, would be like winning the lottery.

The very fact that software development CAN be done remotely, is one of the aspects that makes it so much more difficult to break into. If you are in the United States, basically anyone else in the US with similar skills as you can apply to the same jobs, and there are a boat load of people who know how to code these days. The fact that there are a large amount of people graduating with computer science degrees as well, makes them much more attractive candidates than the self-taught developers without corporate experience.

In truth, even computer science graduates struggle to land their first jobs these days, and this is a struggle for them even on the LOCAL level, where there's much less competition. If you are an aspiring developer hoping to break into the market without a degree, it's critical that you live in an area where a lot of companies hire software developers. The gurus will not tell you this, because it would completely erode their viewership, and rightfully so. While even then, it would still not be a guarantee that you'll be able to break in, you are infinitely more likely to be able to land an interview at a local company, rather than one 5 states away. While it is true that you can code from anywhere, it doesn't mean you will be able to land your first software job while living in Small Town USA.

---

The aim of this article isn't to disparage any individual creators, because we live in a capitalistic society, and it is their right to create whatever kind of content they wish. It is an opposing movement AWAY from the LEARN TO CODE movement which is not heard enough in our modern tech culture that I am expressing, that is skeptical of the BLIND, BLACK-PILLED OPTIMISM of most people in this space. It represents a toxic positivity, and I'm all for never giving up on your dreams, but if you don't plan on getting a degree, and you've been struggling for over 2-4 years to break in, or you believed one or more of these falsehoods as your premise for pursuing software as a career, you should consider whether or not it's time to give it up - that maybe you were lied to.

Course slingers and influencers are happy to ignore the obvious need for nuance in this space, and to continue pumping out content for the herd. With more people interested in programming than ever, and the economic hardship faced by people today, this makes for a great opportunity to capitalize on people's dreams, creating software developer lifestyle content and selling learn to code courses. While many influencers hide behind the guise of a practical "educator", they are essentially selling a FALSE DREAM which they are usually not even living themselves. Let's start a rational counter-movement to the learn to code movement, one that emphasizes personal circumstances, and educating the masses on the nuanced REALITY of pursuing a career in software development in the world of today, not 20 years ago. #CODEREALITY

---

The reason I wrote this piece, is because of my personal experience of the past 4 years of my life, where I've spent thousands of hours pursuing software development, with little luck. After building tons of open-source projects, starting business ventures, and working some lucrative, but short-lived contract gigs, and of course applying to hundreds of jobs without a single interview, I've finally decided to say NO to this field. It doesn't ONLY matter how good you are, or how hard you work, it matters how well you can catch the attention of a company's HR department, which is an entirely different beast. While I do not completely regret the past 4 years of my life that I've spent living and breathing software development, I encourage those of you out there on a similar path to think for YOURSELVES and follow your true intuitions, regardless of the YouTubers, TikTokers, and any other person in software culture that seeks to keep you coding pet projects and believing in a dream that they are NOT EVEN LIVING. Giving up ONE thing is not the same as giving up on your future dreams all together, but rather an opportunity to paint a new vision!