On Mon, Aug 03, 2015 at 02:34:52PM +0100, Edward Bartolo wrote:
> I was of the impression, that to modify the kernel, a PhD was a must.
> I cannot be blamed for this impression, as I am an EU citizen, which
> has been agressively pushing for more qualifications of its work
> force. The extent of this drive, is that anybody who holds no
> qualificatios, is paid a misery compared with those who hold any
> qualification, whatever that happens to be. Where I live, the policy
> is, if you have no qualifications, you do not deserve to do anything
> apart from humble unskilled manual work.
>

Well, things in the world of (free software) programming are usually
quite different. What counts at the end of the day is what you are
able to do, not what is your name or how many titles you put in front
of it. The code is neutral, aseptic. It does not know anything about
you, your height, your smell, your cultural background, the colour of
your skin, your religion (if any), your gender, or the university you
have been a fellow of. Yet it tells a lot about who you are and what
you think. But it remains neutral and aseptic. Its value is in what it
does and in the way it does it, not in the name of its creator.

A PhD might help you finding a better job, or progressing throughout
your career, or buying a larger house, or feeling entitled to believe
that you are better, smarter, or cooler than others, but will not
automatically increase your coding power or earn you the respect of
other coders. I have to admit it is quite often the opposite, indeed.

The free software community is probably one of the last truly
democratic and meritocratic social environments.

HND

KatolaZ

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[ Enzo Nicosia aka KatolaZ --- GLUG Catania -- Freaknet Medialab ]
[ me [at] katolaz.homeunix.net -- http://katolaz.homeunix.net -- ]
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