It’s not the thing, it’s the process

Jonathan blogged today about a conversation we had recently regarding women in tech. Specifically, me. I sent him that message out of sheer frustration and amazement, and looking at it now I may have overstated the case. I have plenty of theories about the lack of women in tech, eventually I may get around to discussing more of them (for example, women’s relatively massive corpus callosum and tendency towards non-linear thought processes). But I’ll still stand by what I said to Jonathan.

The number one most important thing to me when making a decision about where to work is the day-to-day experience. Being enthusiastic about your product is certainly a part of that, it can carry you through some otherwise bad times. But it’s not enough. The last thing I want is to spend my days helping to build the next fucked company. It’s especially worrisome to me when I see all these spaghetti-test startups (you know, the ones that just throw something against the wall to see if it sticks). A great idea does not make a great workplace, for that you need solid management practices, clearly outlined goals, internal cooperation and mentoring, employee rewards, etc. Every industry except tech and politics seems to understand this. But in those two we’re supposed to be so honored and excited to be a part of this world-changing thing that we’re willing to set all other considerations aside. I love tech. I’m thrilled by the pace of change, excited by the opportunity to flex my brain, encouraged by the chance to get ahead purely on merit. Not to mention the shiny, shiny toys. But I can’t be happy dedicating myself to something if I dread showing up at work in the morning.