Do Programmers Confuse Intelligence with WISDOM?

Healthy Developer

After my first decade of coding, I learned so much I thought: "I must be at least somewhat intelligent, right?". But there was something more valuable I lacked - wisdom. Without wisdom, you'll make decisions in your career that look right in the short term - but turn out disastrous over time.

Wisdom is the ability to make decisions when the rules don't apply. There's no book you can read, no guide to follow, and no clear cut answer. It's derived from experience, sound judgment, a broad perspective, and considering the ethical implications of a decision. And if you learn to cultivate wisdom, you can achieve the things that really matter in your career - and life.

In this episode I share why people in tech careers often mistake intelligence for wisdom. Then I'll help you understand why our industry is so prone to making unwise decisions. I'll go on to help you see the dangerous outcomes of short-term thinking. And finally, I'll share some practical things you can do to become a wiser programmer - and technologist in general.

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You can also watch this episode on YouTube.

Chapter markers / timelinks:

(0:00) Introduction (1:23) Defining Intelligence and Wisdom (2:14) Stories of Intelligence and Wisdom (5:10) 1. How Tech Jobs Confuse Intelligence and Wisdom (5:20) 1.1 Equating Problem Solving with Broad Insight (6:27) 1.2 Prioritizing Speed over Sustainability (7:51) 1.3 Specializing vs Holistic Understanding (9:44) 2. How Ignoring Wisdom Hurts Us in Tech (9:51) 2.1 Ethical Implications (12:42) 2.2 Short-Term Over Long-Term Thinking (13:45) 3. How To Be a Wiser Technologist (13:52) 3.1 Expand Your Breadth of Knowledge (16:35) 3.2 Get a Mentor (18:30) 3.3 Reflect and Be Mindful (22:02) 3.4 Seek the Counsel of Generalists (25:02) 3.5 Engage with Non-Technical Communities

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