I was thinking about how difficult it is going through a tough day at work (today was really not my day) and how so much of that comes from a generally negative and hostile attitude towards my own work there. When something goes wrong with something I have worked on, I become instantly defensive. When someone brings up a point I don’t agree with, I feel like I must defend my opinion on it.
This usually stems from the need to control the amount of work generated by optimists outside of the department (this is a constant struggle for software people). Marketing people love to promise features and due dates to make sales, but then developers are the ones who need to work through a weekend to make the promised date. Developers are also very attached to their tools and work environments. I am not really sure why this is so, but it probably stems from the amount of individuality it incorporates and the personal tweaks everyone makes for their own tastes. But when developers begin debating editors, operating systems, languages, even syntax conventions, things get really heated. All of these strong opinions increase the hostility of the environment and make any criticism or comment a bit more heated.
After my first job, I was incredibly quick to become defensive of my work. This is mostly due to the culture at that office. Every mistake was brought forward and usually got you chewed out or ridiculed publicly and every decision was picked apart and analyzed, forcing you to either defend your opinion or be treated like an idiot. Going to my current job, the team is a lot more constructive and supportive (but still plenty of hostility, especially for those of us who use Linux).
I am going to begin trying to bring more positivity to the workplace. I feel like I already do a good job of this in most of the other areas of my life. I think that being more positive can begin to break down some of the natural tension and hostility in the department. I hope that, as I get used to it, I can begin to dull some of the swords that everyone begins to brandish when a topic comes up. I am beginning to believe that having a positive mindset is probably the greatest skill for a programmer on a team. I am not sure how this will go, I will probably slowly begin to change my outlook and attitude professionally. Hopefully in a year, I will be a lot closer to ridding the hostility of the programming community.