Are developers in Orange County, CA treated as second-class citizens?

Question

May get mixed reactions to this question but not sure where else I can get my answer, so, worth a try.

Does anyone feel like the reaction towards software developers in Orange County CA is that of second-class citizen?

When someone asks me or a friend what we do for a profession and ther answer has something to do with code, myself and others have been given the automatic nerd/geek label.

In addition, most people don't even really seem to know what code is, except HTML for social network sites.

Is this just me, the OC, or is this widespread? I believe (or would like to believe) in other states/cities this does not exist, based on my few visits, but I really have no idea...

Do some programmers have the holier-than-thou attitude to counteract this, or is that unrelated?

Then I see a question like this one and become really confused.

Answer 1

I think you're overreacting...slightly. People have difficulty with anything they don't immediately understand or comprehend. I've been in the industry for over 25 years, and the vast majority of people I've come across wish they could get it, but, for whatever reason, can't or won't. To do this type of work with any kind of proficiency requires an attention to detail that would boggle the mind of most, and frustrate even more. Being a Los Angeles County person, the prevailing attitude of our neighbors to the south is much like you describe, but, based on living in this area for almost 35 years, it really has nothing to do with being a techie.

Don't spend too much time or energy concerning yourself about it, though. Computers and the programmers that drive them aren't going to go away any time soon. Though our efforts may be continually underappreciated, our career path is virtually recession-proof, which, given the current state of our economy, is way more important than what people call me. Last time I checked:

GEEK <> UNEMPLOYED