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Comment by throwaway011001 | Hacker News Reader

Has the tech sector really come to the point where coders/geeks can't even be socially awkward anymore?

I thought coding was one profession where socially awkward geeks could make an honest living.

Maybe "bad communication skills" is the more precise way of putting it. I work in a very collaborative team that frequently has to communicate with both technical and non-technical people, so being social and at least somewhat friendly is pretty important. Most tech people are a little socially awkward so getting rejected for it really says something.

I think people with poor social skills can thrive in tech, but in a more internally facing position like pure development or testing.

They still can. Making an honest living can mean anything from coding Rails at a trendy startup to writing SQL Server stored procedures at a Big 4 to doing mail merges in Access for an ISD in rural Kansas. However, there will always be some companies where coding alone doesn't make them a good fit, whether that's being a programmer for Twitter or the Southern Baptist Convention.

I'm sorry but I don't want to work with someone in a collaborative environment whom I can't openly connect with and if there is no clear line of communication between that person and me.

I also don't want to work with someone who I don't think I can get along with, and more importantly; that I feel the rest of the team can't get along with.

It affects the team and ultimately it will affect the product.

It's what happens when an industry becomes democratized, i.e. a reliable source of high-paying jobs.

So long as you can be socially awkward together, you're probably golden.

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