Why is programming sometimes viewed as a second-rate role?

Posted by CaptainCodeman on Programmers See other posts from Programmers or by CaptainCodeman
Published on 2014-06-08T22:16:17Z Indexed on 2014/06/09 3:41 UTC
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I've been a programmer for most of my life.

I recently interviewed for a management job in a company and the interviewer looked at my CV asked me "How do we know you're not just a programmer". Which in my opinion is quite a rude thing to say, but it's not an isolated incident and I've heard other similar things in other settings.

It does seem that for some reason being a programmer is viewed as having a lower station, especially in settings where they have a separate IT department which is viewed as a support role.

Is a career in software development doomed to being a second-rate support citizen?

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