The Best Job in Human History (For Now) 程序员是人类历史上最好的职业
I have a theory: being a software engineer is the best job in human history. Even during the so-called "tech winter," with layoffs left and right, this statement still holds true—for the most part.
Of course, to keep things fair, let’s add some qualifiers: (North American big-tech) software engineering is one of the best jobs in human history. If we focus on jobs that are "most accessible to ordinary people," we can probably drop the "one of" altogether.
Best in Human History?
That’s not a hard claim to defend. Nearly any job today beats the soul-crushing, seven-day workweeks of the pre-modern era. The real question is why, compared to other jobs of the same era, software engineering takes the crown.
Before the internet, there was a saying: "There are only three professions in the world—lawyer, doctor, or family disgrace." A joke, yes, but it pointed to two highly regarded careers: lawyers and doctors. High income and social status come standard. But the price of admission? Astronomically high.
Law school in North America is postgraduate; there’s no pre-law undergrad degree. And the culture at most law firms is famously toxic. Associates routinely clock hours that would make a TikTok employee cry. The promotion system is up or out. Medicine is even worse. A decade-plus of grueling education is the baseline, and while doctors enjoy long-term career stability, few ordinary families can afford the time or financial burden.
Then there’s the issue of gatekeeping. The high salaries in these fields partly stem from strict licensing regulations that limit supply. If you didn’t excel in high school, your chances of breaking in are slim. Sure, in places like Singapore, mid-career pivots to medicine are technically possible (e.g., Duke-NUS MD), but the opportunity cost is immense.
Software Engineering: A Smoother Path
Becoming a software engineer doesn’t come with the same barriers. During the industry's boom years:
No strict degree requirements.
No need to "pay dues" before breaking in.
Most importantly, the pay—at least before age 40—is comparable to that of lawyers and doctors. And when compared to other industries, the gap is even starker. Across the U.S., China and Singapore, a mid-level big-tech software engineer (say, with five years of experience) often earns as much as a senior manager overseeing dozens of employees in traditional sectors.
During economic booms, coding bootcamps and LeetCode could be your golden ticket. Mastering LeetCode is like finishing med school, but faster and with fewer sleepless nights. Sure, critics say "solving coding challenges doesn’t equate to real-world work." But med school grads don’t perform surgeries on day one either. And honestly, if you can "build rockets during interviews," surely "screwing in bolts" on the job is manageable.
A Level Playing Field
There is another reason. For 99.9% of human history, the workplace rewarded the outgoing, the charismatic, and the natural-born leaders. While these qualities still matter in tech, software engineering stands out because it’s a rare field where introverts—those who prefer keyboards to conversations—can thrive. The rise of the internet was, in many ways, a workplace equalizer, offering socially anxious individuals a path to success. It’s arguably the "most friendly to ordinary people."
The Catch
Of course, this golden age for programmers won’t last forever. Unlike law or medicine, software engineering lacks a licensing bottleneck. The supply of talent is growing rapidly, and in a slowing economy, saturation is inevitable. And from a technical standpoint, there’s no evidence that writing code is inherently more sophisticated than building houses or culturing bacteria.
So, should you learn to code now? Maybe. But if you’re asking that question, you might already be too late.
(Disclaimer: This article was originally written in Chinese and translated into English by the almighty ChatGPT with manual editing. In case of any discrepancies, the original Chinese version should be considered the preferred source. Below is the Chinese version)
我有一个观点：程序员是人类历史上最好的职业。即便是科技业寒冬，到处裁员，这句话仍然（基本暂时）成立。
当然，这里面加几个限定词，会显得客观一些：（北美大中厂）程序员是人类历史上最好的职业（之一）。如果考虑「对普通人最友好」，则之一也可以去掉
「人类历史上」不难证明，因为现今的几乎任何工作，都要比无双休无人权的旧时代要好。需要比较的只是，和同时代的其他工作相比，为什么程序员最好？
在互联网出现之前，有西谚云：世界上只有三种职业，律师、医生和家族的耻辱。虽是玩笑，但指明了两种最佳职业。律师医生收入高、社会地位高自不待言，但这两者入行门槛高啊！
北美法学院是postgraduate的项目，没有法学本科。而且大部分律所文化以toxic著称，associate的工作量，字节看了会沉默，拼多多看了会流泪。晋升机制也是非升即走。医学院就更不用说了，全套流程走下来，没个十多年不行。虽然当医生后劲足，不太有中年危机，但普通家庭吃不消。当然，这里要再次强调，这里说的是美国或其他类似西方国家的医生和律师
而且，这两个行业高薪的部分秘密，在于事实上的执照管制，供给非常有限。这也意味着，普通人如果没在高中时努力读书，后面进场的机会渺茫。以新加坡为例，中年转轨读医不是不可能（Duke NUS MD），但时间成本之大，非常人所能承受
相反，成为程序员就没有这些条条框框。起码行业上升期，一不（怎么）看学历，二（入行前）不熬年资。最重要的是，薪酬起码在40岁以前，比起律师医生完全不逊色。而比起其他行业，这个薪酬上的优势就更加明显了：无论是中国、新加坡和美国，五年工作经验的不带人的大中厂程序员，工资约等于传统行业带几十人的总监的水平，这个差别还不明显吗？
经济好的年份，程序员刷完LeetCode就可以上岗。从这个意义上，LC是走向人生捷径的旋转门，刷了LC约等于读完医学院。当然有人会说，能做LC不等于会做实际工作，但读完医学院也不能马上拿手术刀啊。再说了，大家不是常自嘲「面试造火箭，入职拧螺丝」嘛。火箭能造，螺丝还没法拧了？
还有一个角度：人类历史上99.9%的时间里，职场是属于那些外向的会沟通的会管理的人的。这些特质虽然对科技行业也很重要，但程序员这个职业的魅力在于，即便一言不发，大多数时候也能基本胜任工作。所以，互联网的兴起，在职场相当于一场平权运动，给了社恐一条生路，「对普通人最友好」
不过，程序员高薪不是一种可持续的现象。供给上没有律师医生那种执照管制，在经济放缓的情况下总会趋于饱和。而在技术层面，也没有证据表明写代码比造房子、培养细菌更有技术含量。总之，「转码要趁早」？还是已经太迟了？