“Publish or perish”
“‘Publish or perish’ refers to the pressure to publish work constantly to further or sustain a career in academia.”
Many years ago, my old boss at Community Connect Inc. (now Interactive One), Michael Montero, was having an article published in the September 2002 issue of Sysadmin Magazine. Around that time before the article was published, Mike enlightened all of us software developers on the “publish or perish” idea — write articles, speak at conferences, etc. in order to enhance your development career.
I always took that advice to heart. It made sense to me. If you’re good at something, you use your communication skills to better yourself and make yourself known. Whether it’s writing an article, writing a book, or speaking at a conference, it’s important to share your experiences and impart your knowledge to others.
So, that was one of my big goals for the year. I’ve done the conference thing for a while now, so I wanted to make 2009 the year of writing. By writing, I mean writing code, and writing an article. So, by the time this is posted, my php|architect article, “Make It Mobile with PHP and Open Source Tools” will have been published.
I started it early in the year and finished it in mid-April, many months ahead of the deadline. It’s basically my “Rickroll To Go…” conference talk, but in a written form.
It’s not some huge triumph of an article…it’s not going to win any awards…but it’s representative of a goal I set out to accomplish and succeeded at.
So, if you’re reading the issue, enjoy! If you’re not, go subscribe to php|architect!
Also, special thanks to my php|architect crew for giving me this great opportunity.
I’d like to do some more writing in 2010 (maybe some non-PHP writing, too?), so maybe you’ll see me in print again next year. Thanks for reading! Please send along any comments, questions or feedback via email or Twitter.
PHP, Tech | Brian DeShong | 
November 2, 2009 8:33 pm
9 Comments
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By Sebs, November 3, 2009 @ 4:13 am
I have one clear problem with the whole idea:
Some people are more on conferences and more writting papers than really doing work.
That is not what the pro’s are that we hire. We don’t need rockstars, we need people who develop products.
By Brian DeShong, November 3, 2009 @ 8:04 am
@Sebs: Certainly it’s not for everyone. And if a given speaker or author isn’t actually producing work on a daily basis, then that’s a whole separate issue. The point is to be good at your development/architecture job (where “good” also calls for responsibility), but also open to talking about it in a public setting.
By Ben Dunlap, November 3, 2009 @ 4:08 pm
I’ve always had a negative sense of “publish or perish” because of personal ties to the academic world, where some professors are far more committed to their research than to their students — really the same problem that @Sebs is concerned about.
On the other hand, technical articles and conference talks can be really valuable to those of us who labor in the fields and will probably never be on the lecture circuit. So thank goodness for people who can do good work /and/ speak & write well about it.
By Jeff Carouth, November 3, 2009 @ 5:08 pm
Great advice. I published my first article with php|architect in November 2008. It was a great feeling; not because I like my name in print—ok, maybe I do—but also because it provided me a way to contribute back some of the knowledge I’ve gained because of other authors, bloggers, coders, etc.
Best of luck in your goals for more authorship in 2010!
By Yannick Warnier, November 3, 2009 @ 9:33 pm
I agree with Sebs argument, except that the idea is that the people who have become experts are actually able to discuss the point without spending too much time writing or preparing the publishing step. But there is clearly abuse of the principle, all over.
By Rob..., November 4, 2009 @ 6:57 am
Congratulations Brian! I’m looking forward to reading it when the magazine arrives.
From a hiring perspective, I don’t need rockstars either. However I’m more likely to hire a senior developer who is able to communicate his/her knowlege as I need them to be able to defend their decison amongst their peers. I would also need them to be mentors to the more junior members of the team.
A developer who is published has a portfolio they can show to prospective employers to prove their competency at this aspect of the role. It doesn’t really matter if you have published to a magazine, a book or on a blog though.
Regards,
Rob…
By Brian DeShong, November 4, 2009 @ 9:23 am
@Rob: Thanks! And yes, developers and tech-minded people that can communicate with both their teammates and clients is a HUGE plus. All things equal between two candidates, I’d choose the one that was a more effective communicator.
Agreed on the medium of publishing, too…that’s a great point. A prolific blog is worth just as much (probably even more!) than a printed article.
By Kevin Haynes, November 29, 2009 @ 4:20 pm
Congrats with the article Brian. As a former Schematician, it’s definitely cool to see my colleagues representing the community well. It’s inspiration to get my act together to get something published. Looking forward to catching up at one of the conferences in 2010. Give my best to the old gang.