Ethic Concerns In Programming
Whether you're working in an office, restaurant, or out in the field, you're going to have ethical obligations to your co-workers whether they're your seniors or your juniors. For all general purposes, I will be covering the ethical obligations a "Lead Progammer" might have in his/her field.
Most jobs require you to work with a plethora of people who are all unique and can piss you off in many ways. However, despite all the annoyances some may bring to you, you will have to learn to deal with them. One ethical obligation a programmer might have to his/her co-workers would be to collaborate with his/her team to get the best product possible. No matter how much you hate that person, you will have to learn to put your differences aside and learn to cooperate in order to get the job done. Being able to do this brings you to the next level and makes you look much more reliable as well.
Every job has ethical obligations to the public and your company. Whether it's producing a product that has been tested and is safe for usage by the public or being loyal to your company, each career has certain obligations to the public or to their company. The same goes for a career in programming.
As a programmer, you have to make sure that every software that is produced does not have any bugs or glitches when it is released. And if new bugs arise while the software is out in the open, then patches should be released to fix bugs and make sure that everything is running as smoothly as possible. Also, the software should not bring harm to the public such as any malware or virus,
As for ethical obligations towards your company, one should retain information that should not be let out to the public. If a company trusts you with important information, you should remain loyal to that company even when you leave and keep those secrets to heart.
ETHICAL CONCERNS WITHIN COMPUTER SCIENCE
However, there are concerns within computer science as a whole especially when it comes to the government and what they can do with it.
Just last year in the UK, a bill was passed that allowed the government to have mass surveillance over its nation. This becomes an issue with the public because of everything the government can do now that they have eyes on you in every hour of every day. Of course, there are benefits to nationwide surveillance. But just how much of a benefit do the public get?
With government enforced surveillance, the nation does become a much more safer place as they now have eyes everywhere making it increasingly harder for crimes to actually occur. This means that the general public are allowed to go through their daily lives without having to worry about any crime that may be committed. However, government enforced surveillance also means the loss of privacy for the general public. Because they have eyes on you, this means that there is an aspect of the invasion of privacy making people's personal lives less personal.
With all this advance in technology, it does make the world a safer place. However, it comes at a cost.
ETHICAL OBLIGATIONS TO CO-WORKERS
Most jobs require you to work with a plethora of people who are all unique and can piss you off in many ways. However, despite all the annoyances some may bring to you, you will have to learn to deal with them. One ethical obligation a programmer might have to his/her co-workers would be to collaborate with his/her team to get the best product possible. No matter how much you hate that person, you will have to learn to put your differences aside and learn to cooperate in order to get the job done. Being able to do this brings you to the next level and makes you look much more reliable as well.
ETHICAL OBLIGATIONS TO YOUR JUNIOR/SENIOR
As a programmer with a high position, you're going to be working with people who are under you and with people who are above you. Each have their own unique ethical obligations.
For your juniors, you might have the obligation to teach them certain things that could help them out in their job because you have also been in their position before as well. By showing them certain tips and tricks, you're showing that you're a reliable source of help and can be relied on. Because the selected position that I had chosen was a "Lead Programmer", you are leading a team and as a leader, you also have the obligation to take responsibility for anything your team does. Because you are the leader, you have to make sure your team is doing everything properly to the best of their abilities as well as making sure they stay on task.
For your juniors, you might have the obligation to teach them certain things that could help them out in their job because you have also been in their position before as well. By showing them certain tips and tricks, you're showing that you're a reliable source of help and can be relied on. Because the selected position that I had chosen was a "Lead Programmer", you are leading a team and as a leader, you also have the obligation to take responsibility for anything your team does. Because you are the leader, you have to make sure your team is doing everything properly to the best of their abilities as well as making sure they stay on task.
Moving onto obligations to your seniors. Whether it's someone who's worked there longer than you or it's your boss, they deserve a tremendous amount of respect. You have the duty to report to your senior or to your boss your progress. You also have to be as truthful as you can be because in the end, lies only hurt you and the company. As a hired employee to a boss, you are obligated to do the job to the best of your ability because that is what they hired you for.
ETHICAL OBLIGATIONS TO THE PUBLIC AND YOUR COMPANYEvery job has ethical obligations to the public and your company. Whether it's producing a product that has been tested and is safe for usage by the public or being loyal to your company, each career has certain obligations to the public or to their company. The same goes for a career in programming.
As a programmer, you have to make sure that every software that is produced does not have any bugs or glitches when it is released. And if new bugs arise while the software is out in the open, then patches should be released to fix bugs and make sure that everything is running as smoothly as possible. Also, the software should not bring harm to the public such as any malware or virus,
As for ethical obligations towards your company, one should retain information that should not be let out to the public. If a company trusts you with important information, you should remain loyal to that company even when you leave and keep those secrets to heart.
However, there are concerns within computer science as a whole especially when it comes to the government and what they can do with it.
Just last year in the UK, a bill was passed that allowed the government to have mass surveillance over its nation. This becomes an issue with the public because of everything the government can do now that they have eyes on you in every hour of every day. Of course, there are benefits to nationwide surveillance. But just how much of a benefit do the public get?
With government enforced surveillance, the nation does become a much more safer place as they now have eyes everywhere making it increasingly harder for crimes to actually occur. This means that the general public are allowed to go through their daily lives without having to worry about any crime that may be committed. However, government enforced surveillance also means the loss of privacy for the general public. Because they have eyes on you, this means that there is an aspect of the invasion of privacy making people's personal lives less personal.
With all this advance in technology, it does make the world a safer place. However, it comes at a cost.
1. Although our interest may be slightly different, Computer Science and Civil Engineering fall into the same category: STEM fields. While reading your blog, I began to realize how similar our fields are when regarding ethics.
ReplyDelete2. You conveyed a thorough analysis of what ethic entails in your field. Not being a Computer Science major myself, I was able to interpret and relate to your descriptions.
3. Although your analysis was thorough, I felt confused at times. This may relate to your sentence structure. There were times when I had to take a break even with the multiple commas. You could try to possible simplify your sentences, or even split them into two independent ones.
You have made this article a good length, and you have a good sense of audience. Your research was interesting. This article could have used a conclusion, and your analysis of how to treat your fellow employees could have used a better framework than simply how much you "hate" somebody. Remember, gender, race, class, or even just personality differences, distrust, and other things should be considered for how they might create tempting situations to treat somebody and their ideas unfairly.
ReplyDelete