Pick The Girl

Do you play basketball? I’m talking about pickup games. Playing at the Y. Church early morning games. Park games.

If not, let me explain how it works. You show up at the start time. Maybe it’s 5:00am at the Church. Maybe it’s Thursday evening at 7:00pm at the rec center. At the designated start time, everyone lines up at the free throw line. You shoot free throws. The first five are on the first team. The second five are the second team. Anyone left is the bench. They get next game.

You then play a game, typically to 21. A basket counts as 1 point, a basket from beyond the 3-point line counts as two points. And typically you have to win by two.

House rules might be different depending on where you play, but that’s the basics.

The point is that you end up playing on a team of typically random people. Go often enough and one day you are playing on the same team as a guy. The next game you might be playing against him. Well, except if you win typically you get to keep playing.

Occasionally a girl will show up. Not often.

If a girl shows up, you absolutely want her on your team.

Because she would not be there if she was not good. And probably very good.

Programming is like that. Women are rarely in IT or programming. Just like women are rarely at a pickup basketball game.

If she’s there. . .she’s probably very good.

One of the best programmers I ever had working for me was a woman.

Stay safe

Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren. Order Miscellany II, an anthology including his latest short story, “The Mercy System” here

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