I've been a professional developer for decades. It's what I'm good at and I take pride in my work. I want to be the best I can at it. There are some people who are happy to just get by with the minimum they need to keep getting paid for it and I have to work with some of them.
I wish they would at least just read this book by Peter Goodliffe. I got it was a free download via the O'Reilly mailing list.
You can read at least some of it online. He covers all aspects of programming, but also the working environment, self education, ethics and getting on with people. I did a lot of nodding as it almost all corresponded with things I've been thinking about.
I ought to get some of my colleagues to read it, including the managers. I believe that the whole company could do better if they aspired to it instead of just getting by. I don't have to power to make the changes, but I do try to lead by example. It's just not in my nature to give up.
Definitely worth a read in my opinion.
