TEN REASONS TO DRINK THE KOOLAID

So sometimes the Contextual Posse is right – I hate it when that happens….


In honor of the 4th of July, here’s a little firecracker…enjoy.

Generally, I dislike the idea of identifying with a “school of thought” as I (personally) find the concept confining. I find members of such groups tend to support their own views to the exclusion of others. They strongly defend their own views, even when those views are patently wrong and do not support the majority of the field. Often their motives involve financial gain. For themselves. They support their own leaders to the point they are incapable of seeing for themselves, because their heads are so far up their butts, clear sight is no longer possible. They are fanatics, and my own feeling is that you cannot have an enjoyable or meaningful discussion or debate with any being that froths at the mouth or is incapable of admitting they might be wrong. I dislike communications which are condescending, pompous, self-righteous, or insulting to someone who didn’t do anything to earn such a communication.

That said, I’ve been condescending, pompous, self-righteous, and insulting myself on occasion. And of course, I try to justify that by saying I usually have to be goaded to react that way. True enough, kinda. Um, most of the time…..

So let’s talk about the Contextual Posse for a few minutes. The CP is almost more like a religion than a school. I have issues with that. I believe in independent thought, which means I should be able to strongly disagree with a “leader” without being publicly stripped of my epaulets.

That said, there are times that group is just Right. What they have to say is simply true. It’s hard to argue with truth.

I’ve found myself unexpectedly in total agreement with two posts from the Buccaneer-Scholar lately, and have to confess that it makes the Koolaid look just a tad bit tastier. Since I can’t help poking at the CP now and then (they’re very prolific writers, which makes it extraordinarily easy), I thought it might be time to talk about reasons to jump on their exclusive bandwagon.

Reason One

They reject certifications or degrees as a viable measure of skill. I personally have certifications coming out my….ears. I’ve never used them. They were just a by-product of some type of learning I felt I needed to do in order to understand something that interested me or get the building blocks I needed to become proficient on something necessary for my work at the time. I’ve found that some individuals obtain certifications to “prove” they have competency at something in which they actually have no competency at all. There is no substitute for experience. Those of us who have tons of tool certifications can attest to this. When you complete a basic class, or set of classes, in X tool, does that qualify you for a job in which expertise with that tool is required? No. Every tool has its own quirks and you don’t really find out what those quirks are until you’ve actually WORKED with it. I’ve been certified on tools that I’ve never used or that have long since gone the way of the Dodo. They’re extinct.

I liked some of their comments in regards to being able to revoke someone’s certification for Abysmal Performance. I’ve wanted to award someone a “Certified Unqualified” button several times as a warning to other unsuspecting employers, but I’m afraid they wouldn’t wear it with pride. I suspect my staff would have to hold them down while I tattooed it across their forehead. Preferably next to the “666” mark…

At the same time, one cannot help but wonder how a group so vocal in regards to repudiating certfications can, with any conscience, recommend certification by any group. Oddly enough, their OWN certification is likely going to be the Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread. Go figure. One chortles aloud.

To be perfectly fair, which isn’t as much fun, there are regions of the world where you MUST be certified in order to be competitive. Reality is reality – if you have to have one, I’d suggest you get one. Being employed trumps self-righteousness every time.


Reason Two

Open scoffing at idiots has to be Reason Two for joining the CP. Many of us are limited in our ability to indulge ourselves this way by our civilized and polite upbringing. My only issue with this is that everyone that disagrees with the CP (or a member of the CP) isn’t an idiot. That posse attacks anyone they view as either a threat or a heathen non-believer. There are times, however, when someone who truly doesn’t belong in the field is lambasted, and rightfully so. For example, attempting to convince the public-at-large that you are an expert in the field and then making statements regarding paradigm shifts to automated testing that writes itself, or how easy and “cheap” manual testing is clearly indicates a monumental lack of experience.


Reason Three

All the cool kids are contextual. The group encourages, breeds, and develops exclusivity. If you aren’t cool, well, you’re uncool. They all promote each other and dog their “enemies” as a one-minded pack. The advantages to this for you personally are obvious. The contextual posse has some of the most proliferate and interesting authors and practitioners in the field today. Their people have a stranglehold on many of the conferences, magazines, and websites out there in the field. Take a look at their blog lists. They promote each other. Take a look at the speakers at conferences and then cross-reference to the blog lists. Same names. Take a look at your testing magazine and do the same. Take a look at testingreflections.com. Ditto. While this is Good Stuff for them, it’s pretty bad stuff for everyone else. First of all, our exposure to other thoughts, opinions, and talent is limited to a relatively narrow line of thought. I don’t WANT to attend another lecture by Person X or one of their sycophants. Let’s hear some other voices; there are plenty of them out there. But if you’re a practical person and interested in your own advancement internationally, a bit of butt-kissing or a teensy-tiny loss of some of your personal integrity might not come amiss. So if you want to be cool and need the support of some Big Players in our field, the CP is the way to go. And no one would blame you.

Reason Four

Philosophical and personal issues aside, some of the best minds in our field are part of the CP. How would you like to work with the best of the best every day and call them your peeps? How do you think it would feel to have them call YOU a peep? There are times a blog, article, comment, presentation, or class is so incredibly awesome, I feel like bowing while murmuring “I’m not worthy” under my breath. There are GENIUSES out there. And nothing compares (at least to me) to picking up something new or different. If it’s not useful to me, I might toss it away, but there’s a kind of joy in intellectual discovery that I can’t really explain.

Reason Five

The CP is protecting WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING. They’re promoting testers as highly intelligent, sapient humans that cannot be replaced with either machines or unqualified hordes of untrained personnel. OK, now that I think about it, maybe I’ve been a tad ungrateful myself. I must remember to add a few names to my Christmas Card list….

Reason Six

Actually, I couldn’t come up with 10 reasons. Only five.

Um, but they’re a killer five, don’t you think? So what do you think? Need a straw? You first…..