To Be a Pro is to Be Abused Trigger warning: Bears. I want to say a few words to young developers on the value of resilience and the growing of a thick skin. Slow down there. Hands off the keyboard. I an NOT talking about abuse, harassment, and threats. Ive already written on this topic. Certain behaviors online are clearly unacceptable, and you should not be subjected to them. What I AM talking about is learning to endure criticism and occasional hostility that is an inevitable part of being a creator in a public way. Because you will be criticized. You will be insulted. People will be mean to you. Also, because you are only human and will occasionally make mistakes, sometimes that criticism will be justified. So you should be ready. Im going to tell two instructive stories. One about me, one about an ambitious young developer. (Well, as of this writing, ex-developer.) Know enough to be afraid. You WILL receive feedback like this at some point. Prepare in advance an appropriate r...