... unless you're some absolutely insane unicorn and can show it...

This is paraphrased from a Reddit discussion about Software Engineering employment opportunities.

I love that phrase! It ranks right up there with "10x developer" as someone who performs ten times better than an average developer.

"Unicorn", in any modern context is supposed to describe something that doesn't exist. It's a mythological creature like a developer with many years of experience in mutually exclusive technologies.

Not any more... Now, "unicorn" has a distinct definition in a financial context and I'll bet the redditor could describe a unicorn developer to me if I asked them. Likewise, I can search for "10x developer" and find courses that'll teach me exactly how to be one. People don't use these terms to refer to something that doesn't exist.

Well, it's still nonsense. Just like the "10x developer", it might be theoretically possible to become a "unicorn developer", but it's completely infeasible.

Think about the best developer in the world. There's no wrong answer, just whoever you think is the best...

Whether you're thinking about some overpaid FAANG engineer, an innovator like DHH or Linus Torvalds, an educator like Uncle Bob Martin, or legends like Kernighan & Ritchie I'll bet they don't have the diverse skills to be a unicorn developer and can't demonstrate the speed / quality to be a 10x developer.

There's nothing wrong with this. I just find it entertaining.

May your reach always exceed your grasp.

If you're curious about me, I'm a solid 0.9x developer in terms of speed, but I try to be a 1.1x developer in terms of quality.