The craft over art apprenticeship pattern becomes relevant when you are hired to build a solution to a client’s problem. Building this would give you the oppurtunity to try something new, however a standard and stable solution already exists and is readily available. Hoover and Oshineye suggest focusing delivering to the client what they need rather than indulging an interest. It is better to build something functional for a customer over something beautiful, and you should work to balance the desire to create something artistic with the need to create something useful.
I think this apprenticeship pattern is interesting. I think, especially in a professional environment, your priority should be to create something your customer can easily use over something cool. It this pattern could be really useful if used in tandem with the breakable toys pattern I wrote about previously. I don’t think it’s bad to want to do cool and artistic things with your projects. Building something you think is beautiful sounds like a really good way to expiriment and develope your skills. However, if that interest interferes with your ability to deliver functional products to your customer, it may be wise to indulge that interest outside of work.
Reading through this design pattern has helped shape my expectations for my future profession. It highlights for me how focused the industry is on utility. I was not expecting to be able to use work projects as expressions of creativity, and this has confirmed that. I know to keep my personal and professional endeavors separate.
I do disagree a little with the way Hoover and Oshineye discuss creating beautiful works. In sections of this chapter, they talk about wanting artistry in your craft as if it is a bad thing. I agree that you should be able to recognize when it is appropriate to invest time in making a customer’s product beautiful, but I don’t think that urge should be shut down completely. That energy could easily be channeled into a personal project; you shouldn’t stop trying to use your skills to make beautiful things just because it might not benefit your employer.
From the blog CS@Worcester – Ciampa's Computer Science Blog by robiciampa and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.