# Decoupling Identity from Profession

#concept

## Summary

As many professions collapse into "prompt the AI," tying your sense of self to a job title becomes dangerous. Two sources converge: shed the **developer identity baggage** that holds you back (Theo), and **separate who you are from what you do** or "we will feel worthless in a couple of years" (Sebastian/Eugene).

## Current Understanding

- **The philosophical turn (Sebastian/Eugene):** older generations tie identity to their job ("I *am* a doctor"). As those professions lose obvious societal value, the advice is to decouple: "Fundamentally I'm Eugene — I'm not a programmer. But I need to work on that."
- **The practical turn (Theo):** engineers are in a "skeuomorphic phase" (iOS 6 imitating physical objects). Symptoms of identity-as-baggage: terminal fetishism, language-as-identity ("he writes JavaScript"), ceremonial git norms (why *can't* we commit `.env`?), guilt-merging. Prescription: **audit** each tool/rule you cling to — right, or just habit?
- **Why it matters now:** the framework/language you pick matters far less than before; skill is [[connections-as-moat|leveled]] by AI; code is [[code-as-throwaway|disposable]]. What remains yours is judgment, [[product-ownership|ownership]], taste, and human relationships — none of which are a job title.

## Evidence

- "Decouple identity from profession," "Fundamentally I'm Eugene — I'm not a programmer" — [[2026-07-14-sebastian-eugene-interview]].
- Skeuomorphic phase, terminal/language/git identity symptoms, "audit your developer identity" — [[2026-07-14-everything-we-knew-about-software-has-changed]].

## Related Pages

- Concepts: [[code-as-throwaway]], [[connections-as-moat]], [[product-ownership]], [[think-wider-not-bigger]]
- Entities: [[sebastian]], [[eugene]], [[theo-browne]]

## Contradictions / Uncertainty

- Framed as advice/prediction, not established fact; the emotional cost of the transition is acknowledged but unquantified. Status: tentative.

## Next Questions

- What *does* a healthy post-profession identity anchor to — craft, curiosity, relationships, ownership?
