Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2019, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (3): 93-122.

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Enterprising and Lost: Professional Lives for Programmer -Interns

WANG Chengwei1, YANG Kunyun2   

  1. 1 Department of the History of Science, School of Humanities, Tsinghua University;
    2 Center for Science, Technology and Society, Tsinghua University
  • Online:2019-05-20 Published:2019-05-20

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Abstract:

Internship is a typical precarious job. Among all interns, however, programmer interns distinct themselves as a group that often performs the same tasks as formal employees at the junior programmer level but endures much higher work pressure and much lower pay. Even as many in the group are at the age close to the so-called "35 years old crisis point," a long-term internship is still seen as the only right track for professional career development. Drawing on Burawoy's (1979) concept of the game of "making out", this study explores the construction of subjectivity in precarious jobs by looking into the manufacturing of consent of programmer-interns in a takeout delivery service company. Programmer-interns became accustomed to identify themselves with a particular type of quantifiable labor product, for instance, the "post-it" on the whiteboard in a "stand-up meeting", or the "T-levels" (technology levels) that, according to the internet industry, is the "gateway" for professional career development. Programmer-interns seem to believe that rather than secondary education, or state-owned enterprises, or multi-national enterprises, only domestic internet companies can help them to complete their enterprising-selves. Even though supervisor-intern relationship and gender game of masculinity expression constitute part of programmer-interns' enterprising-self game, the essence of the game has never been challenged and in some ways is only being reenforced. That essence is the continuous step up of T-levels. However, for the majority of programmer-interns, the outcome of the game is the loss of self as they are trapped in an endless cycle of step-up. As if by improving their labor value as skilled workers, programmer-interns are simultaneously closing off other windows of opportunity of winning the enterprising-self game.

Key words: programmer, subjectivity, Enterprising-Self Game, intern