I read “Soul of a New Machine,” by Tracy Kidder, who died last week, at about the time I switched from daily newspaper journalism to trade journalism in the technology industry, either just before making the career switch or just after. The book was published in 1981 and I made the career switch in 1989.
In my work, I wrote about Data General, the company that is the subject of “Soul of a New Machine.” I’m pretty sure I interviewed Tom West, the main character of the book, though I did not connect him with the book until after the interview, and the interview was straightforward and unmemorable, focused on company strategy or a new product or something like that.
“Soul of a New Machine” was a major contributor to the belief that a career in the technology industry could be more than just a career — it could be a calling, a life mission. And that was true for my career as well, as a trade journalist. I believed it.
With regard to trade journalism, I now believe that philosophy to be a myth, which of course benefits publishers, who profit from trade journalists’ commitment.
I now think of trade journalism as a trade, like plumbing or carpentry or electrical work. It’s a good job for people like me. It can be an important part of the foundation on which to build a good life. But it should not be your life purpose.