So True

I came across this the other day and had a good laugh. I am one of those ‘tech workers’. A software engineer in fact. Although I have been doing it for so long that when I started there were no software engineers. There were only computer programmers. And almost no one knew what that was.

Annnyyyyway.  Believe it or not, as off the cuff and un-edited as these posts may seem, I actually do type them out and do a certain amount of proof reading before I post them. And the first thing I do is remove the word So from the beginning of almost every sentence. The Golfer is also a long time tech worker. 90% of our conversations begin with one or the other of us saying ‘Soooo…’. 

After I read this I started listening for it in conversations around the office. And damned if at least 95% of them didn’t start off with a So….

I really can’t tell you why we ‘tech workers’ do this. Or actually which comes first, the So or the job as a tech worker. Are there people who are genetically programmed to use So.. and for some reason they gravitate towards jobs in the technology sector? Or does taking a job in the technology sector mean that, along with an addiction to caffeine and an overpowering sweet tooth, you will also develop the need begin conversations with So?

Sounds like a good topic for a thesis, or maybe a government funded study, doncha think?

And now I’m sure you will all be keeping a count of the number of times I start a sentence with So. Just keep in mind, apparently I can’t help it.