This is the fourth installment of the series–see the home page for Jerry’s Story for links to other installments.

You may be wondering, “Who is Jerry Weinberg, anyway?” I have much more to learn before I can competently answer that question, but for the sake of my blog readers who are following along as I put the story together, I’m going to set a foundation as best I can. I expect that I’ve been able to uncover some surprises even for people who know him well.

Jerry in his office in Corrales, New Mexico (May 2017)

His given name is “Gerald Marvin Weinberg,” and the name that you’ll see on his books and articles is “Gerald M. Weinberg.” But if you talk to him, you’ll learn that he’s always just gone by “Jerry.” My first exposure to his work was reading one of his most popular books, The Psychology of Computer Programming. First published in 1971, that was his fifth book. I discovered it 25 years later.

I decided to learn more from him by taking the Problem Solving Leadership (PSL) workshop that was developed and taught by Jerry and his colleagues. My employer at the time wouldn’t pay for it, so I satisfied myself with joining the more affordable online SHAPE forum (an acronym for “Software as a Human Activity Performed Effectively”), which Jerry moderated. Many people who had learned from Jerry hung out there and shared their wisdom.

A few years later, I finally arranged to participate in PSL. I followed up by participating in the “Change Shop” workshop as well. I enjoyed these experiential workshops so much that I attended a workshop on how to design experiential workshops. I have been in touch with Jerry off and on ever since.

Here are the roles that I think best explain who Jerry Weinberg is:

The Programmer
Jerry started his career as a programmer, and he continued to work with software programming, testing, architecture, and management throughout his career. He is the designer of the world’s first multiprogrammed operating system, used for NASA’s Project Mercury.

The Author
Many people discover Jerry through one of his books, which are the way he has been able to reach his largest audience. My most conservative count is 36 non-fiction books and 16 fiction books that he has authored or co-authored. This doesn’t count books that were later split into multiple volumes, translations, republished books, new editions, his doctoral thesis, short stories, or books he edited or contributed to. All told, Jerry estimates that he has been through the book publishing process about 100 times. He started out writing books for computer programmers. Jerry reports that his first book, Computer Programming Fundamentals, was the best-selling computer book of all time not long after it was published in 1961.

The Student
Jerry wants to always be learning, so much so, that if he feels that if he isn’t learning new things fast enough, he gets out of whatever situation that is stifling his learning, no matter how lucrative or prestigious. His love for learning is at the center of most of the things he does.

The Teacher
Jerry’s love for learning also applies to seeing other people learn. He has a rich history of teaching, starting while he was still a student. He found opportunities to teach while he was a programmer, as a college professor, and as a consultant.

“I always learned more through teaching than sitting through conventional classroom boredom.” -Jerry Weinberg

The Consultant
After working for IBM for about 12 years and teaching at SUNY Binghamton for three years, Jerry started working full-time as a consultant, a role which has defined the bulk of his career.

The Counselor
Jerry is known not only for consulting with high-tech organizations, but also for helping other consultants improve their craft. He is often called the “Consultant’s Consultant.” His mentor, Virginia Satir, also taught him a lot about family counseling, and his high-tech clients sometimes took him aside to ask for more personal advice. Jerry translated many of Satir’s counseling techniques into a form that engineers could use on the job. He also founded Consultants’ Camp, which still runs to this day.

The Human
I’ve discovered some interesting stories that help us to see Jerry as human. He is a son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather. He was once arrested for vagrancy. He paid for half of his college expenses with his gambling earnings. He briefly ran a computer dating service without actually using a computer. And he helped organize teach-ins in the 1960s.

I’m going to explore all of these topics more thoroughly in future posts. Stay tuned!

The next installment in this series is Jerry’s Story: Early Jobs.