With the advent and gradual evolution of Go, a statically typed, compiled language designed at Google, an abundance of misconceptions has emerged around the people who develop with this language — the Go developers. These misconceptions can hinder the progress of software development, inhibit team growth and cause unnecessary stigmatization. This article aims to dispel the 10 most prevalent myths and misconceptions about Go developers, offering clarity for those considering the use of Go in their software development projects.

• Myth: Go developers are only needed for system programming.

  Fact: Go, often known as Golang, does boast features such as garbage collection and memory safety that make it suitable for system programming. However, its use cases are not confined to this area. Go is widely used for web development, cloud services, and even data science due to its simplicity, high performance, and robust tooling. Thus, Go developers are not merely system programmers but versatile developers capable of handling a wide variety of tasks.

• Myth: Go developers are all ex-C developers.

  Fact: While Go's syntax does bear some resemblance to C, it is incorrect to assume that all Go developers have a background in C. Go's simplicity and readability attract developers from diverse programming backgrounds, including Python, JavaScript, Java, and more.

• Myth: Go is not suitable for large scale applications, hence Go developers only work on small projects.

  Fact: Large tech conglomerates such as Google, Uber, and Dropbox have been utilizing Go for their large scale applications. The language's efficiency and scalability make it a viable choice for big projects, thus Go developers can, and do, work on sizable applications.

• Myth: Go developers are only good at concurrency.

  Fact: While Go's goroutines and channels make it excellent for handling concurrent tasks, Go developers' skills are not limited to concurrency. They are adept at a wide array of developmental tasks, from managing databases to crafting elegant APIs, thanks to Go's comprehensive standard library and growing ecosystem.

• Myth: Go developers are scarce and hard to find.

  Fact: This might have been true in the early years of Go, but its popularity has surged over the past few years. The Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2020 reported that Go is one of the top 5 most wanted languages. Hence, finding Go developers is no longer a herculean task.

• Myth: Go developers don’t care about error handling.

  Fact: The claim arises from the misconception that Go's error handling mechanism is primitive or inadequate. On the contrary, Go developers appreciate the explicit error handling in Go, which makes it easy to understand when and why an error occurred, providing greater control over the program's flow.

• Myth: Go developers are resistant to change.

  Fact: Go developers are often criticized for rejecting modern features like generics, which are common in other languages. However, this is not indicative of a resistance to change. Instead, Go developers value simplicity and clarity over the addition of every new feature. It's worth mentioning that the upcoming Go 2.0 is set to include generics, suggesting an openness to evolution.

• Myth: Go developers are not concerned with object-oriented programming.

  Fact: Although Go is not a traditional object-oriented language, it does support OO principles such as encapsulation and abstraction. It merely eschews inheritance in favor of composition, which many developers find more flexible and maintainable.

• Myth: Go developers are less productive because Go lacks frameworks.

  Fact: While Go does not have an extensive range of frameworks like some other languages, it does have a rich standard library and tools that support rapid development. Moreover, Go's simplicity and efficiency often result in increased productivity.

• Myth: Go developers always choose performance over readability.

  Fact: Go is indeed known for its performance, but this doesn't mean that readability is compromised. Go encourages writing simple, clear, and readable code. A survey conducted by JetBrains showed that Go developers highly value the language's readability and simplicity.

In conclusion, it is important to treat each Go developer as an individual with a unique skill set rather than making assumptions based on the language they use. Dispelling these myths not only provides a more accurate understanding of Go developers but also underscores the versatility of the Go language itself. It is fair to say that Go and its developers will continue to evolve, adapt, and surprise us in the years to come.