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I have no idea what con means reading through this profile.

Pro : Java, Design patterns, Quick learner (API, SDK, etc.), PHP, Javascript.

Con : C++ skills for gaming industry

Love : Challenge!

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1  
He has two lists, called "Pro" and "Con" ... humorously proposed as things in his favor and things against. – GEdgar Feb 13 at 19:24
@GEdgar Well, I don't think that was his intention. I prefer not to interpret it in the context of pros and cons. – Terry Li Feb 13 at 19:26
@GEdgar I guess Pro means proficient while Con might mean conversational, both of which indicate the degree of skill proficiency. – Terry Li Feb 13 at 19:28
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As an American, I would never use pro and con for proficient and conversational. However, that guy is in Sherbrooke, so maybe his native language is French, and he used them in a way unfamiliar to me. – GEdgar Feb 13 at 19:32
@GEdgar Thanks for your perspective anyway. – Terry Li Feb 13 at 19:33
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closed as too localized by tchrist, KitFox♦ Feb 14 at 0:42

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2 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

Pro is Latin for "for"; contra is Latin for "against". Con is simply short for contra (a single syllable to match pro).

For those who want a dictionary, this is OED:

con10:
adv. An abbreviation of the Latin prep. contra ‘against’, in the phrase pro-and-con v. (q.v.) ‘for and against’, rarely con and pro.
n. The adv. used as a name for itself; hence, a reason, argument, or arguer against, esp. in pros and cons.

In the context of the CV quoted, it's essentially meaningless. It might mean that he's actually no good at C++, which is unlikely; or it might mean that having used C++ in gaming he's not much use for anything else; or something else.

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It's not meaningless, but it is ambiguous. Maybe he is also confused about the meaning of "con" or is trying to force a play on words by saying that he's a real "pro" at Java. Where that leaves C++ I'm not really sure. C++ is for hacks and con means with? – Adam Feb 13 at 21:35
hmm... maybe it is supposed to mean contra or against...how peculiar--In that case, yes, meaningless. – Adam Feb 13 at 21:51
up vote 3 down vote

It's not actually an abbreviation

Look at entries for pros and cons under either pro or con in a dictionary. Where pros are the good things about someone or something, cons are the qualities that get in the way.

upside/downside advantage/disadvantage

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I don't agree, but let's see others' input. – Terry Li Feb 13 at 19:29
@TerryLi this is the normal use of pro and con. I agree, it does not make much sense in the profile you linked to but the user could merely be expressing himself badly. See, for example, here. – terdon Feb 13 at 19:36
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I think Adam is correct (+1). There is no other (sensible) interpretation. I think the profile is being facetious: my interpretation is that he is saying he has C++ skills for gaming industry, but he does not consider these to be an asset. Perhaps he didn't like a previous position that used those skills; the gaming industry is known to be pretty full-on as a work environment. – Peter K. Feb 13 at 19:45
I wasn't really paying much attention to what he was listing so much as I was the definition of the field label--It did strike me as a bit odd that both were in the singular (i.e., pro instead of pros). Still, it's not an abbreviation so much as it is wordplay or plain confusion. Maybe the user also speaks Spanish and is treating con as if it meant with for the sake of being silly. – Adam Feb 13 at 21:42

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