[ale] [SEMI-OT] Skills for programmers/engineers?

JD jdp at algoloma.com
Mon Jan 27 09:58:05 EST 2014


Sorry for the length.

1 programmer in a language and/or framework can speak with another for 10
minutes and get a fairly accurate idea of their skill level, provided they are
the higher skilled person with that language. The issue is when the blind are
leading the blind ... which happens a-lot in corporations.

Any place that hands me a test or asks me to program on THEIR computer the first
time I sit behind it ... well, I've walked out of those places even after the
interview went well. They were seeking a different sort of worker and I would
not enjoy working in a place like that.

Actual coding is a very, very, small part of any programming job, unless you
work entirely alone. Knowing the other tools, testing, documentation and just
fitting into the group matters 80% or more.

Do you use TDD?
Which VCS do you use?
What editor do you prefer?
What was the last design pattern that you used?
Which language specific websites do you follow?
Who was the best fictional space ship captain ever? Why? Books, movies, tv are
fine.  (BTW, there isn't any wrong answer, just want to see some reasoning).
Who was the best real space ship commander? (Good for NASA interviewees)

The answer to these things tells me much more useful information than some paper
test.

I guess if writing public websites was my aim, then having a public portfolio
might be useful. Never had a job like that.

OOD/OOP are extremely useful skills, but the implementation language matters
hugely. Most commonly needed design patterns already exist and have been created
by people much smarter than me. Learned long ago to use them, not my own.
Also a fan of "Best Practices" and the "Effective ??" book lines.  Those changed
my life and made me a much, much, much better, more efficient, more elegant
coder.  Of course, when just starting out, much of the best practices and
effective-whatever books were over my head.

The best advice I've ever gotten about coding was to never have any
function/method longer than 1 screen, including the comments. Seeing all the
code together helps illuminate mistakes.  If it takes too many comments to
explain what a method does, it needs to be simplified.


On 01/27/2014 09:03 AM, leam hall wrote:
> A question has been popping up in a few places and your thoughts would
> be welcome.
> 
> If someone applies for a programming job in language "X"; what other
> measurable skills and resume bullets should they have? For example:
> 
> 1. Code in a public repository in language X
> 2. Skill in version control
> 3. If X is a web language, then a framework.
> 4. If X is an object oriented language, then OOP skills.
> 
> Not being a real programmer I'm trying to build my goal list and path.
> Have also seen others who are  needing the same information.
> 


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