12 ms·

Become a better programmer by taking a shower

6 points by leftnode 17y ago

michaelcampbell 17y ago
Brainteaser questions have a lot of problems, I've found. One is that (IMO, anyway) it's the very, very rare individual who can actually get through them by thinking their way through them. The interviewee either knows the answer outright, or they don't. So the interview becomes more, "how many of these brainteasers have you seen before?" Yeah, you can gauge a LITTLE bit about a person by seeing how far you have to lead them to the answer before they get it, but not much. Another is that the interviewer is not trained in whatever black art it is that can "get an idea about the candidate's thought process". And then, what if you can? What does that matter? Can the guy do the job, or not? All these questions do is waste time, attempt to give the interviewee a false sense of the company's cool factor or exclusivity, and find out how many brainteaser or "I interviewed at <company>..." blogs he's read.
- leftnode 17y ago
  I guess I didn't mean my entry as a way to do better in an interview, but just to become a better programmer by trying to solve small problems quickly. Kind of like doing a http://projecteuler.net/ http://projecteuler.net/ (Project Euler) problem in your head while taking a shower.
  - michaelcampbell 17y ago
    Yes, I'm sorry I took one small nugget of your entire post and ranted on it; I apologize. What set me off was the "find the loop in a linked list" example; that's one I heard many years ago. I never would have figured it out on my own, but once explained (and for me, proven), it's just like having that special wrench to get the nut under your car; you either have the tool and it's easy, or don't and it's damn near impossible. The skill of the mechanic doesn't come into play. Your goals and means to achieve them were well reasoned and explained, I thought. My only complaint now is I don't seem to have the willpower to do it myself. =\
  - eru 17y ago
    The Project Euler questions start easy enough. But I would not attempt to solve the later ones during a shower.
mtarnovan 17y ago
What is so smart about your solution ? Am i missing something ? Your solution was the first that popped in my mind after reading the problem.
clueless123 17y ago
Oops.. I really thought the article was going to suggest programmers to be nice to their cube neighbors ! You know, sometimes, personal hygiene gets ranked not to high on the to-do list :)
samdk 17y ago
I'm not sure whether it's really made me a better programmer, but I find that doing something like taking a shower or getting something simple to eat can be a good way of getting around mental blocks that have formed when I'm working intensely on a problem.

6 points by leftnode 17y ago

Brainteaser questions have a lot of problems, I've found. One is that (IMO, anyway) it's the very, very rare individual who can actually get through them by thinking their way through them. The interviewee either knows the answer outright, or they don't. So the interview becomes more, "how many of these brainteasers have you seen before?" Yeah, you can gauge a LITTLE bit about a person by seeing how far you have to lead them to the answer before they get it, but not much. Another is that the interviewer is not trained in whatever black art it is that can "get an idea about the candidate's thought process". And then, what if you can? What does that matter? Can the guy do the job, or not? All these questions do is waste time, attempt to give the interviewee a false sense of the company's cool factor or exclusivity, and find out how many brainteaser or "I interviewed at <company>..." blogs he's read.

leftnode 17y ago
I guess I didn't mean my entry as a way to do better in an interview, but just to become a better programmer by trying to solve small problems quickly. Kind of like doing a http://projecteuler.net/ http://projecteuler.net/ (Project Euler) problem in your head while taking a shower.
- michaelcampbell 17y ago
  Yes, I'm sorry I took one small nugget of your entire post and ranted on it; I apologize. What set me off was the "find the loop in a linked list" example; that's one I heard many years ago. I never would have figured it out on my own, but once explained (and for me, proven), it's just like having that special wrench to get the nut under your car; you either have the tool and it's easy, or don't and it's damn near impossible. The skill of the mechanic doesn't come into play. Your goals and means to achieve them were well reasoned and explained, I thought. My only complaint now is I don't seem to have the willpower to do it myself. =\
- eru 17y ago
  The Project Euler questions start easy enough. But I would not attempt to solve the later ones during a shower.

mtarnovan 17y ago

What is so smart about your solution ? Am i missing something ? Your solution was the first that popped in my mind after reading the problem.

clueless123 17y ago

Oops.. I really thought the article was going to suggest programmers to be nice to their cube neighbors ! You know, sometimes, personal hygiene gets ranked not to high on the to-do list :)

samdk 17y ago

I'm not sure whether it's really made me a better programmer, but I find that doing something like taking a shower or getting something simple to eat can be a good way of getting around mental blocks that have formed when I'm working intensely on a problem.