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That blows my mind. I believe you it's more like what are people learning with these degrees? I code for fun mostly and I feel like even my 'basic' level knowl

That blows my mind. I believe you it's more like what are people learning with these degrees? I code for fun mostly and I feel like even my 'basic' level knowledge should be able to outline code for a simple problem like fizzbuzz or string reversal.

mikestew 10y ago
Go read up on the origins of FizzBuzz. It was intended to filter out the non-coders, despite what their resume might say. That was Spolksy's problem: BS in CS, resume otherwise looks good, get them in for a tech interview and they simply bomb. Mind still blown? Yeah, well, it happens more than you think. Varying definitions for "SDET" are out there, but I think most would agree that an SDET should be able to code. I've had SDETs with Microsoft on their resume that couldn't even match curly braces, let alone write something that would compile and work. So I use FizzBuzz or an equivalent. I tell the candidate up front that it should take them single digit minutes. I offer points for creativity if they find it too simple. And once in a while a candidate with ten years experience shows up who can't do it. Glad we didn't start with that red/black tree implementation, then.
- thenipper 10y ago
  late reply.. but damn thats crazy. Admittedly I'd get lost on the red/black tree but a basic loop and modulus is pretty much like CS101...
  - mikestew 10y ago
    It is crazy, and thankfully not all that common. But I've observed it often enough to never trust a resume. Granted, far more often with SDETs[0] than "regular" devs, but I've seen a few of the latter that would struggle with or outright fail FizzBuzz. The craziest part, though, is that most worked someplace else previously. Did they outright lie about previous roles? I wouldn't believe they lied, but I'm certain they blatantly exaggerated. [0] Why more common with SDETs? My theory is that SDET is easier to fake, and if your SDET "development" consists of var foo=FindUIElement("bar");foo.click(), then FizzBuzz could give you trouble.
    - thenipper 10y ago
      So I work right now supporting a recruiting team with technology project management/data analysis and I can definitely agree with never trusting a resume. I've learned most of the time people don't actually know they're exaggerating, they tend to be unaware of how limited their skill set is.

mikestew 10y ago

Go read up on the origins of FizzBuzz. It was intended to filter out the non-coders, despite what their resume might say. That was Spolksy's problem: BS in CS, resume otherwise looks good, get them in for a tech interview and they simply bomb. Mind still blown? Yeah, well, it happens more than you think. Varying definitions for "SDET" are out there, but I think most would agree that an SDET should be able to code. I've had SDETs with Microsoft on their resume that couldn't even match curly braces, let alone write something that would compile and work. So I use FizzBuzz or an equivalent. I tell the candidate up front that it should take them single digit minutes. I offer points for creativity if they find it too simple. And once in a while a candidate with ten years experience shows up who can't do it. Glad we didn't start with that red/black tree implementation, then.

thenipper 10y ago
late reply.. but damn thats crazy. Admittedly I'd get lost on the red/black tree but a basic loop and modulus is pretty much like CS101...
- mikestew 10y ago
  It is crazy, and thankfully not all that common. But I've observed it often enough to never trust a resume. Granted, far more often with SDETs[0] than "regular" devs, but I've seen a few of the latter that would struggle with or outright fail FizzBuzz. The craziest part, though, is that most worked someplace else previously. Did they outright lie about previous roles? I wouldn't believe they lied, but I'm certain they blatantly exaggerated. [0] Why more common with SDETs? My theory is that SDET is easier to fake, and if your SDET "development" consists of var foo=FindUIElement("bar");foo.click(), then FizzBuzz could give you trouble.
  - thenipper 10y ago
    So I work right now supporting a recruiting team with technology project management/data analysis and I can definitely agree with never trusting a resume. I've learned most of the time people don't actually know they're exaggerating, they tend to be unaware of how limited their skill set is.