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>For almost all jobs, even at Google, almost all of that knowledge is never used at all. Even at Google, most coding jobs are unglamorous CRUD. You just don't h

by Morgawr 10y ago

>For almost all jobs, even at Google, almost all of that knowledge is never used at all. Even at Google, most coding jobs are unglamorous CRUD. You just don't hear about them in blog posts because it's far more compelling to write up their cool new programming language project. I'm curious about this statement, you say this but... have you ever worked at Google? I'm genuinely interested, not trying to discredit you. It's a bold statement to make if you don't have direct experience on the job.

pjlegato 10y ago
No, I don't work there. I didn't study CS in school (much less attend the elite CS schools they are selecting for) and I don't have months to study fulltime to cram for the CS trivia challenge that you need to do to get through the door at Google. Fortunately, there are plenty of other jobs for software engineers. I admit it is based on hearsay -- I know a number of people who work there. They say things along the lines of, "The pay is great and the benefits are generous, but the actual work is more or less the same as any other tech company." They tell me about their projects, and it's true. It's mostly CRUD.
- poikniok 10y ago
  Trust me with your attitude Google isn't missing you either. Maybe one day you will appreciate fundamental CS knowledge as more than some "trivia" to study.
oneloop 10y ago
Morgawr I suggest you go around this thread and read that guy's comments. You'll notice that they're all in the direction of "other people merits aren't such a big deal". His implication that passing an interview at google is just memorizing trivia > I don't have months to study fulltime to cram for the CS trivia challenge His implication that the reason why he didn't get into google isn't because he's not smart or knowledgeable enough, but because he didn't go to a prestigious school > No, I don't work there. I didn't study CS in school (much less attend the elite CS schools they are selecting for) The implication that maths is somehow less important than nebulous concepts like "shipping code within budget" > "CS trivia" interviews select for people who know the mathematics of computer science, not for people who know how to ship robust software systems on time and within budget. That interviews are processes which dumb people pass, unlike him > Their interview doesn't select for "ability to figure things out" at all. It selects for "ability to memorize and regurgitate academic CS curriculum on demand." And then the comments through which I came to know this guy: when someone makes a good point, he replies that "correlation doesn't imply causation", and then when asked a simple question, instead of answering the question his answer is "I have X credentials, therefore I know the answer very well": > I have a philosophy degree, and I can say with some confidence that I understand that particular catchphrase pretty profoundly. Not everyone who happens to disagree with you is merely an ignorant barbarian in need of enlightenment. See Karl Popper's theory of critical rationalism to answer your questions about causation. You see, checking boxes (like getting credentials and academic knowledge) is very important, but only the boxes he's checked. I'm haven't enjoyed a thread this much in a very long time.

by Morgawr 10y ago

pjlegato 10y ago

No, I don't work there. I didn't study CS in school (much less attend the elite CS schools they are selecting for) and I don't have months to study fulltime to cram for the CS trivia challenge that you need to do to get through the door at Google. Fortunately, there are plenty of other jobs for software engineers. I admit it is based on hearsay -- I know a number of people who work there. They say things along the lines of, "The pay is great and the benefits are generous, but the actual work is more or less the same as any other tech company." They tell me about their projects, and it's true. It's mostly CRUD.

poikniok 10y ago
Trust me with your attitude Google isn't missing you either. Maybe one day you will appreciate fundamental CS knowledge as more than some "trivia" to study.

oneloop 10y ago

Morgawr I suggest you go around this thread and read that guy's comments. You'll notice that they're all in the direction of "other people merits aren't such a big deal". His implication that passing an interview at google is just memorizing trivia > I don't have months to study fulltime to cram for the CS trivia challenge His implication that the reason why he didn't get into google isn't because he's not smart or knowledgeable enough, but because he didn't go to a prestigious school > No, I don't work there. I didn't study CS in school (much less attend the elite CS schools they are selecting for) The implication that maths is somehow less important than nebulous concepts like "shipping code within budget" > "CS trivia" interviews select for people who know the mathematics of computer science, not for people who know how to ship robust software systems on time and within budget. That interviews are processes which dumb people pass, unlike him > Their interview doesn't select for "ability to figure things out" at all. It selects for "ability to memorize and regurgitate academic CS curriculum on demand." And then the comments through which I came to know this guy: when someone makes a good point, he replies that "correlation doesn't imply causation", and then when asked a simple question, instead of answering the question his answer is "I have X credentials, therefore I know the answer very well": > I have a philosophy degree, and I can say with some confidence that I understand that particular catchphrase pretty profoundly. Not everyone who happens to disagree with you is merely an ignorant barbarian in need of enlightenment. See Karl Popper's theory of critical rationalism to answer your questions about causation. You see, checking boxes (like getting credentials and academic knowledge) is very important, but only the boxes he's checked. I'm haven't enjoyed a thread this much in a very long time.