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> The filter limits the applicant pool to that set of people uninterested in solving problems outside the scope of a CS textbook. The only way this would be tr
by nolemurs 9y ago
> The filter limits the applicant pool to that set of people uninterested in solving problems outside the scope of a CS textbook.
The only way this would be true is if being good at textbook CS makes you bad at solving other problems. I'm assuming you don't actually think that, 'cause it's kind of crazy.
Even giving the benefit of the doubt and assuming you mean that the filter makes the pool less likely to contain good problem solvers, it's hard to see where this idea is coming from. In my experience, being good at one sort of problem solving makes someone more likely to be good at other sorts of problem solving. The correlation between skill in problem solving across domains is weak sometimes, but it's definitely not negative!
- ubernostrum 9y agoThe only way this would be true is if being good at textbook CS makes you bad at solving other problems. The way the typical interview process works, basically, is "we have a list of 6-12 algorithms we will ask about; if you have memorized implementations of them, and certain key phrases to identify which one to regurgitate on command, you pass the interview". This is then touted as a test of "CS knowledge" and "problem-solving ability". Tech interviewing is Goodhart's law in action.
- sidlls 9y agoNote I wrote "uninterested" not "incapable." There's a clear anti-engineering bias in software development, and one way that bias is exhibited is by a narrow hyper-focus on the minutiae of DS&A trivia.