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This topic recycles on HN pretty frequently. I don't believe it. I have many friends that aren't coders and it helps me remember how big the skill gap is. Unle

This topic recycles on HN pretty frequently. I don't believe it. I have many friends that aren't coders and it helps me remember how big the skill gap is. Unless you've done substantial training, code seems just as opaque as medicine, or law, or most fields of engineering. Any job that requires substantial training and trust not to royally screw everything up pays well. Perhaps 30% of the population has the creativity and analytical skills to make a decent programmer. And maybe 10% of those find a job largely comparable to doing math homework enjoyable. Programming isn't as old as most fields of engineering, but it's older than a generation of workers. If coding was going to be commoditised it would have happened decades ago

lallysingh 8y ago
That should be the first interview question. "Did you enjoy your math homework?". I find myself jealous of those who have some to do.
- spricket 8y ago
  Yes. It should be "did you enjoy math homework or do you think it's worth getting paid 3x your salary to do math homework all day". Programming is mostly simple math but we've all been in the situation where SQL, data, and bugs combine into some unholy quagmire. The kind of thing that most humans honestly have no desire to deal with
libertine 8y ago
> If coding was going to be commoditised it would have happened decades ago I don't understand how coding would have been commoditised literally decades ago... when the reality is that not so long ago the demand has increased exponentially. Plus only now the supply is starting to pick up - remember you have countries (like China or India) pumping millions of programmers per year, and these numbers will increase - due to internet, free access to information, and of course the demand.
- alexisohanlon 8y ago
  The training materials and methods continues to evolve. How many remember those thick programming books that weighed 5 pounds. Chances are those who started learning in the past 5-10 years have never seen one. All of those learn programming websites and code challenge sites are a recent invention. The internet only really hit mainstream adoption a short while ago. Decades ago the internet was twinkle in the eyes of hardcore nerds. A fad to everyone else.
- spricket 8y ago
  I learned my first few languages through the acid inpired O'Reilly tomes of early/mid 90's. Since then things are far more accessible but this effect is throughout society, not just programming. You can teach yourself law or medicine these days online as well as engineering but it doesn't seem to have a commodity effect on any of these professions. The main barrier remains. It's not easy to learn and requires a person with the "type". I believe the biggest barrier to highly skilled jobs isn't necessarily the skill but skill combined with interest. Most people simply don't want these kinds of jobs regardless of the pay. Make 2-3x as much to do a job that requires endless learning and a lot of tedium, that only attracts a couple percent of the population that naturally enjoys this type of work or wants the money bad enough to put up with it

lallysingh 8y ago

That should be the first interview question. "Did you enjoy your math homework?". I find myself jealous of those who have some to do.

spricket 8y ago
Yes. It should be "did you enjoy math homework or do you think it's worth getting paid 3x your salary to do math homework all day". Programming is mostly simple math but we've all been in the situation where SQL, data, and bugs combine into some unholy quagmire. The kind of thing that most humans honestly have no desire to deal with

libertine 8y ago

> If coding was going to be commoditised it would have happened decades ago I don't understand how coding would have been commoditised literally decades ago... when the reality is that not so long ago the demand has increased exponentially. Plus only now the supply is starting to pick up - remember you have countries (like China or India) pumping millions of programmers per year, and these numbers will increase - due to internet, free access to information, and of course the demand.

alexisohanlon 8y ago
The training materials and methods continues to evolve. How many remember those thick programming books that weighed 5 pounds. Chances are those who started learning in the past 5-10 years have never seen one. All of those learn programming websites and code challenge sites are a recent invention. The internet only really hit mainstream adoption a short while ago. Decades ago the internet was twinkle in the eyes of hardcore nerds. A fad to everyone else.
spricket 8y ago
I learned my first few languages through the acid inpired O'Reilly tomes of early/mid 90's. Since then things are far more accessible but this effect is throughout society, not just programming. You can teach yourself law or medicine these days online as well as engineering but it doesn't seem to have a commodity effect on any of these professions. The main barrier remains. It's not easy to learn and requires a person with the "type". I believe the biggest barrier to highly skilled jobs isn't necessarily the skill but skill combined with interest. Most people simply don't want these kinds of jobs regardless of the pay. Make 2-3x as much to do a job that requires endless learning and a lot of tedium, that only attracts a couple percent of the population that naturally enjoys this type of work or wants the money bad enough to put up with it