4 ms·

Great developers are raised, not hired

23 points by hbradleyf 7y ago

rajeshmr 7y ago
Well put and very refreshing to read this. Hope more people speak this language in this industry.
rdlecler1 7y ago
>The best developers I hired were far from ideal candidates. The author seems to be suggesting that there is a negative correlation between a candidate’s CV and previous accomplishments and their future accomplishments without offering any evidence. How many of Google’s top developers fit in this bucket? Many of the top devs I’ve met were prodigies—it wasn’t a misfit toys story that the author claims. Sorry, it’s a nice story and it may be true but this is a pretty bold claim.
- rajeshmr 7y ago
  How many prodigies exist ? How much demand is there for developers in the market at present ? Does the demand for developers match the number of prodigies available at any given time ? Some prodigies know their strengths early and some prodigies are to be discovered. I think the author refers to the latter.
- commandlinefan 7y ago
  I see this trope trotted out so often with nothing to back it up that I can't help but wonder if there isn't a hidden agenda behind it: "The best devs I've ever worked with didn't have a CS degree" "The best devs I've ever worked with didn't have a degree in anything" "The best devs I've ever worked with had no prior experience" "The best devs I've ever worked with were drug addicts I found at the methadone clinic" "The best devs I've ever worked with were wild bushmen in the jungles of Africa who had never encountered any technology more complex than flint and tinder"
- nickthemagicman 7y ago
  Most companies don't need prodigies though. The need competent tech people. And this can be grown without questions.
headalgorithm 7y ago
See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19642722 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19642722 for a recent discussion of this article
laythea 7y ago
"Remember that most women apply to positions only where they 100% fit the requirements." Errm....citation required please? otherwise I may take offence.

23 points by hbradleyf 7y ago

Well put and very refreshing to read this. Hope more people speak this language in this industry.

>The best developers I hired were far from ideal candidates. The author seems to be suggesting that there is a negative correlation between a candidate’s CV and previous accomplishments and their future accomplishments without offering any evidence. How many of Google’s top developers fit in this bucket? Many of the top devs I’ve met were prodigies—it wasn’t a misfit toys story that the author claims. Sorry, it’s a nice story and it may be true but this is a pretty bold claim.

rajeshmr 7y ago
How many prodigies exist ? How much demand is there for developers in the market at present ? Does the demand for developers match the number of prodigies available at any given time ? Some prodigies know their strengths early and some prodigies are to be discovered. I think the author refers to the latter.
commandlinefan 7y ago
I see this trope trotted out so often with nothing to back it up that I can't help but wonder if there isn't a hidden agenda behind it: "The best devs I've ever worked with didn't have a CS degree" "The best devs I've ever worked with didn't have a degree in anything" "The best devs I've ever worked with had no prior experience" "The best devs I've ever worked with were drug addicts I found at the methadone clinic" "The best devs I've ever worked with were wild bushmen in the jungles of Africa who had never encountered any technology more complex than flint and tinder"
nickthemagicman 7y ago
Most companies don't need prodigies though. The need competent tech people. And this can be grown without questions.

headalgorithm 7y ago

See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19642722 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19642722 for a recent discussion of this article

laythea 7y ago

"Remember that most women apply to positions only where they 100% fit the requirements." Errm....citation required please? otherwise I may take offence.