5 ms·

I don't know. It shouldn't take very long to spin up a simple personal project. Knowing the exact same tech stack might be hard, but not being able to show a

by tomlue 7y ago

I don't know. It shouldn't take very long to spin up a simple personal project. Knowing the exact same tech stack might be hard, but not being able to show a single programming project isn't great. Also, If I were hiring a beginner accountant I would greatly prefer one who had set up imaginary companies in quickbooks, and it isn't hard to do so. Actually building things demonstrates that you might actually build something in my company. It's just competition though. If you have two guys, one who has been in CS education for 5+ years but somehow has no personal projects in that time, versus a guy with no education and a few interesting personal projects, I know who I would pick. I'd also be kind of shocked that in 5 years of learning about a topic you never built anything interesting.

LeifCarrotson 7y ago
My point is not that accountants (or anyone in any career field) couldn't do that, it's that they don't, aren't expected to, and yet your company probably hires many of them. They learn on the job, and your accounting department continues to function. It functions despite the fact that your accountants didn't have a portfolio of personal projects when you hired them and don't do accounting for fun in the evening. To my knowledge, it's substantially only programmers who are expected to do so.
- vorpalhex 7y ago
  But you would always take an accountant who had run the books for Dad's taxi cab gig or the neighborhood handyman, over an accountant who had just sat in class for a couple of years.
- rchaud 7y ago
  I don't think comparing CS with Accounting grads works. Accounting is more like law school, where you're studying for a specific qualification, like the bar exam. Accounting students are studying for a CPA, a similarly regulated exam that tests your knowledge of the rules and how it can be applied to specific cases. By passing the exam, you're licensed to practice law or start doing tax/audit/advisory for companies or individuals. There's no such analogue for CS grads, because CS programs aren't focused on training you for a specific credential.
- michaelt 7y ago
  Plenty of 'creative' jobs often ask to see some work samples or a 'portfolio' - hard to get hired as a wedding photographer if you can't show prospective employers a single photo you've taken. I don't know if it's just or wise - but it's not unique to programming.
- sweeneyrod 7y ago
  No-one gets into accounting at the age of 10 because they find it fun (as far as I know). But if someone did they would surely be at a major advantage in the job market.

by tomlue 7y ago

LeifCarrotson 7y ago

My point is not that accountants (or anyone in any career field) couldn't do that, it's that they don't, aren't expected to, and yet your company probably hires many of them. They learn on the job, and your accounting department continues to function. It functions despite the fact that your accountants didn't have a portfolio of personal projects when you hired them and don't do accounting for fun in the evening. To my knowledge, it's substantially only programmers who are expected to do so.

vorpalhex 7y ago
But you would always take an accountant who had run the books for Dad's taxi cab gig or the neighborhood handyman, over an accountant who had just sat in class for a couple of years.
rchaud 7y ago
I don't think comparing CS with Accounting grads works. Accounting is more like law school, where you're studying for a specific qualification, like the bar exam. Accounting students are studying for a CPA, a similarly regulated exam that tests your knowledge of the rules and how it can be applied to specific cases. By passing the exam, you're licensed to practice law or start doing tax/audit/advisory for companies or individuals. There's no such analogue for CS grads, because CS programs aren't focused on training you for a specific credential.
michaelt 7y ago
Plenty of 'creative' jobs often ask to see some work samples or a 'portfolio' - hard to get hired as a wedding photographer if you can't show prospective employers a single photo you've taken. I don't know if it's just or wise - but it's not unique to programming.
sweeneyrod 7y ago
No-one gets into accounting at the age of 10 because they find it fun (as far as I know). But if someone did they would surely be at a major advantage in the job market.