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Graphic design is a bit different in that it take a lot less time to evaluate than code, and you can probably use IP protected work in your portfolio, since it

Graphic design is a bit different in that it take a lot less time to evaluate than code, and you can probably use IP protected work in your portfolio, since it is protected as a trademark not as a trade secret. Yes you have, prima facie, written good code. I don't have 2 hours now to fully critique it though. If I were interviewing you and using this code to see whether to hire you, I need to do a lot of work to see if (a) you really wrote it and (b) it is well engineered given the problem space. I'd mark you up for the great documentation though - I can see at a glance that there are lots of code comments, and a good README.md - so that is positive. But it's not a deciding factor, I still need to see if you can code. If I am looking at Githubs, well I have 20 candidates. 20 different code bases, trying to achieve 20 different things. That's a lot of work to weed out. I don't mind that at a late stage, but not an early one. Some companies say - 2 hour coding test or BYO open source project - BUT that should be a small volume and you need screening rounds before that. However if I were interviewing you and gave you a leetcode or similar test, I know the answer, and I can probably run some auto tests on it. Much easier and practical for early rounds. Also switching it around a lot of good devs don't do side projects at all. Doctors who do doctors without borders are probably better on average (?) but would it be a hiring criteria? Or builders who help their local church rebuild a wall. Builders can have portfolios. Luckily that can be based on the work they were paid for, due to IP not being an issue. When a new architectural techniques comes out, say a new kind of render, they can add this to their portfolio. If a new tech comes out, say "Rust", I need to make a mirror project for my portfolio as the work project is IP protected. I need to build that church wall to get a job if a FOSS project is expected.

ChrisMarshallNY 6y ago
That (a) is amusing. I’ve encountered it before. If someone is able to hack GitHub to fake tens of thousands of lines of high-quality code, ten years of commit history, dozens of Medium articles and blog entires, multiple Web sites, and documentation up the wazoo, then you should hire them on the spot; even if they are fronting for a Hyderabad shop. Like I originally said, and this goes double for small teams and startups, every employee is a huge commitment. I would gently suggest that “shortcutting” the process is kind of reckless. It’s pretty easy to figure out if someone wrote something, by simply saying “This project you did is pretty cool. Tell me a bit about it.” Bang. You just struck gold. A portfolio would be a perfect opening for these types of questions. I would struggle to find those "hooks," with some applicants. In my stint as a manager, I had to fight like hell for every headcount, and I kept employees for decades. There was no way that I’d “shortcut” that process. YMMV I think that we’ll be seeing a lot more open source for proprietary work, in the future. Decompilers are so good, that it’s damn near impossible to truly hide how we do stuff. Another thing that needs to DIAF, is the "shower clause." This is the clause in the employment contract that says "Every idea you come up with in the shower at home belongs to us." I didn't have it with my job, so I was able to design a lifesaving infrastructure that is being used by thousands of people around the world, and has now been passed on to another generation of engineers. It's going to become a ubiquitous infrastructure, and will directly impact many, many lives. That would not exist, if I had had a "shower clause." If someone has a great idea in an extracurricular venue, then don't try to bully them into handing it to you for free. Figure out another (more equitable) way to get it. The whole deal with employees, is that we're not "Programming Modules." We're humans, and we need to be treated as humans, from the job ad, to retirement.

ChrisMarshallNY 6y ago

That (a) is amusing. I’ve encountered it before. If someone is able to hack GitHub to fake tens of thousands of lines of high-quality code, ten years of commit history, dozens of Medium articles and blog entires, multiple Web sites, and documentation up the wazoo, then you should hire them on the spot; even if they are fronting for a Hyderabad shop. Like I originally said, and this goes double for small teams and startups, every employee is a huge commitment. I would gently suggest that “shortcutting” the process is kind of reckless. It’s pretty easy to figure out if someone wrote something, by simply saying “This project you did is pretty cool. Tell me a bit about it.” Bang. You just struck gold. A portfolio would be a perfect opening for these types of questions. I would struggle to find those "hooks," with some applicants. In my stint as a manager, I had to fight like hell for every headcount, and I kept employees for decades. There was no way that I’d “shortcut” that process. YMMV I think that we’ll be seeing a lot more open source for proprietary work, in the future. Decompilers are so good, that it’s damn near impossible to truly hide how we do stuff. Another thing that needs to DIAF, is the "shower clause." This is the clause in the employment contract that says "Every idea you come up with in the shower at home belongs to us." I didn't have it with my job, so I was able to design a lifesaving infrastructure that is being used by thousands of people around the world, and has now been passed on to another generation of engineers. It's going to become a ubiquitous infrastructure, and will directly impact many, many lives. That would not exist, if I had had a "shower clause." If someone has a great idea in an extracurricular venue, then don't try to bully them into handing it to you for free. Figure out another (more equitable) way to get it. The whole deal with employees, is that we're not "Programming Modules." We're humans, and we need to be treated as humans, from the job ad, to retirement.