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Interesting. They say non-hackers can't tell whether a programmer is a great hacker or not. Is there a symmetry? Can great salesman tell who's great and who
by shiro 18y ago
Interesting. They say non-hackers can't tell whether a programmer is a great hacker or not. Is there a symmetry? Can great salesman tell who's great and who's not?
- dangrover 18y agoI've had this thought too. I've considered getting a totally non-technical job where I have to deal with human beings all day just to see if I'd learn anything.
- mickt 18y agoBut the problem with that can be actually dealing with people! I used to work a sales job and the general public can vary from the most nicest honest people U can meet to the most horrible nasty fools that can just ruin your day. At least with programming, there's the satisfaction of writing code and trying to solve complex problems. However, some of the techies can be problematic too.
- ambition 18y agoI don't think there's perfect symmetry. A bad programmer can get stuff done but leave a time bomb of bad code which would be hard for a non-programmer to detect. Sales results are easier to measure than programming. That said I'd have very little confidence in my ability to measure a salesperson at interview-time.
- esja 18y agoA bad salesman can also get stuff done, but leave a time bomb of bad perceptions or promises, which can be hard for a non-salesman to detect.
- huherto 18y agoPerhaps, you have to be a great hacker to recognize a great hacker. Probably the same is true for marketing people.