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Was this for a Sr role? Are you a dev? They all seem like interesting problems but it just feels like it forshadows a mis management problem where if they can

Was this for a Sr role? Are you a dev? They all seem like interesting problems but it just feels like it forshadows a mis management problem where if they can't figure out how to do something they just push it out into your free time and make you brute force it. IDK, maybe I'm just a grumpy sysAdmin?

PaulHoule 5y ago
It's a generic task for a test, not work that they need done. The person they want, who is really good at writing network servers, could get that task done in that time. Me I am really good at other things but didn't know when I started exactly how http works. Now I do.
- jethro_tell 5y ago
  > Me I am really good at other things but didn't know when I started exactly how http works. Now I do. This is the thing though, there are so many stacks and protocols that no one can know them all. But if you're compitent in this industry, you can learn a protocol, stack or language syntax in a few days and do the needful. An interview question about how you learn, or debug should serve the same purpose. Maybe different for a full development role but IDK, I'm not a full dev just systems and infra scripting.
  - PaulHoule 5y ago
    Writing a server with select takes ‘mad skills’, that is, an understanding of fundamentals that makes you a systems programmer.
    - bradknowles 5y ago
      With respect, a Systems Programmer is not how the OP described themselves. If the company is expecting to get Systems Programmers when they’re posting a job opening for a DevOps role, then someone is going to get a very rude surprise. If you want to give someone a take-home task that is appropriate for the role being advertised, that’s one thing. And you’re taking a risk that they won’t just farm out that work to someone else. But giving someone a take-home task for a completely different type of role than the one you’re advertising for, that’s just begging for a disaster to occur.

PaulHoule 5y ago

It's a generic task for a test, not work that they need done. The person they want, who is really good at writing network servers, could get that task done in that time. Me I am really good at other things but didn't know when I started exactly how http works. Now I do.

jethro_tell 5y ago
> Me I am really good at other things but didn't know when I started exactly how http works. Now I do. This is the thing though, there are so many stacks and protocols that no one can know them all. But if you're compitent in this industry, you can learn a protocol, stack or language syntax in a few days and do the needful. An interview question about how you learn, or debug should serve the same purpose. Maybe different for a full development role but IDK, I'm not a full dev just systems and infra scripting.
- PaulHoule 5y ago
  Writing a server with select takes ‘mad skills’, that is, an understanding of fundamentals that makes you a systems programmer.
  - bradknowles 5y ago
    With respect, a Systems Programmer is not how the OP described themselves. If the company is expecting to get Systems Programmers when they’re posting a job opening for a DevOps role, then someone is going to get a very rude surprise. If you want to give someone a take-home task that is appropriate for the role being advertised, that’s one thing. And you’re taking a risk that they won’t just farm out that work to someone else. But giving someone a take-home task for a completely different type of role than the one you’re advertising for, that’s just begging for a disaster to occur.