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If a "veteran" cannot do meaningful work without the newbs, either that "veteran" is not very good or your processes are too manual. The best programmers I wor
by theamk 5y ago
If a "veteran" cannot do meaningful work without the newbs, either that "veteran" is not very good or your processes are too manual.
The best programmers I worked with were not "rockstars", but "icebreakers" -- they would solve the hardest problems and leave the clear path for others. For example, they might solve a sporadic memory leak in a few hours, and thus save a less experienced team member at least a week of effort.
They were "10x" in the sense that any team they were on would get 10x better because everyone does more.
- mirceal 5y agoyeah. talking about "rockstars" and "newbs" is probably not helpful. but... the veteran not only can do what the newbies are doing, they can do it better and faster. The point is that in having the newbs do that, the veteran's time is better used on harder / more open ended problems. to use an analogy, if we are building a sewer line, the veteran knows how to dig as he's done it before and it represents no challenge to them. Not only that but they have better technique and stamina. Now, someone has to also decide where the line goes and organize the workers. So the veteran's time is best used figuring out where the line should go and coordinating, not digging, but his work is enabled by the people that do all the "actual" work