Dan Grossman (in Programming Languages Part A on Coursera) suggests there are 5 broad areas of knowledge about a programming language: - syntax - semantics -

Dan Grossman (in Programming Languages Part A on Coursera) suggests there are 5 broad areas of knowledge about a programming language: - syntax - semantics - idioms - tools - packages The koan glosses over the time it takes to become familiar with the bigger language ecosystems (tools and packages), which is awkward when a business gets value from packages like web frameworks. Having said that, recruitment can seem 100% about tools and packages. I’m not sure how consciously hirers think about the different areas of knowledge. E.g. might a deep knowledge of Python semantics offset inexperience with Flask? Does ignorance of idioms necessarily indicate poor semantic understanding? In hindsight, I’ve had hiring discussions that touched on these questions but without a clear framework for considering the trade offs. Guessing it’s the same for many people hiring at smaller companies.