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I’ve always been fascinated with the idea that someone can be a software developer for 5, 10, 20 years and bomb in interviews, and I’ve always wondered if they

I’ve always been fascinated with the idea that someone can be a software developer for 5, 10, 20 years and bomb in interviews, and I’ve always wondered if they really don’t know these things, or if it’s just the environment- like in my experience I can wax and wax and wax in a non-interview setting, but in an interview setting, even from the comfort of my home office, I seem to block out- not forget, because in the moment I know I know something- parts of my knowledge. You might say “well you should practice interview more” or something to that effect, but I have to wonder, if so many developers seem to “know nothing” despite their supposed experience, perhaps it’s not that they “know nothing”. On my LinkedIn I have the following: what I currently get paid by my current employer (!!!), what I am looking for in my next role, both regularly ignored by recruiters of course, and then I have links to my StackOverflow, Medium and Github profiles, any of which ought to demonstrate my “expertise” as well or better than an interview ever could. Heck if you just read some of my answers to StackOverflow questions, I think you’d see I am capable of writing code for your company…

chasd00 4y ago
> I’ve always been fascinated with the idea that someone can be a software developer for 5, 10, 20 years and bomb in interviews i cant remember who said it but many people with 10 years experience really have 1 year of experience and 9 years performing tasks doing the same thing over and over.
- achempion 4y ago
  The phrase is catchy but a bit too harsh. First of all, software frameworks and technology evolve. Second, it's pretty hard to find someone who worked for 10 years at the same company with the same software project doing CRUD actions. On the other side, if you meet linux kernel engineer who maintained kernel for the past 10 yers, this argument fails short. Same for someone who worked on Postgres internals.
- jjav 4y ago
  > and 9 years performing tasks doing the same thing over and over. I mean that's what experience is. If I want an expert in x, I want someone who has being doing x for ten years. I don't want someone who has dabbled in ten different things in ten years, thus having very superficial exposure to ten things and expertise in nothing. If I need a heart surgeon, I want the doctor who has been doing only heart surgeries for a couple decades. That's an expert. I certainly don't want some doctor who has been switching from heart surgery to podiatry to dentistry and on and on without specializing in anything.
re-thc 4y ago
Most people aren't this consistent. At work does someone say that I will watch you code in a particular time of the day and you will be able to perform on a random question that's useless? No. Interviews have 0 context that's needed for anyone to perform. Usually you can't use your IDE, your settings or your ways of working and you've never paired up with the interviewer so might not feel comfortable. To make matters worse the interview topic is 90% chance not what you do on a day-to-day basis. No 1 is answering leet code questions at work. We're going to be using a library or tool and not to try write an analytics algorithm.
- ryandrake 4y ago
  Another harsh reality is that for most jobs, the initial interview is by far the hardest part of the job. Once you pass it, the rest is cake. It takes a lot less effort and brainpower to keep a job than it does to get it. I still look back to a FAANG interview a decade ago being the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life, and I've worked my way up from a shit mining town to the middle class, developed a complete complex software product starting from an empty text file, gotten an advanced degree, built a single engine airplane, and managed to stay married for 20 years. But out of all that, a stupid FAANG interview was the most difficult. It's just ridiculous what companies put people through.
2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
I've bombed interviews numerous times only for the answers to come to me when the interview is over. My best outcomes are when I am relaxed (already have a job ;)) and I've gone through some basic material and whipped up some example programs. I've never had a problem in a real world setting or writing code.
- cloverich 4y ago
  Its just so different talking while being judged by people you dont know, throws things off. I bombed a few last time, one in particular where I was writing a switch statement. They wanted me to use a map. They asked what if the cases kept growing and... it didnt occur to me to use a map. Im sure i looked like a novice. But in my day to day code... i flip between maps and conditionals and switch statements all the time, with ease. Its natural. But while interviewing? It just doesn't come out of me.
  - the_only_law 4y ago
    It’s weird because at the end of the day, it shouldn’t matter. I’m about to interview for a job two states away. If I fail, well I fail. The worst outcome is status quo, but I’m still terrified of looking like an idiot tomorrow.

chasd00 4y ago

> I’ve always been fascinated with the idea that someone can be a software developer for 5, 10, 20 years and bomb in interviews i cant remember who said it but many people with 10 years experience really have 1 year of experience and 9 years performing tasks doing the same thing over and over.

achempion 4y ago
The phrase is catchy but a bit too harsh. First of all, software frameworks and technology evolve. Second, it's pretty hard to find someone who worked for 10 years at the same company with the same software project doing CRUD actions. On the other side, if you meet linux kernel engineer who maintained kernel for the past 10 yers, this argument fails short. Same for someone who worked on Postgres internals.
jjav 4y ago
> and 9 years performing tasks doing the same thing over and over. I mean that's what experience is. If I want an expert in x, I want someone who has being doing x for ten years. I don't want someone who has dabbled in ten different things in ten years, thus having very superficial exposure to ten things and expertise in nothing. If I need a heart surgeon, I want the doctor who has been doing only heart surgeries for a couple decades. That's an expert. I certainly don't want some doctor who has been switching from heart surgery to podiatry to dentistry and on and on without specializing in anything.

re-thc 4y ago

Most people aren't this consistent. At work does someone say that I will watch you code in a particular time of the day and you will be able to perform on a random question that's useless? No. Interviews have 0 context that's needed for anyone to perform. Usually you can't use your IDE, your settings or your ways of working and you've never paired up with the interviewer so might not feel comfortable. To make matters worse the interview topic is 90% chance not what you do on a day-to-day basis. No 1 is answering leet code questions at work. We're going to be using a library or tool and not to try write an analytics algorithm.

ryandrake 4y ago
Another harsh reality is that for most jobs, the initial interview is by far the hardest part of the job. Once you pass it, the rest is cake. It takes a lot less effort and brainpower to keep a job than it does to get it. I still look back to a FAANG interview a decade ago being the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life, and I've worked my way up from a shit mining town to the middle class, developed a complete complex software product starting from an empty text file, gotten an advanced degree, built a single engine airplane, and managed to stay married for 20 years. But out of all that, a stupid FAANG interview was the most difficult. It's just ridiculous what companies put people through.

2muchcoffeeman 4y ago

I've bombed interviews numerous times only for the answers to come to me when the interview is over. My best outcomes are when I am relaxed (already have a job ;)) and I've gone through some basic material and whipped up some example programs. I've never had a problem in a real world setting or writing code.

cloverich 4y ago
Its just so different talking while being judged by people you dont know, throws things off. I bombed a few last time, one in particular where I was writing a switch statement. They wanted me to use a map. They asked what if the cases kept growing and... it didnt occur to me to use a map. Im sure i looked like a novice. But in my day to day code... i flip between maps and conditionals and switch statements all the time, with ease. Its natural. But while interviewing? It just doesn't come out of me.
- the_only_law 4y ago
  It’s weird because at the end of the day, it shouldn’t matter. I’m about to interview for a job two states away. If I fail, well I fail. The worst outcome is status quo, but I’m still terrified of looking like an idiot tomorrow.