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I don't think this has much to do with intelligence. Imagine you were an interviewer, and you had two candidates. One passes the test using a well put together

I don't think this has much to do with intelligence. Imagine you were an interviewer, and you had two candidates. One passes the test using a well put together orthodox solution, and the other does so using an unorthodox one. Which would you hire? I think we like to imagine we would prioritise the more creative of the two, but practically you may struggle to run a business where everyone has their own ideas about how to do things. If you are going to actually get stuff done, then I think you need a certain number of drones—people who follow orders reliably to produce predictable outcomes. If you don't want to be a drone, then you probably shouldn't apply for jobs given that drones account for the vast majority of employed people.

bluGill 2y ago
There is a lot more than ability to code that you should care about when hiring. In an interview I won't know what you do in the real world. I need a problem you can for sure do in an hour even if you have never seen it, with time left over. Fizzbuzz is good because it is weird enough that you have to do something you won't like for long term moaintenance, but not hard.
doctorpangloss 2y ago
In my experience, everyone who has ever invoked "drones" to describe a subordinate hires the absolute worst candidates. They never get far enough in interviewing to the made up situation you are describing, they hired someone terrible long ago.
- James_K 2y ago
  Are you trying to insult me?
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
- ryandrake 2y ago
  Yea, there is way too much “everyone below me in [skill | cleverness | intelligence | creativity] is a drone (or NPC)” attitude in tech. Not saying OP thinks this, but the word use is kind of icky.
  - James_K 2y ago
    I use it deliberately to invoke these negative connotations. I am not commenting on the skill, creativity, or any other aspect of the drones. I think it's just a fairly basic fact that most of us are drones. We go to work, we do what we're told, we get paid. There's no shame in it. Being a drone is an honest living. It just seems that many here are in denial of that. They think that every worker is going to be a special snowflake doing their own creative little thing instead of a small cog in big machine that has to fall in line with every other part. I think it's just out of touch with reality. If you are applying for a job, then they probably want someone who does what their told reliably and predictably, and you probably want to get paid. So you should show them that you are capable of doing what you're told reliably and predictably. You exchange your time for money and everybody benefits. It's just a waste of everybody's time if you are going to rage against this process—insist on not doing what you are told and then get angry when the result is not getting paid.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - ryandrake 2y ago
      There is no need to invoke negative connotations about an honest day's work. Obviously not everyone is John Carmack or Ken Thompson. Just because most of us are a small part of a large company, that doesn't mean we are drones.
      - James_K 2y ago
        I think by describing it in the starkest possible terms, one can elucidate the situation. What people object to here is the idea of being a drone, and I'm saying "you are and it's fine".

bluGill 2y ago

There is a lot more than ability to code that you should care about when hiring. In an interview I won't know what you do in the real world. I need a problem you can for sure do in an hour even if you have never seen it, with time left over. Fizzbuzz is good because it is weird enough that you have to do something you won't like for long term moaintenance, but not hard.

doctorpangloss 2y ago

In my experience, everyone who has ever invoked "drones" to describe a subordinate hires the absolute worst candidates. They never get far enough in interviewing to the made up situation you are describing, they hired someone terrible long ago.

James_K 2y ago
Are you trying to insult me?
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
ryandrake 2y ago
Yea, there is way too much “everyone below me in [skill | cleverness | intelligence | creativity] is a drone (or NPC)” attitude in tech. Not saying OP thinks this, but the word use is kind of icky.
- James_K 2y ago
  I use it deliberately to invoke these negative connotations. I am not commenting on the skill, creativity, or any other aspect of the drones. I think it's just a fairly basic fact that most of us are drones. We go to work, we do what we're told, we get paid. There's no shame in it. Being a drone is an honest living. It just seems that many here are in denial of that. They think that every worker is going to be a special snowflake doing their own creative little thing instead of a small cog in big machine that has to fall in line with every other part. I think it's just out of touch with reality. If you are applying for a job, then they probably want someone who does what their told reliably and predictably, and you probably want to get paid. So you should show them that you are capable of doing what you're told reliably and predictably. You exchange your time for money and everybody benefits. It's just a waste of everybody's time if you are going to rage against this process—insist on not doing what you are told and then get angry when the result is not getting paid.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - ryandrake 2y ago
    There is no need to invoke negative connotations about an honest day's work. Obviously not everyone is John Carmack or Ken Thompson. Just because most of us are a small part of a large company, that doesn't mean we are drones.
    - James_K 2y ago
      I think by describing it in the starkest possible terms, one can elucidate the situation. What people object to here is the idea of being a drone, and I'm saying "you are and it's fine".