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> Just that fact that the company expects a candidate to even have their own machine is egregious. In the company where I work (in recent history, the most val

> Just that fact that the company expects a candidate to even have their own machine is egregious. In the company where I work (in recent history, the most valuable company on the planet), there are younger employees who do not own personal computers. One of them was (with different company now) a Gen Z developer who did not personally own a computer (besides a phone). I was floored. Still am.

Xirdus 1mo ago
Why? There were a lot of people who didn't own a personal computer before 2000 too. It just wasn't needed. And nowadays, it also isn't needed, albeit for different reasons. The time window where it was actually a reasonable assumption that someone has a computer at home was relatively short.
- fakedang 1mo ago
  Exactly - personal computers are really just a very "millennial" thing. Only (very) late GenX and millennials grew up with, learned on and interacted with PCs on an hourly basis. By the time GenZs came knocking around, consoles and mobile phones took up the slack, while shitty Chromebooks at school and Google Drive mostly filled in for office-related software.
  - ghaff 1mo ago
    Of course you can, used my own computer for work purposes for the last 14 years I was employed.
happymellon 1mo ago
Why? It's not like you have the option of using a personal computer for work. Most things I use a laptop for could be replaced with an iPad. The experience for me would be worse, so I don't, but I could see other people not minding it.
- mistersquid 1mo ago
  > > One of them was […] a Gen Z developer who did not personally own a computer (besides a phone). > > I was floored. Still am. > Why? My personal computer is how I learned to be a software developer and how I continue to improve as one. So, it astonishes me that a software developer by trade doesn't own a personal computer. To help separate my reaction from my personal bias (yeah, not possible), think about how you might feel upon discovering a professional cyclist who did not own a personal bicycle.
  - Xirdus 1mo ago
    Cycling is something your body must physically practice in as close to race conditions as possible to get good results. Programming is not, it's all in your head so to speak. I've been programming from my phone as early as 2013. Yes, I also did program on my PC, but mostly because I already had a PC for unrelated reasons. A better comparison is a professional influencer. You'd imagine someone posting high effort videos 5-10 times a week would at least have a video camera. Wrong. Most do it with their phones only, that's been the standard for around a decade. If you think about it, why would they buy a video cam? What benefit would be in it? The same thing is now happening with programming and laptops (let alone desktop PCs). It's only bizarre if you live in a world where there's no viable alternative.

Xirdus 1mo ago

Why? There were a lot of people who didn't own a personal computer before 2000 too. It just wasn't needed. And nowadays, it also isn't needed, albeit for different reasons. The time window where it was actually a reasonable assumption that someone has a computer at home was relatively short.

fakedang 1mo ago
Exactly - personal computers are really just a very "millennial" thing. Only (very) late GenX and millennials grew up with, learned on and interacted with PCs on an hourly basis. By the time GenZs came knocking around, consoles and mobile phones took up the slack, while shitty Chromebooks at school and Google Drive mostly filled in for office-related software.
- ghaff 1mo ago
  Of course you can, used my own computer for work purposes for the last 14 years I was employed.

happymellon 1mo ago

Why? It's not like you have the option of using a personal computer for work. Most things I use a laptop for could be replaced with an iPad. The experience for me would be worse, so I don't, but I could see other people not minding it.

mistersquid 1mo ago
> > One of them was […] a Gen Z developer who did not personally own a computer (besides a phone). > > I was floored. Still am. > Why? My personal computer is how I learned to be a software developer and how I continue to improve as one. So, it astonishes me that a software developer by trade doesn't own a personal computer. To help separate my reaction from my personal bias (yeah, not possible), think about how you might feel upon discovering a professional cyclist who did not own a personal bicycle.
- Xirdus 1mo ago
  Cycling is something your body must physically practice in as close to race conditions as possible to get good results. Programming is not, it's all in your head so to speak. I've been programming from my phone as early as 2013. Yes, I also did program on my PC, but mostly because I already had a PC for unrelated reasons. A better comparison is a professional influencer. You'd imagine someone posting high effort videos 5-10 times a week would at least have a video camera. Wrong. Most do it with their phones only, that's been the standard for around a decade. If you think about it, why would they buy a video cam? What benefit would be in it? The same thing is now happening with programming and laptops (let alone desktop PCs). It's only bizarre if you live in a world where there's no viable alternative.