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This caught my eye, from the "How we do it at ArsDigita" list: > 6. dragging people out to writing retreats; most programmers say that they can't write but exp
by jtheory 12y ago
This caught my eye, from the "How we do it at ArsDigita" list:
> 6. dragging people out to writing retreats; most programmers say that they can't write but experience shows that peoples' writing skills improve dramatically if they will only practice writing. At ArsDigita, we have beach and ski houses near our larger offices and drag people out for long weekends to finish writing projects with help from other programmers who are completing writing projects.
>
Communication (and writing in particular) skills are crucial -- programmers who are articulate and concise are so much more valuable then others with equivalent coding skills, but whose grammar & spelling leaves you wondering what they meant to say, who can't jump to the meat of an issue (or consider their audience) when discussing it, or worse.
I consider it strongly when we're hiring; it's a neat idea to actively improve writing skills for the programmers already on board.
- mgkimsal 12y agoWorked with a guy recently who emailed me with "I don't understand arrays". I immediately called him and said "we've got some big problems - this is scaring me, that you'd write that - you need to understand arrays." I got back "oh, I understand arrays - I don't understand why what they're used for." Me: "Holy cow - how can you understand array but not know what they're used for? That doesn't make sense." Him: "No, I mean I don't know why this framework uses them in these 2 libraries." Me: "Please learn to communicate your full thought before emailing me. This seriously makes me question your ability to get any of this done - you're not able to get your thoughts across properly - how can I assume you can understand what I'm saying, what the requirements are, or translate to code correctly? You might be able to, but you lose credibility when you write and talk this loosely - words have meaning." "I don't understand why the framework uses arrays in supporting library X" is miles different from "I don't understand arrays". But in his mind, he was saying the same thing.
- gedrap 12y agoYup. And the opposite of it when a person starts with some random abstract (supposed to be background) things and takes 5min to get to his point although I lost him within the first minute. Some people may be amazing programmers but if they struggle to share their ideas, the impression they make will be 'meh'. And impression, even an irrational one, caries a great weight.