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A classic UW grad - suggests that a university degree is not required, but drops in that he just happened to graduate from "Canada's highly-regarded Math/CS pro
by mrtron 19y ago
A classic UW grad - suggests that a university degree is not required, but drops in that he just happened to graduate from "Canada's highly-regarded Math/CS program at Waterloo". I suppose it is now only appropriate I say I also am graduate.
I have to agree with him that a university degree is not required - but I would still interview a UW grad above a few other candidates. My reasoning? I know much of the basic algorithm, design and other fundamentals will have a higher chance of being there than someone who is entirely self taught. University forces you to learn things that don't necessarily meet your exact interests - but that graph algorithm you didn't really enjoy but learned could come in handy next time you are writing a google maps mashup hack.
Edit: I also forgot to mention a huge indicator among my peers is pet projects. The good developers are always working on something (a lot of android apps lately), and the bad developers aren't.
- jkush 19y agoI completely understand why you'd interview a UW grad above other candidates. You have to make an intial cut somewhere, right? As a high school dropout, I hate having to compete against those with diplomas. But I guess that's what I get for dropping out.
- mrtron 19y agoYes it is quite the dilemma. I know one or two people who are self taught and great coders. However, the majority of people I have worked with that are primarily self taught aren't good. I guess the key to competing against diplomas is making separating from the herd - perhaps with pet projects, a blog showing your expertise, etc.
- jkush 19y agoOr alternatively, going the startup route!
- DanielBMarkham 19y agoThe key to competing with anybody is to show recent experience. I don't care what kinds of certificates you have -- what have you done lately? It doesn't matter what you did last year. Programming (and startups) are all about what you can do this year.
- Retric 19y agoThis seems a little narrow minded. Many highly talented programmers find a lucrative area and stick with it for a while, but they can pick up on the "new big thing" almost instantly. IMO it all comes back to talent and drive which are almost impossible to judge in an interview but they tend to swamp all other factors over time.
- downer 19y ago> IMO it all comes back to talent and drive which are almost impossible to judge in an interview but they tend to swamp all other factors over time. I would narrow that down even further, to drive. Plus I don't believe in talent; but one's level of skill will increase if she has the drive to improve.