2 ms·
I've never worked with anyone who flat out couldn't code. I've worked with some who needed more help than others, but I'm fine with that since I've been that pe
by waterlesscloud 12y ago
I've never worked with anyone who flat out couldn't code. I've worked with some who needed more help than others, but I'm fine with that since I've been that person myself with some things. But never with someone who just couldn't do it at all.
On the other hand, I've certainly had interviews with people who are just awful at it. So much so that I think the interview process is by far the greater obstacle to finding competent people than some huge mass of incompetent people out there.
Think about it this way- Almost no one has ever had explicit training in interviewing. Everyone learns by trial and error and rumor and superstition. It's one of the most cargo cult aspects of any given business.
- MichaelGG 12y agoI had a "software engineer" work for me that didn't know if from while. Literally. He was copy pasting stuff until it "worked". One day he calls me over because his program is hanging. He had something like " while (x) print something; ". I asked how that would work if x never changes in the loop. After I bit of blankness, I said " isn't this just supposed to print once, like maybe use an if? " "Oh yeah, if. That's the one I wanted." ... Worked with another person of similar skill, that went on to become Microsoft MVP. Do not underestimate how far drag-n-drop and copy paste can take someone with modern timing. Especially if they're good/inclined to tout themselves.