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The person was an 18 years old intern. Its your job to teach them, not let them do all this and then complain publicly about it. Internship is not cheap labor;

by RogerL 11y ago

The person was an 18 years old intern. Its your job to teach them, not let them do all this and then complain publicly about it. Internship is not cheap labor; it's a mutual relationship where you help train the next generation because either you are nice or because you realize that if you don't do it there will not be a pool of experienced applicants to choose from. Ask "what can I do for this intern" - if they do something for you as well, great! If not, it's still okay. And, no, you don't own my life, and there is more to it than arranging bits so you can get rich off my labor. There is no need to structure jobs such that our lives and relationships are destroyed.

joezydeco 11y ago
Oh come on. Read that article again. "He had taken AP Computer Science, a Python programming course in high school, and Harvard’s CS50...In addition to this academic training he arrived with a vast expertise on building Windows-based PCs, especially for gaming." So we know this kid has had some previous experience. You make certain assumptions that he knows his way around a PC, especially if he's building gaming rigs. Not something you learn in a vacuum. Oh yeah, and he got admitted to Harvard University. But then: "use Google and Web-based resources before interrupting the person who hired you, e.g., if you want to know how to do something in Emacs for which crib sheets are readily available on the Web and can be printed out" So yeah, Phil is complaining here but I think he's right. If I went through the trouble of screening and bringing on someone that gave the impression of competency, then shouldn't he know how to solve the small problems by himself? Phil is red-flagging himself that this intern is just going to be a time sink rather than a help. He's also lamenting that kids that get into Harvard are lacking some of the self-sufficiency tools that are key to a successful college and post-collegiate career.
- aaggarwal 11y ago
  The title is misleading though, it's more like reproach in poor spirit rather than advice.

by RogerL 11y ago

joezydeco 11y ago

Oh come on. Read that article again. "He had taken AP Computer Science, a Python programming course in high school, and Harvard’s CS50...In addition to this academic training he arrived with a vast expertise on building Windows-based PCs, especially for gaming." So we know this kid has had some previous experience. You make certain assumptions that he knows his way around a PC, especially if he's building gaming rigs. Not something you learn in a vacuum. Oh yeah, and he got admitted to Harvard University. But then: "use Google and Web-based resources before interrupting the person who hired you, e.g., if you want to know how to do something in Emacs for which crib sheets are readily available on the Web and can be printed out" So yeah, Phil is complaining here but I think he's right. If I went through the trouble of screening and bringing on someone that gave the impression of competency, then shouldn't he know how to solve the small problems by himself? Phil is red-flagging himself that this intern is just going to be a time sink rather than a help. He's also lamenting that kids that get into Harvard are lacking some of the self-sufficiency tools that are key to a successful college and post-collegiate career.

aaggarwal 11y ago
The title is misleading though, it's more like reproach in poor spirit rather than advice.