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Almost every job description you see for a software developer has some sort of language qualifier. “Looking for an experienced C# developer”, “Software Engineer (Java)”, “PHP Guru Wanted”, “Ruby Developer”. This is wrong. If you want a good software developer, you shouldn’t care about the language they’ve used in the past. A good developer will be able to deliver value regardless of the language they’ve used before. Does language-specific experience make a software developer good at their job?
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Terrence Dorsey wrote: you shouldn’t care about the language they’ve used in the past
Bullshit. Languages have quirks. Languages breed cultures. Same with things like Agile and database and IDE and such. A hard-core developer from another tribe might have trouble fitting into your tribe. Yes, a developer may be able to acclimate easily, but the odds favour bringing in someone who is already familiar with your tools.
Is your new hire going to sit around grumbling about how awful your tools are and how much better their last job was?
I will also say that overall years of experience help a lot to alleviate such problems.
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Depends. I know I wouldn't let a typical PHP/Javascript/SQL developer nowhere near our C++ code.
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Off course it is. "To be good developer for the job", knowing the language may have little impact, but knowing the IDE along with the technology,frameworks,library... has a big learning curve. A guy who is expert in smalltalk to be hired for a C# job, because he has
Chad wrote:
Lots of constructive and varied experience
Sees the value in automated testing
Has a good grasp of architecture and systems planning
Positive attitude
Self-motivated learner
Able to identify personal ability
Motivated to keep improving
If so, to me this is so weird or something not right about the job.
IMHO, to be a good developer your experience along with the technology you used has a big factor.
Wonde Tadesse
modified 19-Jan-13 22:22pm.
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Terrence Dorsey wrote: If you want a good software developer, you shouldn’t care about the language they’ve used in the past.
True. If you want a good developer.
Now, if you want a good developer who can write efficient, elegant and most importantly, correctly architected code in a given language, then hire someone with experience in that language.
It's like saying someone who knows lots of languages and just learned French using Rosetta Stone can write a great piece of French literature. They can't. It's the nuances, gotchas, and the phrases built from the language and it's syntax that make the magic.
Further, and most important: it's never the language. It's always the libraries.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
The Code Project | Co-founder
Microsoft C++ MVP
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Chris Maunder wrote: It's like saying someone who knows lots of languages and just learned French using Rosetta Stone can write a great piece of French literature.
They can't.
Lies! I'll write the next Les Miserables... just as soon as I figure out how to make those funny accenty things above the letters.
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Chris Maunder wrote: and most importantly, correctly architected code
... where "correctly architected" really means "I like it".
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You missed the emphasis:
"I like it. And I don't care about what those namby-pamby "architects" (or whatever they style themselves as) say".
You need just the right amount of blind arrogance to setup the appropriate level of inevitability.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
The Code Project | Co-founder
Microsoft C++ MVP
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