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Ask HN: Why is that 10+ years experience folks struggle to find work

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Re: Ask HN: Why is that 10+ years experience folks struggle to find work

#41

Post by geebee »

dragonwriter wrote: post #39
geebee wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a good strategy. However, it does seem to raise a new question - why is this more common in IT than other fields (which may beg the question, is it in fact more common in IT than other fields)? Lawyers and Physicians, Dentists, Nurses, and Dental Hygienists, they all do have to stay current - in fact, I believe that they are legally required to stay current. Now, HN is a tech board, so we don't hear from near…

> Lawyers and Physicians, Dentists, Nurses, and Dental Hygienists, they all do have to stay current - in fact, I believe that they are legally required to stay current. Now, HN is a tech board, so we don't hear from nearly as many Dental Hygienists here, but I'm going to operate on the assumption that DH's, at age 41, don't encounter the same issues of obsolescence as software developers do. Because they are required…

I think the "industry-wide accepted definition" you've referred to is the key here. There's greater awareness of precisely what "staying current" means, and there's a more measurable and straightforward way to fulfill those requirements.

That doesn't mean it isn't rigorous - getting through nursing graduate school and getting board certified as a nurse anesthetist is very rigorous! But my guess is that the path is much clearer. You don't end up getting surprise interview questions about the Fourier transform because you claim to know how to interpret ultrasound.

Re: Ask HN: Why is that 10+ years experience folks struggle to find work

#42

Post by dllthomas »

geebee wrote: post #41
dragonwriter wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Lawyers and Physicians, Dentists, Nurses, and Dental Hygienists, they all do have to stay current - in fact, I believe that they are legally required to stay current. Now, HN is a tech board, so we don't hear from nearly as many Dental Hygienists here, but I'm going to operate on the assumption that DH's, at age 41, don't encounter the same issues of obsolescence as software developers do. Because they are required…

I think the "industry-wide accepted definition" you've referred to is the key here. There's greater awareness of precisely what "staying current" means, and there's a more measurable and straightforward way to fulfill those requirements. That doesn't mean it isn't rigorous - getting through nursing graduate school and getting board certified as a nurse anesthetist is very rigorous! But my guess is that the path is mu…

Actually, I think the key might be that tech changes while we still need people capable of dealing (in depth!) with the old stuff. You don't have lawyers that need to practice today in the legal system of 20 years ago. Medicine learns better (we hope) ways of dealing with the same thing, but no one needs to remain an expert in the treatments we've discarded. Tech needs some expert COBOL programmers until it doesn't.

Re: Ask HN: Why is that 10+ years experience folks struggle to find work

#43

Post by hcho »

pkinsky wrote: post #40
hcho wrote: post #15

I suspect most 10+ years experience guys are actually 10 * 1 year experience guys. When you have someone like that in front of you in an interview, it is quite difficult to look past the fact that the person has no respect to his job.

How do you distinguish between 10*1 years experience and 10 years experience? Is the former assumed until proven otherwise?

I have a work sample test with questions at increasing difficulties. They don't do any better than a junior dev.

After having interviewed over a hundred candidates I can now tell in the first minutes of the meeting. They generally apply for a role they never have done before, are overdressed for the occasion and talk flawlessly with confidence.

Re: Ask HN: Why is that 10+ years experience folks struggle to find work

#44

Post by facorreia »

csmdev wrote: post #24
facorreia wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Experts learn.

Learn what? A new thing every year? How do they become experts then? Just because you learn a new language or technology doesn't mean you become better at problem solving. It just means that you can solve problems using a different tool.

They learn, for instance, about new developments in their field of expertise, and about more practices and tools they can leverage.

Re: Ask HN: Why is that 10+ years experience folks struggle to find work

#46

Post by zubairq »

zubairq wrote: post #16

Contact me at zq@nemcv.com, I have personally helped 1000s of people in your exact situation to find the right job. Just be ready to take the red pill! :)

Why -2 points? You should be trying to help this guy get a job, instead of giving him bogus advice!
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