Github is Your New Resume • Hacker News Board

Re: Github is Your New Resume

#141

Post by dblock » Fri, Jul 15, 2011, 2:19 AM UTC

lowglow wrote: post #29

tzs wrote: post #22

There are two issues with this. 1. It excludes developers who have managed to find jobs that are sufficiently challenging, difficult, and interesting that their jobs keep them fully occupied, and so they simply do not have the time or energy left over to contribute to a bunch of open stuff on Github. 2. What happens after you hire someone? Do you have any policy to ensure that the job won't take too much of their tim…

I love Github, but I certainly must agree with point number 1. I work as a CTO at a start-up here in SF full-time (which means, 8am-2am). We have to a lot of developers and designers around the world which means when I'm not coding, chances are I'm managing. This leaves me very little time to contribute to my own personal projects, much less open source projects. I'd say that using Github as a resume is a great idea…

Everyone missed the part where I found myself contributing to several open-source projects, naturally.

Here's an example: we use this gem called "analytical". Its configuration didn't support test vs. dev vs. production. I could have hacked on top of it - it would have added some gross code to my project. Instead I changed the original - turned out to be less code overall and didn't pollute anything in my work project. My pull request (https://github.com/jkrall/analytical/pull/17) still hasn't been accepted, but we use the fork.

I just think that the reason you're not contributing to OS is not time, it's that you choose to design within the box.

Re: Github is Your New Resume

#142

Post by dblock » Fri, Jul 15, 2011, 2:24 AM UTC

mtviewdave wrote: post #59

A big problem with github-as-resume for the experienced developer is that it destroys the idea of side-projects as play. I can no longer just fool around with something for the sake of fooling around with it. I now have to judge whether my “fool-around” project is good enough to go on github and be evaluated by potential hiring managers. And if not, I need to ask why I’m working on it, rather than working on somethin…

Sounds reasonable, but this is how you feel. Personally I like to see the Ruby on Rails tutorial code in someone's GitHub.

Re: Github is Your New Resume

#143

Post by dblock » Fri, Jul 15, 2011, 2:27 AM UTC

mechanical_fish wrote: post #56

I don't want to take the time to build it, so here's a silly programming project for an afternoon: Build a bot that can simulate an open source genius via a classic academic technique: Plagiarism. The algorithm: Use Github's API and/or Google to find some popular repos. Fork those repos into a new Github account named (e.g.) "Nicolai". For each repo, find some other forks of that repo. Grab some branch names and comm…

I hope Nicolai also has some amazing blog posts on his blog too.

Re: Github is Your New Resume

#144

Post by asreal » Fri, Jul 15, 2011, 3:03 AM UTC

econgeeker wrote: post #75

swanson wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't want to turn this into a game of forum post logical proofs. I don't advocate "don't hire if no OSS". I work with smart people that get stuff done and don't have a Github account. That's fine, it's a personal choice how you use your time. What rubs me the wrong way is when people say "It's unfair to look at Github as the new resume because I don't have enough time to do open source". Like I said originally, I'…

People are very different. It takes all kinds. The kind of hacker you are, is not the only kind of hacker there is. There can be very bright, excellent engineers, who spend their entire off-duty time watching TV. They don't have a duty to contribute to open source software and choosing not to does not tell you anything about their skills as an engineer. I remember once a new coworker telling me -- on his first day, n…

Let me guess - Brazilian Jujitsu.

Re: Github is Your New Resume

#145

Post by orangecat » Fri, Jul 15, 2011, 3:30 AM UTC

bartonfink wrote: post #131

kjksf wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not about how good of a programmer you are but about how a hiring manager can decide whether you are a good programmer or not. When a programmer has an active github account with lots of quality code, hiring manager has an easily verifiable proof of programmer's abilities (or lack of it, if the code is bad). When a programmer can only talk about papers he read, hiring manager has no way to verify if he actual…

I can demonstrate it the way people have been demonstrating work ability for years - through a resume and an interview process. I put nothing on my resume I'm not prepared to talk about from start to finish, and I assure you that I've got no trouble finding work I find intellectually and financially agreeable. It doesn't always correlate with my academic interests, but to assume that I'm missing out on opportunities…

It doesn't suggest reordering your build to account for obvious problems (e.g. never building a military unit). It doesn't optimize your build to account for obvious parallels (e.g. it won't tell you it's stupid to queue up units for production when you could put your resources to work elsewhere for immediate benefit). It doesn't even track wins/losses that I know of. It basically displays a series of images based on a script that you provide.

So it's a minimum viable product. That's fine, and if I played SC2 I'd find it useful.

He didn't know about that, and wasted a week getting AspectJ set up and configured while the rest of us were making actual, obvious performance improvements based on data from a real profiler

That tells me nothing about his abilities one way or the other; all it suggests is that your team has communication issues.

Re: Github is Your New Resume

#146

Post by rreeves » Fri, Jul 15, 2011, 3:36 AM UTC

dblock wrote: post #141

lowglow wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love Github, but I certainly must agree with point number 1. I work as a CTO at a start-up here in SF full-time (which means, 8am-2am). We have to a lot of developers and designers around the world which means when I'm not coding, chances are I'm managing. This leaves me very little time to contribute to my own personal projects, much less open source projects. I'd say that using Github as a resume is a great idea…

Everyone missed the part where I found myself contributing to several open-source projects, naturally. Here's an example: we use this gem called "analytical". Its configuration didn't support test vs. dev vs. production. I could have hacked on top of it - it would have added some gross code to my project. Instead I changed the original - turned out to be less code overall and didn't pollute anything in my work projec…

Interesting considering he works from 8am-2am. How on earth do you come to the conclusion he's not contributing to OS because he chooses to design within the box?

Re: Github is Your New Resume

#147

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jul 15, 2011, 5:15 AM UTC

dblock wrote: post #143

mechanical_fish wrote: post #56

I don't want to take the time to build it, so here's a silly programming project for an afternoon: Build a bot that can simulate an open source genius via a classic academic technique: Plagiarism. The algorithm: Use Github's API and/or Google to find some popular repos. Fork those repos into a new Github account named (e.g.) "Nicolai". For each repo, find some other forks of that repo. Grab some branch names and comm…

I hope Nicolai also has some amazing blog posts on his blog too.

[deleted]

Re: Github is Your New Resume

#148

Post by jim_h » Fri, Jul 15, 2011, 5:48 AM UTC

walketim wrote: post #112

jim_h wrote: post #91

I wonder if programmers are going to overwork themselves at some point. Judged by programming OUTSIDE of work time. Not having free time to do this is not an excuse. gf/bf/wife/husband/son/daughter/parents/dog/cat/friends/life will have to understand that you need time for your craft. I currently have time to do programming in my spare time, but I worry that in a few years my time won't be as free.

What is wrong with only programming 10 hours a day?

I was actually being sarcastic, except the first and last sentence. I should have been more clear.

Re: Github is Your New Resume

#149

Post by w1ntermute » Fri, Jul 15, 2011, 7:08 AM UTC

dblock wrote: post #143

mechanical_fish wrote: post #56

I don't want to take the time to build it, so here's a silly programming project for an afternoon: Build a bot that can simulate an open source genius via a classic academic technique: Plagiarism. The algorithm: Use Github's API and/or Google to find some popular repos. Fork those repos into a new Github account named (e.g.) "Nicolai". For each repo, find some other forks of that repo. Grab some branch names and comm…

I hope Nicolai also has some amazing blog posts on his blog too.

And some witty one-liners on Twitter.

Re: Github is Your New Resume

#150

Post by beaker » Fri, Jul 15, 2011, 7:19 AM UTC

I must be getting old, but this post strikes me as silly to the point of seeming like a troll. If any hiring managers are seriously discarding candidates that don't use github, well, I think the market will ultimately dictate the utility of this shortcut.