Think Hiring a Ruby Developer is Hard? Try Staffing a Nuclear Reactor Startup • Hacker News Board

Re: Think Hiring a Ruby Developer is Hard? Try Staffing a Nuclear Reactor Startup

#81

Post by dstorrs » Sat, Mar 24, 2012, 4:36 AM UTC

wisty wrote: post #70

kevinalexbrown wrote: post #50

I'm close with someone who was offered a position at a nuclear startup NuScale, that aims to manufacture cookie-cutter, modular nuclear reactors, where you scale the power plant by adding more reactors over time as your needs change, and ship the old spent ones off. As I understand it, part of the problem in hiring is that for a nuclear startup you really need experienced engineers as you go into producing working pr…

This is why I don't think nuclear power is the future. Renewable power can afford to be innovative. Nuclear power will never innovate as fast. Even if it's better than wind right now, you can't have people hack on it, or manufacture in the cheapest country (I hope), or have small countries regulate its use in a cost efficient way. Of course, it's great for the countries who already have it up and running, and those c…

The problem with this view is that if you look at the energy demand curve for the human race, there are only two long-term sources that can even potentially satisfy the demand: nuclear and space-based solar. Wind, geothermal, ground-based solar, tidal...there just isn't enough energy there to satisfy the demands, especially once you factor in the inefficiencies of power transmission.

The reason it's a problem, of course, is because the both methods are politically difficult and require significant engineering (if not research) and capital investment to make them practical.

Re: Think Hiring a Ruby Developer is Hard? Try Staffing a Nuclear Reactor Startup

#82

Post by KevinMS » Sat, Mar 24, 2012, 5:11 AM UTC

ericb wrote: post #74

KevinMS wrote: post #47

Don't perpetuate the myth that ruby developers are difficult to find.

Have you tried to hire one in the Boston area lately? Our second Senior rails dev position has has been open for about 5 months.

So are you saying that absolutely nobody that can do the job has applied? Or have you turned away qualified applicants because they aren't a "cultural fit" or properly credentialed? I'm betting on the later.

Re: Think Hiring a Ruby Developer is Hard? Try Staffing a Nuclear Reactor Startup

#83

Post by ericb » Sun, Mar 25, 2012, 1:47 AM UTC

KevinMS wrote: post #82

ericb wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried to hire one in the Boston area lately? Our second Senior rails dev position has has been open for about 5 months.

So are you saying that absolutely nobody that can do the job has applied? Or have you turned away qualified applicants because they aren't a "cultural fit" or properly credentialed? I'm betting on the later.

Well, our last developer hire had no degree of any kind, is 20 while everyone else is 36-50 and he is working out great. We've had 1 resume in the last 2 months come in. I wouldn't want to spoil your pre-conceived notions, though.

edit: By the way, I read your comment history. We do all our hiring through recruiters because we are a small team without the time to chase talent--our interest and time is spent coding.

Maybe that is the issue--you won't work with recruiters, and most ruby shops are small, so they outsource hiring to recruiters. As a datapoint for you, I got this job through a recruiter, and I'm quite happy with it. Recruiters got me several other interviews with decent places as well. There are decent recruiters out there with real jobs--you just have to use your gut about who isn't sketchy. We gave this opening to 3 different recruiters that we work with--maybe they called you and you ignored them.

Re: Think Hiring a Ruby Developer is Hard? Try Staffing a Nuclear Reactor Startup

#84

Post by uvdiv » Thu, Mar 29, 2012, 6:34 PM UTC

ScotterC wrote: post #61

uvdiv wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Now, I agree about the temps and pressures being unnecessary. The reason for these is about efficiency of scale. In a power grid like America's where we need 1 gigawatt and greater plants, plus with licensing a plant being so difficult, you build the biggest baddest plant you can which can output the most power. This means you go with the highest temps and pressures while still being ultra safe to create a more powe…

Thanks for the citations. Btw are you the same uvdiv that writes on capacity factor? Used to read that blog all the time when I was in industry. Always liked the number focus.

Yeah I'm the same, thanks! :)