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Haskell vs Java job applicants

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Re: Haskell vs Java job applicants

#3
post #2

I wouldn't say that just because someone knows Haskell they are suddenly a good programmer. Some schools use Haskell for their intro programming classes nowadays.

Surely numbers are significant here. How many universities teach Haskell, compared to the number who teach Java? Of those that do teach Haskell, how many of them teach it to a level that someone taking that degree would easily be able to extend that knowledge to a level where they could get a job programming Haskell on a day-to-day basis?

It's also a question of perception. The programmers one wouldn't want to hire, according to the metric under discussion, are those who learn a single popular language just to get a job. Is Haskell generally perceived as a language where there are a lot of jobs floating around? If not, then presumably most people learning it will be learning it because they're interested, because they want to improve as programmers, and so on.

Re: Haskell vs Java job applicants

#4
post #2

I wouldn't say that just because someone knows Haskell they are suddenly a good programmer. Some schools use Haskell for their intro programming classes nowadays.

No one's saying that (I think). The claim being made is that someone who wants a job programming in Haskell is likely to be someone who's interested in learning new things, not that someone who has learned some Haskell is likely to be a good programmer.

Still, the thing linked is distinctly light on evidence (not a fault -- it's only an email on a Haskell mailing list) and I'm not quite sure what it's doing on the front page of HN; it's not exactly news that people wanting jobs programming in languages that are (1) difficult to learn, (2) interesting and (3) unusual, tend to be people who are interested in learning new stuff and keeping their brains active.

Re: Haskell vs Java job applicants

#5
That, I am sorry, is an inefficient filter. I used at one point believe anyone who didn't know C++ wasn't a good programmer until I met a few people who wrote applications in languages like VB and they were as good as C++ developer would have done.

There are other ways to filter out résumés. Within 10 minutes into a phone interview you can eliminate quite a lot of applicants and I for now just stop the interview at that point. Once someone makes it through the phone interview you are pretty much left with a good bunch of résumé to pick from for the next round.

Re: Haskell vs Java job applicants

#6
post #2

I wouldn't say that just because someone knows Haskell they are suddenly a good programmer. Some schools use Haskell for their intro programming classes nowadays.

I would say that there are many more that don't even offer Haskell at the advanced level, or at best, offer one or two classes in the entire curriculum that use it.

Re: Haskell vs Java job applicants

#8
I think it's more that people who program in $OBSCURE_LANGUAGE are much more likely to have picked up that language out of interest, rather than from wanting to have a cushy, decent-paying desk job.

Re: Haskell vs Java job applicants

#9
One thing about getting something like a Haskell job that's rarely mentioned is it seems like it's very much an all-or-nothing proposition. Casual or intermediate dabblers who like learning new things like Haskell but aren't total wizards get no points.

A lot of the investment bank openings for functional programmers want someone who's doing a PhD in programming languages, from what I've seen, for example.

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