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Older Is Wiser: Study Shows Software Developers’ Skills Improve Over Time

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Re: Older Is Wiser: Study Shows Software Developers’ Skills Improve Over Time

#81

Post by hatu »

a-priori wrote: post #60
bhughes wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that prejudices aren't always developed so much as taught/learned. The standard trope that "the young folk get technology" is accepted as axiomatic, and passed down, regardless of actual experience.

The slightly different statement "young folk use technology the best" is closer to the truth. Just the other day I was saw my cousin's toddler pick up her father's iPhone, unlock it, and pick the game she wanted to play. Even at 4 years of age, she's a decent user of technology. But they don't necessarily understand the technology they're using. For example, teenagers these days are addicted to their cell phones, and…

I was lucky to be a kid around the time NES was the new thing and people were starting to get PC's at home so I've played video games from 5 years old. Still when I first started programming games, I had to start from square 0. I don't think there's any correlation with being a "natural" user of the web and understanding the technology behind it. As a engineer though, you'll immediately start dismantling that tech in your head.

Re: Older Is Wiser: Study Shows Software Developers’ Skills Improve Over Time

#82

Post by willismichael »

adventured wrote: post #79

Those 40 somethings? Yeah, they built the modern Web and Internet. To use an easy example: who do I want on my team, John Carmack (42), or some 19 year old kid that is working on his first engine (and is likely to stumble over a million landmines due to lack of experience)? Easy choice, I'll take the ridiculously vast experience and refined skillset.

To be fair, John Carmack WAS "some 19 year old kid ... working on his first engine" and within a few years had launched some very successful projects.

Re: Older Is Wiser: Study Shows Software Developers’ Skills Improve Over Time

#84

Post by hatu »

etjossem wrote: post #17

Dr. Murphy-Hill uses absolute StackOverflow reputation as the only metric. He demonstrates that older developers spend more time sharing knowledge than their younger counterparts, but I'm not sure about the jump to "skills improve over time." I suspect high reputation on SO reflects (at best) either a developer's perceived confidence in her skills or her desire to share whatever knowledge she has! Perhaps the title s…

Isn't "skills improve over time" kind of common knowledge though?

Re: Older Is Wiser: Study Shows Software Developers’ Skills Improve Over Time

#85

Post by discreteevent »

rayiner wrote: post #34
cl8ton wrote: post #6

I am one of the older'ish programmers One day a young programmer flies into the office talking about the new MVC frameworks and how it would revolutionize how we write programs. He was mystified when I explained how MVC works to him without even looking at what framework he was ranting about. He asked how I knew? I told him it was invented at PARC in the 70's and I've used them starting in 1995 with the MFC C++ for d…

There is very little new under the sun, at least if you're talking about what's going on in the mainstream rather than what's happening in the theoretical space (with GADTs, dependent types, etc). It's been a very long time since I saw software development technology that wasn't just the application of something developed in the 1960's through 1980's. "Oh, Java has lambdas now? Here are the design patterns that take…

That's interesting. What is it about Typescript specifically that you think aligns it with "A Theory of Objects"? (not expecting a thesis in your answer)

Re: Older Is Wiser: Study Shows Software Developers’ Skills Improve Over Time

#87

Post by saraid216 »

adventured wrote: post #75
GabrielF00 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder how much the preference for youth has to do with the fact that younger workers are (1) generally cheaper and (2) more open to working longer hours since they are less likely to have families and more likely to be looking to make an impression.

Not to mention younger workers are often more risk tolerant / seeking. If you're 43 years old, with a family to support and a mortgage, it might make perfect sense to take a safer job. If you're 20 with no family, no mortgage, etc. you sign up with Zuckerberg to 'change the world,' with little concern over whether it crashes and burns. I think that equation artificially pumps up the pop culture relation between youth…

> If you're 20 with no family, no mortgage, etc. you sign up with Zuckerberg to 'change the world,' with little concern over whether you crash and burn.

Fixed that for you.

Re: Older Is Wiser: Study Shows Software Developers’ Skills Improve Over Time

#88

Post by SoftwareMaven »

voidlogic wrote: post #13
benjamincburns wrote: post #10

Hire an individual. Don't hire an old person or a young person or a guy or a girl or a... just.. don't. An individual at age 40 is generally more qualified than he or she was at age 25. However, absent of other context the fact that one individual is 25 and another is 40 has no bearing on the prediction of whether the one individual or the other is a better fit for a technical role. Go for the individual who can show…

Being at least an average coder is a prerequisite to leading a team of coders. A team lead that can't code is like an Army officer that can't pass his physical tests or clean his rifle. He will not have the respect of the rank and file. A team lead (as opposed to a project manager) that can't code is doomed. (Notice I don't mention language, a good programmer can be coding in something new within a week or maybe two…

Depends on what the "lead" means. Certainly, he won't be able to be a technical lead, but non-technical people can lead technical people on other senses as long as the leader is humble, recognizes his shortcomings, and is willing to listen to and apply advice.

It is extremely arrogant for developers to believe the only thing of value a leader can bring to the table is coding chops. Compared to what it really takes, coding chops are immaterial.

Re: Older Is Wiser: Study Shows Software Developers’ Skills Improve Over Time

#89

Post by rayiner »

discreteevent wrote: post #85
rayiner wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is very little new under the sun, at least if you're talking about what's going on in the mainstream rather than what's happening in the theoretical space (with GADTs, dependent types, etc). It's been a very long time since I saw software development technology that wasn't just the application of something developed in the 1960's through 1980's. "Oh, Java has lambdas now? Here are the design patterns that take…

That's interesting. What is it about Typescript specifically that you think aligns it with "A Theory of Objects"? (not expecting a thesis in your answer)

Abadi and Cardelli lay out an object oriented calculus with object literals and structural object types. Typescript's object literals and structural object types seem very similar.

Re: Older Is Wiser: Study Shows Software Developers’ Skills Improve Over Time

#90

Post by dudujdjd »

adventured wrote: post #77
yaddayadda wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe research (sorry no link) is showing that older people tend to actually have much better focus than younger people, and better memory of what they were focusing on (in the absence of actual neurological problems, e.g., Alzheimers).

At least up to the age of 50 or so, at which point real memory begins to erode much faster than in prior decades.

Fuck Me. 15 years left to accomplish something great. I better move Strong AI to the top of my todo list before I'm too senile to work on it.
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