81–88 of 88 posts
Something so simple became more difficult under the pressure of someone watching you the entire time.
It's also nothing I've ever even thought of building nor something I would ever be asked to build in a real work environment.
I have stellar reviews from my former employers. I know I don't suck, but hell if that didn't shake me to the core.
Maybe I'm just venting.
I recently failed a tech interview. I was asked to pair program on a calculator. Something so simple became more difficult under the pressure of someone watching you the entire time. It's also nothing I've ever even thought of building nor something I would ever be asked to build in a real work environment. I have stellar reviews from my former employers. I know I don't suck, but hell if that didn't shake me to the c…
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I long for an interview like that. I first left the tech industry due to having to deal with HR and the hiring process. I became a chef, where the interview could be moved to having them watch me make a dish or show knife skills. Then out of interest, I went through a biomedical engineering degree and am back into the tech field. Still, due to my negative experiences with the filtering process, I have stayed in the r…
I've always thought the simple coding interview questions was like asking a chef to prepare a very simple meal; they should be able to do it without any problem. Though it's apparent that coders, like chefs, can choke on even these simple tasks. You only need to watch the "skills tests" on "Masterchef: The Professionals" to see a dozen professional cooks fail to fry schnitzel or fillet a fish. The same chefs go on th…
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Oh man, I read this and get a sinking pit in my stomach. I don't care about a person's color, reproductive organs, creed or whatever, but I wonder if perhaps I care a little too much about their "similar thought process", "go out for a drink"-ness (gulp, and what does that say about age), and most nebulously, "comfort". I thankfully cannot think of a time when I turned away a candidate for any reason but pure technic…
> "go out for a drink"-ness (gulp, and what does that say about age) This reminds me: I think I've yet to see a tech company where the default assumption is that you're a teetotaler. Why do y'all SV-ites insist on taking me out to consume (legal) mind-altering drugs?
Further reading (The “Leaf blowers for stamp collectors” thread): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6373983
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Oh man, I read this and get a sinking pit in my stomach. I don't care about a person's color, reproductive organs, creed or whatever, but I wonder if perhaps I care a little too much about their "similar thought process", "go out for a drink"-ness (gulp, and what does that say about age), and most nebulously, "comfort". I thankfully cannot think of a time when I turned away a candidate for any reason but pure technic…
> "go out for a drink"-ness (gulp, and what does that say about age) This reminds me: I think I've yet to see a tech company where the default assumption is that you're a teetotaler. Why do y'all SV-ites insist on taking me out to consume (legal) mind-altering drugs?
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> There is a vast difference between someone who cares about doing their job well and someone who does their job. I like this as a definition of cultural fit. I have worked a place where I felt like the only guy who cared about his job, and it was suffocating, similarly, I have seen the one guy who is just doing his job in a team of those to love to do their job well, and he was like a ball and chain. Perhaps we need…
This definition (caring about doing your job) is a bit annoying, because it means it's sort of impossible to work at any company that looks for this, while also trying to start your own company. All my passion is reserved for my start-up; you get my professionalism , but nothing more. Why is that not enough? (This is assuming salary and no equity.)
> Why is that not enough?
Because they can find someone with the same qualifications that will also bring that passion.
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Did you actually read the article, or just the big, bold letters? The point wasn't that I am special. It's that each person is an individual, and a company that doesn't recognize that situations differ and make reasonable accommodations is unlikely to be a company at which I (or many like me, if the comments are any indicator) would enjoy working.
Did you read his comment? He referred to your "C-level execs" comment, which was in normal font about half way into the article. I didn't really have a problem with your original article, but responding like this doesn't make you look good.
I may have responded harshly, but certainly in kind.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> There is a vast difference between someone who cares about doing their job well and someone who does their job. I like this as a definition of cultural fit. I have worked a place where I felt like the only guy who cared about his job, and it was suffocating, similarly, I have seen the one guy who is just doing his job in a team of those to love to do their job well, and he was like a ball and chain. Perhaps we need…
This definition (caring about doing your job) is a bit annoying, because it means it's sort of impossible to work at any company that looks for this, while also trying to start your own company. All my passion is reserved for my start-up; you get my professionalism , but nothing more. Why is that not enough? (This is assuming salary and no equity.)
I truly do not think it makes sense to demand every person on a job is passionate about the job they are doing. There have been many times I have had to (even at a job I normally loved) do long, boring, and fruitless work. I did not do them out of my passion for the "Mission to Save the World of Enterprise Banking", but because I am a professional who does what needs to be done and who does it to the best of my abilities.
When I said passion before, I was trying to express two things.
First, I was intending to express the attitudes that cause someone to stay abreast of their field, keeps their own saws sharp, (and ideally helps teach/inspire others to do the same), comes in and works hard, and pushes themselves and those around them to be better. Perhaps the best word for that is just professionalism.
The second concept is that I would rather be around someone who, while acting like a consummate professional, also enjoys at least some part of it. I love the fact that software development has more than I could probably ever learn, and it is a worthy challenge to seek to master its different forms. I have worked with several professionals who really do enjoy parts of the craft that I only barely tolerate, and I enjoy that about them immensely. They open to me a new worlds of appreciation for the craft. Just recently, I had to work on a few hundred legacy bugs for a few weeks in a row. They were unexpected, not caused by me, and deeply tedious. Some took hours to locate the cause. One of my coworkers really came alive doing that. He just loved the hunt and chase, like a detective working out a mystery. While I was mentally moaning and groaning after week two, he was just getting started. We talked about it for a few minutes one day, and I decided to try and see things his way. While it didn't cause me to love bugs like a fine wine, I was able to bring my attitude around from a silent scream up to mildly interested. Maybe the best word for that is having a good attitude? Enjoys some parts more than others, and keeps quiet when they don't enjoy it? I am not sure, but that whole concept I find to be important. The person who reads books about development and enjoys reading them is going to bring a wonderful attitude to the team, and can motivate others to pursue their own interests.