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Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

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Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#161

Post by neogodless »

falcolas wrote: post #136
neogodless wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm 40 and I don't suppose anyone has ever called me a 10x developer or a rockstar or a ninja, though I was recently described as having "a superpower to crush tickets." I have a feeling you have not applied "everywhere" in the United States, but please correct me if I'm wrong. I've never left my home state, and the deluge of recruiter spam on LinkedIn hasn't slowed down yet. And no I'm not an architect or team lead…

> the deluge of recruiter spam on LinkedIn hasn't slowed down yet Recruiters spamming you is not a correlative metric for companies hiring you. SV is worse than other locations, but even the midwest company I work for (I'm also over 40) much prefers to hire people straight out of college. They're cheaper, willing to work longer hours, and easily molded into an image the company wants. EDIT: To provide a small anecdot…

That's certainly true. A better way to say that would be that "I can find work when I look for it, despite my age!"

Also, even my current employer has historically preferred young hires. But as they've grown as a company, and their clients' needs have expanded, they've found value in experienced developers as well.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#162

Post by tharne »

faizshah wrote: post #137
llarsson wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you chose the word "desperate" deliberately, would you mind telling us/me why someone with two-to-three decades of experience becomes "desperate" for a job? What did you work on during those years? Did you keep up with the industry? I am asking out of interest for both you and me. For you, I want to help you regain confidence that is rightfully yours, because someone with your experience should not need to feel de…

A lot of the coders over 40 that I know who are experiencing difficulty finding work are coders who spent years working at the same place and chose specialization over staying current. They chose to become the J2EE guy with 10 years experience at a fortune 500 or the off the shelf ecommerce specialist. Being overly loyal to these companies and seeking job security left them with little career security at companies wh…

This is really good advice. Outside of a few specific areas, most companies don't need someone who's "the best" at skill X. The need someone who's decent at skills X, Y, Z.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#163

Post by Verdex »

hoorayimhelping wrote: post #120
ScottFree wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sounding desperate. Why is that a negative signal? The company has the opportunity to get top talent temporarily down on his/her luck for a reduced rate.

Confidence and desperation hardly ever align. Confident people who plan don't get desperate. Desperate people don't make good decisions. People who let themselves reach levels of desperation are either extremely unlucky (unlikely, but not someone you want on your team regardless) or chronically make bad decisions. At the worst, they're a person who chronically makes bad decisions and thinks they're unlucky. Standard:…

Yeah, it's a heuristic.

People who know what they're doing will over time become more confident.

People who don't know what they're doing will over time become more desperate as they run out of places to fail at.

You could do a lot of work to figure out the difference between someone who knows what they're doing and someone who doesn't. But it's a lot easier to just notice if they look confident or desperate.

Unfortunately, being confident is actually super easy if you're willing to practice it. Much easier than actually being good at anything.

Also unfortunately, being confident is really hard if you don't know how to practice it. And the skill is orthogonal to most other skills. So if you're good at something, it might actually be harder to control how confident you appear to others.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#164

Post by imron »

Rules of Thumb for a 1x Developer

During work hours stay away from:

* HN

* Facebook

* Twitter

* Reddit

* Any other thing constantly distracting you and taking away your attention from your job

Congratulations, you are now 3-10x developer.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#165

Post by tharne »

LandR wrote: post #75
noad wrote: post #21

I used to get called a 10x developer, I was also called a rockstar and a ninja and a 100x dev and every other compliment that was hip. Then I hit 30. That type of talk stopped. Then I hit 40. Now I will not be considered for any entry level, mid level, or senior level software dev job anywhere in the United States, despite being very desperate and willing to relocate for anything. Doesn't matter. Too old. I'm suppose…

I keep hearing that it's like this in the US. In the UK I don't know anyone in their 40s struggling to find software developer jobs in the UK! I'm almost 40 and are constantly getting harassed by recruiters. My mate in his 60s not long ago got hired for a software developer role, and easily at that. Two interviews and he got an offer. Another mate near 40 stepped back from manager type role into a developer role, and…

I think its more of a SV thing than a U.S. thing. There are a ton of older coders in my industry and having experience, especially if you have domain knowledge in addition to technical skills, is huge. Most companies in my field would gleefully hire a 50 year old coder with domain knowledge over a coding rock star straight out of school who doesn't know the business.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#166

Post by swader999 »

noad wrote: post #21

I used to get called a 10x developer, I was also called a rockstar and a ninja and a 100x dev and every other compliment that was hip. Then I hit 30. That type of talk stopped. Then I hit 40. Now I will not be considered for any entry level, mid level, or senior level software dev job anywhere in the United States, despite being very desperate and willing to relocate for anything. Doesn't matter. Too old. I'm suppose…

Can't you tweak and prune your resume to look younger? I'm 49 and still 2X ing. Had my 10x moments and think it depends more on the project, company and people for producing at that level.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#167

Post by throw1234651234 »

noad wrote: post #21

I used to get called a 10x developer, I was also called a rockstar and a ninja and a 100x dev and every other compliment that was hip. Then I hit 30. That type of talk stopped. Then I hit 40. Now I will not be considered for any entry level, mid level, or senior level software dev job anywhere in the United States, despite being very desperate and willing to relocate for anything. Doesn't matter. Too old. I'm suppose…

I know at least 15 consultants over 50 working right now in my city. None of them have trouble finding work.

Is there something you aren't telling us?

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#168

Post by [deleted] »

noad wrote: post #21

I used to get called a 10x developer, I was also called a rockstar and a ninja and a 100x dev and every other compliment that was hip. Then I hit 30. That type of talk stopped. Then I hit 40. Now I will not be considered for any entry level, mid level, or senior level software dev job anywhere in the United States, despite being very desperate and willing to relocate for anything. Doesn't matter. Too old. I'm suppose…

[deleted]

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#169

Post by theli0nheart »

hoorayimhelping wrote: post #120
ScottFree wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sounding desperate. Why is that a negative signal? The company has the opportunity to get top talent temporarily down on his/her luck for a reduced rate.

Confidence and desperation hardly ever align. Confident people who plan don't get desperate. Desperate people don't make good decisions. People who let themselves reach levels of desperation are either extremely unlucky (unlikely, but not someone you want on your team regardless) or chronically make bad decisions. At the worst, they're a person who chronically makes bad decisions and thinks they're unlucky. Standard:…

> Confident people who plan don't get desperate. Desperate people don't make good decisions. People who let themselves reach levels of desperation are either extremely unlucky (unlikely, but not someone you want on your team regardless) or chronically make bad decisions. At the worst, they're a person who chronically makes bad decisions and thinks they're unlucky.

Disclaimer: I'm saying this for your own benefit, but your comment comes across as incredibly naive, and I would never endorse you as an interviewer with this attitude.

There are life circumstances which one can literally not plan for, and which can derail even the most well-conceived of plans. Chronic illness, war, natural disasters, etc., all come to mind. Give all the examples you want regarding how one might conceivably prepare for one of those things, but it's pretty clear from your opinion that you've never experienced one of these yourself.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#170

Post by tharne »

LanceH wrote: post #145
aswanson wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Make a backup plan now Truer words rarely spoken. Tech is Logan's Run, No Country For Old Men.

I can't agree. I turn 50 this year and it's easier than ever to get a new gig. If anything I've noticed a bias in my favor where I would be viewed as a stabilizing force on the team.

This. I'm in my late 30's and have routinely beat out younger people with stronger tech skills simply because I have domain knowledge and experience in the industry, in a addition to technical skills.
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