What If Cars Were Rented Like We Hire Programmers? • Hacker News Board

Re: What If Cars Were Rented Like We Hire Programmers?

#31

Post by nathanb » Wed, Jan 16, 2013, 8:35 PM UTC

NegativeK wrote: post #9

daenz wrote: post #7

I've had a few interviews like this. For future interviews, I've collected similar questions to ask of them (questions that I have conveniently worked out or looked up the answer to beforehand), my rationale being, "I want to make sure I would be working with competent peers." And I don't give a fuck if it rubs them the wrong way.

If your rationale is to find out if you're going to work with competent peers, why not asK a question that leads into a proper, deeper technical discussion?

He meant his stated rationale. I'm sure his actual rationale is to try and help the interviewer achieve enlightenment by turning his own pointless methods back on him.

Re: What If Cars Were Rented Like We Hire Programmers?

#32

Post by tambourine_man » Wed, Jan 16, 2013, 8:39 PM UTC

Car analogies are usually bad. This one is worse.

The underling problem is very true though.

Re: What If Cars Were Rented Like We Hire Programmers?

#33

Post by narrator » Wed, Jan 16, 2013, 8:46 PM UTC

Hovertruck wrote: post #24

This analogy is backwards... Hiring a programmer is an exchange of company money (or equity, benefits, etc) for a service (programming skills). Renting a car is an exchange of one's own money for a service (use of the car). In this case, the person renting the car would be "interviewing" the car rental company to determine if their service is worth their money.

That, and cars are interchangeable standardized goods. Programmers vary widely in ability. The process's closest analogy is buying a home. You want to take a walk through, compare multiple properties, get an inspection report, have everything tidy legal-wise, etc.

Re: What If Cars Were Rented Like We Hire Programmers?

#34

Post by JoshuaRedmond » Wed, Jan 16, 2013, 8:50 PM UTC

markhelo wrote: post #22

moccajoghurt wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you see a programming language as a tool like photoshop you certainly can see the renting car point. I don't think every Java Coder would be able to tell how the internal mechanics of Java work. They aren't Java mechanics, they're just driving Java.

Car Mechanics dont build the car parts or research into how to build the most efficient engine, but do need to know how to apply the knowledge of those parts. The best car mechanics can apply the science but may not be the best car researchers. Thats why in my opinion, some questions do make sense for a car mechanic. If you were using the photoshop analogy, then I think to interview someone, you need to ask them how…

The car mechanic analogy is an interesting one that I came across while touring universities to find one that I liked. A parent at one of the Q&A sessions asked what the difference was between Computing and IT (in a UK education context). The degree director replied that an IT course is like learning to drive a car, whereas Computing is like learning to be a mechanic. (Context: IT classes pre-university used to consist of learning to use Word, Excel and Powerpoint.) So I suppose whether the analogy works depends whether you want your programmer to find and plug a hole in your exhaust pipe, or to work out how to make a more efficient catalytic converter.

Re: What If Cars Were Rented Like We Hire Programmers?

#35

Post by dlss » Wed, Jan 16, 2013, 8:52 PM UTC

This part was golden:

Agency : How much did you pay for your last rental car?

Applicant : I don't see how that matters. What are you charging?

Agency : We like to know what you paid before so you get a fair rate.

Applicant : I paid market rates.

Agency : Sorry, we must know how much...

Re: What If Cars Were Rented Like We Hire Programmers?

#36

Post by ProblemFactory » Wed, Jan 16, 2013, 9:02 PM UTC

rosser wrote: post #13

Maybe it's because I just made the egregious mistake of getting drawn into a gun-control debate with a friend and his friends on Facebook, but hyperbolic arguments by analogy feel really silly, cheap, and disingenuous to me right now...

I find that analogies are a poor argumentation technique overall, even if they are not hyperbolic. It's always possible to find similarities between wildly different and even opposing ideas. The details matter.

Re: What If Cars Were Rented Like We Hire Programmers?

#37

Post by ChristianMarks » Wed, Jan 16, 2013, 9:02 PM UTC

beefman wrote: post #25

Maybe applicants need insurance. If they don't work out, their insurance company refunds the employer their salary and the opportunity cost of their bad commits. This way, applicants get muscled out of the job market gradually by high insurance rates, rather than with a brick wall filter.

That's not a bad idea at all. But it's unlikely to be very useful for specialized work, unless the insurance is highly specialized, and in that case it is likely to be as expensive as malpractice insurance.

Re: What If Cars Were Rented Like We Hire Programmers?

#38

Post by loahou04 » Wed, Jan 16, 2013, 9:02 PM UTC

narrator wrote: post #33

Hovertruck wrote: post #24

This analogy is backwards... Hiring a programmer is an exchange of company money (or equity, benefits, etc) for a service (programming skills). Renting a car is an exchange of one's own money for a service (use of the car). In this case, the person renting the car would be "interviewing" the car rental company to determine if their service is worth their money.

That, and cars are interchangeable standardized goods. Programmers vary widely in ability. The process's closest analogy is buying a home. You want to take a walk through, compare multiple properties, get an inspection report, have everything tidy legal-wise, etc.

true but i would hope we all know what hes getting at. And by the way its hilarious because anyone who has been a contractor and gone through a staffing firm knows EXACTLY that same situation

Re: What If Cars Were Rented Like We Hire Programmers?

#39

Post by tzz » Wed, Jan 16, 2013, 9:04 PM UTC

  Interviewer#3: How long you been driving your 2010 Escort?
  Applicant:     About 3 years.
  Interviewer#3: Sorry, but we are looking for someone with 
                 experience of driving 2010 Escort for at 
                 least 10 years.

Re: What If Cars Were Rented Like We Hire Programmers?

#40

Post by davidw » Wed, Jan 16, 2013, 9:04 PM UTC

"E se me nona gavesse e rode sarìa na carioea", as they say here in the Veneto, which, literally translated, means "if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be be a wheelbarrow".