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Ask HN: Are developers in India highly over-rated?

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Re: Ask HN: Are developers in India highly over-rated?

#51

Working in IT I often work with people who remote from India. Its all the same. You have those who are gifted and have a passion for what they do, and those who don't. I think the most important thing to consider here is communication. Often it can be difficult to speak with foreigners in common terms.

I think one difference that I've seen is that the US has a very different attitude toward computer programming. In the US it's more glamorous? That's not the right word, but it seems like when I talk to a number of foreign developers who emigrated to the US, it's more about being a good job than it is about being a genius hacker, rich by 25, or being a technical tour de force. I see a lot more women overseas who beco…

>Also, intelligent, math oriented individuals have other avenues in the US, like finance, (and unlike the rest of the world) dentistry and medicine are lucrative careers.

Dentistry and medicine are very lucrative careers in India.

Re: Ask HN: Are developers in India highly over-rated?

#52
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think one difference that I've seen is that the US has a very different attitude toward computer programming. In the US it's more glamorous? That's not the right word, but it seems like when I talk to a number of foreign developers who emigrated to the US, it's more about being a good job than it is about being a genius hacker, rich by 25, or being a technical tour de force. I see a lot more women overseas who beco…

>Also, intelligent, math oriented individuals have other avenues in the US, like finance, (and unlike the rest of the world) dentistry and medicine are lucrative careers. Dentistry and medicine are very lucrative careers in India.

But not all over the world. In some countries, even in Europe, you can be a physician and do 'okay,' but being a computer programmer would be better.

Re: Ask HN: Are developers in India highly over-rated?

#53
India follows the "Sheep Herd" mentality. The whole country's economy is based on people getting into "Profitable" domains mostly following the success of a pioneer in the field. The most recent example of this ideology is the "Business Process Outsourcing" industry. New BPO units are propping up here and there at a dime a dozen leading to a quality deterioration in the final deliverable. This process will continue till a saturation level is reached and then they will wait till another "Killer" domain picks up momentum. Till then India will be in a so called "Calm Period" where nothing great and major takes place. http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-the-w...

Re: Ask HN: Are developers in India highly over-rated?

#54
post #19

The good developers move here.

This is bullcrap. Some of the most talented devs I know work at pure Indian startups(Flipkart, for example, has an extremely good tech team) and there are a huge number of startups coming up in India that have some really kickass talent.

There are good devs and bad devs everywhere. The problem in India is that the average software developer is one not because they wanted to code, but because the family pushed them to do it since it pays well. As a result, you get a bunch of devs who don't really care about what they do, and are incompetent.

The kicker is that these devs are the ones the rest of the outside world works with since they come to India for cheap labour, and hence, you get the impression than coders in India are mediocre.

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