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re: hiring a software engineer
Jun. 18th, 2009 12:29 pmAs I understand, most of the people that are nominally holding positions of software engineers cannot and do not write code. Or if they do, from time to time, it's just pathetic. So they gather requirements, study or write documents and plans, check performance, run application to see if this menu item is located right below that menu item, etc.
Now there's a moment when you need to hire someone. And you do not want to hire one more parasite, you need someone who can, and will write code. Software is code, fyi. If it runs, it's the code that runs, not sprint plans, not feature lists. It's code. So, to produce software, you have to write it.
So, you interview an engineer. A nice guy, but clueless regarding writing code. And you say so.
And then James, or Jack, or George, desperate to find anybody at all, asks you, okay, but maybe this guy can do some porting, or adaptation, or integration, or something like that, and be useful? Maybe. But most probably he'll be a) a burden, and b) an immediate threat to you, mister micromanager. He'll want your place. And what you'll have to do is create another micromanager position, eventually to be taken by this guy you thought was cool, kind of.
So, my suggestion is, only those people should be hired who are willing to write code, enjoy it, and know how to do it. Even if they are not very good at certain aspects of writing code; if they like it, they'll learn it.
(Well, I wonder if there's enough people willing to learn and write good code in this world... not sure about it.)
Now there's a moment when you need to hire someone. And you do not want to hire one more parasite, you need someone who can, and will write code. Software is code, fyi. If it runs, it's the code that runs, not sprint plans, not feature lists. It's code. So, to produce software, you have to write it.
So, you interview an engineer. A nice guy, but clueless regarding writing code. And you say so.
And then James, or Jack, or George, desperate to find anybody at all, asks you, okay, but maybe this guy can do some porting, or adaptation, or integration, or something like that, and be useful? Maybe. But most probably he'll be a) a burden, and b) an immediate threat to you, mister micromanager. He'll want your place. And what you'll have to do is create another micromanager position, eventually to be taken by this guy you thought was cool, kind of.
So, my suggestion is, only those people should be hired who are willing to write code, enjoy it, and know how to do it. Even if they are not very good at certain aspects of writing code; if they like it, they'll learn it.
(Well, I wonder if there's enough people willing to learn and write good code in this world... not sure about it.)
