My theory on this is that programmers don’t know where they end and
the language begins. If you’re doing something interesting and
challenging, the language won’t matter. (Of course, I’ve been working
exclusively with Ruby almost from the moment I discovered it, so I
could just be completely full of BS there.)
[snip]
I have an entire lightning rant on that topic. I have a strong
dislike for “Foo Developer” as a job title (Foo == Perl/Ruby/Lisp/
whatever). It’s limiting.
It’s terribly limiting, especially since anybody who’s learned more
than a couple languages knows that picking up any given language is
not really so hard. Also the hiring priorities of a lot of companies
tend to actually favor cultural inbreeding, in that five years of
Python is somehow considered better than a year of Python, a year of
Perl, a year of Ruby, a year of Smalltalk, and a year of Erlang. In
fact a resume like that could have some real value to it, depending
very much on what the programmer actually did in those languages
(even though what the programmer did is often seen as less significant
than the language the programmer used at the time – which has to be
one of the most bass-ackwards things on the planet).
However, if your job title really was “Foo Developer,” that would make
for an entertaining business card.
My theory on this is that programmers don’t know where they end and
the language begins. If you’re doing something interesting and
challenging, the language won’t matter. (Of course, I’ve been working
exclusively with Ruby almost from the moment I discovered it, so I
could just be completely full of BS there.)
It’s terribly limiting, especially since anybody who’s learned more
than a couple languages knows that picking up any given language is
not really so hard.
Beware of mannerisms though, but on the big lines I agree with you.
Therefore somebody with a Java/Ada/Perl/Python/Ruby/Smalltalk/C
background (guess who) will have (actually has) a harder time to grasp
Caml/Erlang/Haskell
Also the hiring priorities of a lot of companies
tend to actually favor cultural inbreeding, in that five years of
Python is somehow considered better than a year of Python, a year of
Perl, a year of Ruby, a year of Smalltalk, and a year of Erlang.
I prepared the following +1 nicely, did I not
+1
In
fact a resume like that could have some real value to it, depending
very much on what the programmer actually did in those languages
(even though what the programmer did is often seen as less significant
than the language the programmer used at the time – which has to be
one of the most bass-ackwards things on the planet).
It is very true and very sad. However there is really not much I feel
can be done, it is a mirror of the society, Do we have time to think?
No we do not, period, anyway thinking is not good for you
However, if your job title really was “Foo Developer,” that would make
for an entertaining business card.
I will definitely ask for the knowledge of Foo(1) as a programming
language in the next job description I will file, this is a brilliant
idea.
On Sun, Mar 11, 2007 at 03:12:18AM +0900, Giles B. wrote:
I had “Web Monkey” on business cards in 1997. (From an actual large
corporation, not just my own card.)
I think , a „discussion“ like this - miles away from our interests and
(I hope intentions) -
will destroy this community. Normally I would call this fruitless and
SILLY !
Klaus
On Sun, Mar 11, 2007 at 03:12:18AM +0900, Giles B. wrote:
I had “Web Monkey” on business cards in 1997. (From an actual large
corporation, not just my own card.)
My resume, at one time, said “Freelance Web Assassin”. I actually got
work with that resume.
It also, at one point, listed among my “responsibilities” for military
experience in the work history section “responsible for the safety of
millions of Americans”. That line was actually the one thing that got
me a job, once. I love hiring managers with a sense of humor.
experience in the work history section “responsible for the safety of
millions of Americans”. That line was actually the one thing that got
me a job, once. I love hiring managers with a sense of humor.
You think that’s funny – I once got a job because the “hiring
manager” was born on the same day of the year I was – December 7th.
