Dave, I'm surprised to see such a response from you. You're one of the few people I see on this list 24/7. I'm on the west coast and see you post at 12:42am. If memory serves me correctly you're on the east coast... 3:42am
You got up early to go fishing didn't you? ;-) Seriously though... I should have worded my original statement better. That question by no means is a "catch all" or a "disqualifying" question. But I have found it to be a valuable question during the interviewing process. And you're absolutely right... just because someone spends a lot of time in front of the screen doesn't make them a good programmer. But their willingness to learn and improve their skills both at work and at home are certainly a bonus. So if you have two people... equally qualified, equal personalities, equal in every way except one goes fishing and one likes to program in his spare time... who would you choose. The short and simple answer to that question is the guy at home... if for no reason other than he doesn't have to dock the boat before logging into the server to fix the "problem code" that only rears it's head on the weekends. ;-) -Novak ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Watts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "CF-Talk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2002 12:42 AM Subject: RE: programmer vs. developer > > One question that is always worth asking during the > > interviewing process is "What types of things/programs > > do you work on in your spare time?" If you get an answer > > like "...not much really, I go fishing on the weekends..." > > then chances are you've got a "programmer" who's in it > > more for the money than the love of programming. > > I find it odd that people in the field of programming are expected to be so > different from people in other fields. Do most doctors, lawyers or plumbers > practice their skills in their spare time? Why do we expect programmers to > do so? Would you use that as a criteria when hiring any other professional? > > Also, just because someone enjoys what they do doesn't make them good at it. > In fact, I think programming is a field which many people enjoy working in > even when they're not especially suited to it. Finally, I think this > expectation that most of us have about being a programmer 24/7 demonstrates > the relative immaturity of our field; after all, it really should be just > like any other job, instead of being a hobby that you happen to get paid > for. Sure, it's nice to enjoy your work, but work is just one part of the > life of a well-rounded person. > > Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software > http://www.figleaf.com/ > voice: (202) 797-5496 > fax: (202) 797-5444 > > ______________________________________________________________________ Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/cf-talk@houseoffusion.com/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
