Delete comment from: Stevey's Blog Rants
First thing's first.
Steve, you are to be commended for putting together a thorough and useful article (the comments are good errata, so they help as well) on how to refresh your skills as a software developer so that you can interview well in a day and age where the job market is tight and lots of us have watched as our knowledge in these areas has atrophied. I will personally apply some of this. I'm certain of that.
I think it also has to be said, however, that I find it a bit sad that this is the state of software development today. I've worked in the industry for 11 years. Granted I'm generally solving business problems and often UI problems, so I'm working more with AJAX, Struts and things of that nature rather than complex data storage algorithms.
However, nothing I do on a daily basis, currently, requires me to know what you believe we should know. I just have to come right out and say that. I read constantly. I read fiction, for fun. I read the Wall Street Journal. I read the Economist. I read blogs on economics and world affairs and triathlons and all kinds of subjects. I bike, I skateboard, I do open water swimming and creative writing. I, frankly, don't have enough time for all things I want to do in my life. All the things I do to enrich my life and become healthier in mind and body.
Now I know the intent of this article was to provide a template whereby a software developer, especially one who is rusty at interviewing or maybe skipped the CS part, can be prepared and maybe even learn some things to make them better developers. Once again, you succeeded. However, I doubt I'll be picking up the data algorithms books anytime soon. My life is too short. Too precious. If I were to die tomorrow I would not regret that I'm "merely" a software developer and not an Engineer. I would regret that time I didn't take to talk to and hug my wife. I would regret that I didn't take dancing lessons with her. Or that I didn't finally learn how to play the piano, or learn Spanish and work overseas for a non-profit.
The list of things I want to do in my life that I haven't done is so long that discreet math doesn't even register. It's not even on the list. And maybe that means I'll be marginalized someday. I will have to sort this out for myself. But I felt it was important, amongst all this self-important talk about what a true programmer is, to remember that many of us are doing good work and doing just fine without knowing complex data structures by heart or discrete math. Many of us are working hard to enjoy our precious lives before it's too late.
Hopefully you receive what I'm saying with due respect and compassion. I don't mean in any way to say that my way is the "right" way. I simply mean to say that "Engineering" isn't necessarily a must have for working in this industry. Not always.
Lately, at the behest of a brilliant co-worker of mine, I've found myself reading books about process. Books like "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team". These books are terribly fascinating to me. Because at the end of the day I've never had cause to improve my knowledge of discreet math. Except for in the case of wowing an interviewer. However, becoming a good teammate, that's something I think we all should be working on improving upon every day. Those are the books I wish to rotate through my collection. And if they land me a job someday, then great. If they don't, then that's okay too. I've made my peace with who I am and what makes me valuable.
Aug 22, 2008, 6:37:00 AM
Posted to Get that job at Google