Edit (19/01/2013)
I have edited this post on the above date. However, the only change that I have made is that I am now hosting the source code (found at the end of this post) on GitHub. This means, that if I need to make a change to the code, I do not have to edit this post again – as it will pull the latest version of it from the relevant page on GitHub whenever it is accessed by a reader.
Firstly, I realise that I’m not the best developer in the world. I can, certainly, hold my end up in C++; read a lot of C and understand it; work my way through a C# listing with confidence; understand enough of an assembly listing to VERY vaguely get what it’s doing.
Secondly, I’ve been using twitter and the blog-o-sphere for a few weeks now, to try and figure out what’s missing from my virtual tool kit (if you like) of developer skills. So far, the answer has been a resounding “Experience is better than a degree”
For instance, Gaven Woolery over at #AltDevBlogADay mentions that (and I’m paraphrasing):
In this age, with the relative ease of access to both online and offline tutorials/books/whatever, and the relatively un-homogeneous structure of Computer Science degrees in most Higher Education facilities, what’s the point of going to [University] for 4 years, and racking up a large debt, when you can just learn all of that at home?
Here’s a link to the original article : Link
This all is beginning to make sense to me. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed my studies at University. But there where a few modules (known as classes to some) that were better studied at home, or in the labs than sat in a lecture theatre. Then again, there were modules that required that level of theoretical understanding.
I like to think of Computer Science being a perfect marriage between both vocational and non-vocational training.
This leads me onto something that Richard Banks blogged about in the middle of 2009: Some “Developers” Just Can’t Develop. Basically, his argument is for testing new recruits DURING the interview process. Something I have taken part in for some (not all) of my interviews.
I remember during one interview, in the middle of a question even, the interviewer got up and asked me to write some code “it can be in any language you want, even psuedo code,” to copy two strings
Because of my experience, I can certainly see what Richard is talking about. The cost of hiring the wrong person can be crippling. That being said, he links to a post from early 2007 (a year before I graduated, for those who want to know) by Jeff Atwood called “Why Can’t Programmers.. Program?”
The main thrust of Jeff’s post is to promote the idea of using a standardised test during interview processes to find out if the candidate is “good enough.” That being a completely subjective term (some companies require different skills from their employees, especially graduates), he even goes on to say:
Like me, the author [of, yet another post] is having trouble with the fact that 199 out of 200 applicants for every programming job can’t write code at all. I repeat: they can’t write any code whatsoever.
The post Jeff refers to mentions a test that is used by some professionals to see if a candidate can solve “simple” tasks.
FizzBuzz
Write a program that prints the numbers from 1 to 100. But for multiples of three print “Fizz” instead of the number and for the multiples of five print “Buzz”. For numbers which are multiples of both three and five print “FizzBuzz”.
Fain enough, that’s quite easy. One for loop and three checks. Easy.
Most good programmers should be able to write out on paper a program which does this in a under a couple of minutes. Want to know something scary? The majority of comp sci graduates can’t. I’ve also seen self-proclaimed senior programmers take more than 10-15 minutes to write a solution.
What!? How is that possible?
I really hope that the teaching of programming has improved since 2007, otherwise graduates haven’t got a chance of getting that juicy development role they tell themselves they deserve.
In fact, I think it has improved. At least, my experience of the teaching of programming seems to have been quite an amazing one and I’ll prove it to you.
Taking that basic task, I created a solution with 17 lines (including white space) in, roughly, 3 minutes (damned keyboard’s too stiff) that solves this problem; and it goes a little something like this:
I usually have extra newlines in there for formatting and clarity. But I think it looks just as good without them.
There you have it. A solution to a simple problem in less time then a “self-proclaimed senior programmer” and, dare I say it, an elegant solution, too?
J
