Very true. Unfortunately, it's been suggested that America's major "comparative advantage" may be in growing food, since we have plenty of arable land and the technology to use it efficiently.
They can't afford to hire an engineer for a year for, let's say, $100K, to do this? Actually, though I hate to admit, this would be a perfect project for outsourcing, since the specification should be extremely clear.
The real problem, I'd bet, is the corporate beauracracy. Even if this project should only take one man-year, they'd have to hire a project leader, lead engineer, QA engineer and technical writer. Then the four of them would spend at least half of each day in meetings arguing ("constructive confrontation"), so that the project would take two years.
The advice may be good, but the fact is that we're still in a buyer's market when it comes to technical skills. The employers (the buyers) get to dictate what they require. And they don't always agree.
So, while Mr. Spolsky is looking for people "who are passionate about software", there are lots of other employers who have much different priorities ("DON'T bother applying if your experience isn't in our specialized industry.").
In the end, it doesn't really matter what you put on your resume or cover letter, because it's going to get lost amongst hundreds of others. So how does anyone get a job? Well, it's been repeated here many times: through personal contacts.
A long time ago, I was assigned to share an office with a young, female programmer who I thought was quite attractive. The desks were arranged such that if I looked slightly past my monitor, I would be staring at her.
But then, I didn't want to stare at her because I didn't want to make her feel unconfortable. But then, well, you can see that the conflicting impulses could be terrible!
That's right. You're best off not shopping for things that you're interested in.
That's why I tend not to get good deals when shopping for stereo equipment. On the other hand, I came out great when buying a sewing-machine for my wife. The salesperson would try to tempt me with a more expensive model, my eyes would glaze over with a "that's nice, but so what?" look, and the price would get lower and lower.
True. I got to attend a computer show in Dubai several years ago, and the first thing that struck me was that not only were there women working at the airport, but that they were wearing mini-skirts.
True. Dr. Who storylines are more like, "Young female companion in miniskirt runs through alien landscape until she trips and is captured by bug-eyed (or mechanical) monster."
While I agree with your sentiments, I'd have to say that we technical types are not "Joe Average", but rather, the geeks that "Joe Average" made fun of in high-school; and they don't give a damn that many of us can no longer earn our 50-100K salaries.
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Yes, that's what I always say when I fix a bug.
What worries me is that I think the doctor next door has a better looking husband than my wife has.
You mean you're extremely slow to make decisions, but once you've decided, you're unstoppable?
Very true. Unfortunately, it's been suggested that America's major "comparative advantage" may be in growing food, since we have plenty of arable land and the technology to use it efficiently.
Well, you can play Privateer, Wing Commander 3/4, and probably Ultima 7/8.
And isn't GEM available for free now?
They can't afford to hire an engineer for a year for, let's say, $100K, to do this? Actually, though I hate to admit, this would be a perfect project for outsourcing, since the specification should be extremely clear.
The real problem, I'd bet, is the corporate beauracracy. Even if this project should only take one man-year, they'd have to hire a project leader, lead engineer, QA engineer and technical writer. Then the four of them would spend at least half of each day in meetings arguing ("constructive confrontation"), so that the project would take two years.
For all we know, this could already be happening.
The advice may be good, but the fact is that we're still in a buyer's market when it comes to technical skills. The employers (the buyers) get to dictate what they require. And they don't always agree.
So, while Mr. Spolsky is looking for people "who are passionate about software", there are lots of other employers who have much different priorities ("DON'T bother applying if your experience isn't in our specialized industry.").
In the end, it doesn't really matter what you put on your resume or cover letter, because it's going to get lost amongst hundreds of others. So how does anyone get a job? Well, it's been repeated here many times: through personal contacts.
Flat feet.
Oh, professionally? Well, I work so efficiently that it demoralizes all my coworkers. That's why they had to let me go from my last 4 jobs.
My first thought was of R2D2 giving out one of his high squeeling sounds when he was upset about something.
Aren't we Linux users pretty-much immune to the internet-sex STD's?
...is that when MS goes down, the stock prices of almost all tech companies, even chip manufacturers, drop.
Suppose you have a starving country, and two companies donate to help them out:
1. Company #1 sends them tons of candy.
2. Company #2 sends them flour, beans, canned vegetables, plus seeds for growing their own food.
It's quite possible that company #1 has contributed more expensive items, but I'd say #2 has done a lot more good.
Watch for claimed tie-ins between open-source and porn. Nothing works better in America then claims to "protect the children".
A long time ago, I was assigned to share an office with a young, female programmer who I thought was quite attractive. The desks were arranged such that if I looked slightly past my monitor, I would be staring at her.
But then, I didn't want to stare at her because I didn't want to make her feel unconfortable. But then, well, you can see that the conflicting impulses could be terrible!
That's right. You're best off not shopping for things that you're interested in.
That's why I tend not to get good deals when shopping for stereo equipment. On the other hand, I came out great when buying a sewing-machine for my wife. The salesperson would try to tempt me with a more expensive model, my eyes would glaze over with a "that's nice, but so what?" look, and the price would get lower and lower.
True. I got to attend a computer show in Dubai several years ago, and the first thing that struck me was that not only were there women working at the airport, but that they were wearing mini-skirts.
True. Dr. Who storylines are more like, "Young female companion in miniskirt runs through alien landscape until she trips and is captured by bug-eyed (or mechanical) monster."
Isn't that fraudulent advertising? I keep hoping one or more former techies will get law degrees and then sue.
And that's about when I began using Linux as my desktop, both at home and at work.
Reminds me of an episode where Krusty went counterculture and convinced the other characters to burn their cash as a protest.
You want us to risk lead poisoning?
You also have a wide choice of stores that will sell you MS software.
Wwwherre is my golden dongle? Wwwwhhooooo has my golden dongle?
While I agree with your sentiments, I'd have to say that we technical types are not "Joe Average", but rather, the geeks that "Joe Average" made fun of in high-school; and they don't give a damn that many of us can no longer earn our 50-100K salaries.
They'll even have source code to start with. And I'm not talking about open-source.