Re: ANNOUNCE: Vacant Job Positions

In article <3120B741.3482@crl.com>, john b <jointprd@crl.com> wrote: >> > On the other hand, if I have no degree, but have been doing doing >> > client/server, sockets, daemons, database, etc., programming, for >> > the last few years, many places won't even read my resume. This >> > seems strange to me. >> > >I think we're spending more time on this post than corporate America is >spending on interviewing. :) > >Correct my summary of this issue if I'm wrong. > >1) Corporate America does not recognize that there are very competent >"non-degreed computer" people out there. Not entirely true. DSC does hire non-degreed programmers, and promotes them when warranted. I personally know one of the people at the top of DSC's technical ladder who does not have a degree, and another two people on the next rung down. We do not hire uneducated programmers, and we probably would not hire an inexperienced programmer without a degree. The hardest problem for people without degrees is getting that first job. >2) Corporate America is probably bypassing a great source of knowledge. Probably not. These people are exceptional. Still, it is stupid to discard candidates solely because they do not have a degree. >3) Most of corporate America is prejudice. That's "prejudiced". I think you will find that the more peripheral software development is to a company's core business, the more reluctant they will be to hire non-degreed people. The reason is that companies that are not in the software business are less able to evaluate technical expertise. Personally, I am quite prejudiced against people who misspell words or use poor grammar on a resume; particularly if the person is a native English speaker. >4) All things equal, a degree will always win out. Probably true. >5) Having a degree does not make you any better than anyone else. True. 6) Not having a degree more than likely will limit initial opportunities, but if persistent things will work out. Probably true. >7) Good experience is worth just as much as a degree. Experience and education are complimentary. Learning by experience is the slowest way; it is much faster to learn from the experience of others through reading. Programming is an intellectual activity; techniques can be learned and saved until needed. This is different from physical activities (like pottery); significant experience is required to master any new technique. -- Kevin Cline