Why the myth of the “10X” programmer is so destructive

http://readwrite.com/2015/05/08/average-developer-10x-programmer-myth/#

by yulaow • 11 years ago

4 3 11 years ago

"look like a programmer".

A while back I bought this really nice pin-stripe suit. I really liked it, I looked really sharp in it and it was really comfortable. One time I wore it while walking a mile in a driving rainstorm, but it dried and looked good as new after I spent an hour inside a fast food joint.

So I started wearing it to job interviews. There is no doubt in my mind, that my interviewers did not believe I could possibly be a coder.

Computer programmers don't wear suits, you see.

Eventually I gave it to the poor. I had the idea it would help someone else get a job, doing something other than coding.

gregjor2• 11 years ago

In some places they do. Maybe you haven't interviewed at a bank or a government agency.

Interviewing 101: Dress like your future colleagues, up one notch. If you don't know how they dress at the place you want to work show up at lunch time in the parking lot to see what people are wearing. If your interview outfit is too far out of line you look like a bad fit, and not just for programmer jobs.

gregjor2• 11 years ago

Two problems (at least) with this argument.

There's no objective or consistent measure of performance. A programmer may be super productive in one context but average or even a dud in another. Productivity is heavily influenced by factors beyond the individual, especially co-workers and the work environment.

Performance does not necessarily follow a bell curve distribution. For some skills a power law better describes the distribution of high and low performers. See http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2014/02/19/the-myth-o...

Why the myth of the “10X” programmer is so destructive

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