Python Learning

[Marko Rauhamaa]

Chris Angelico <rosuav at gmail.com>:

> On Mon, Dec 18, 2017 at 5:59 PM, Marko Rauhamaa <marko at pacujo.net> wrote:
>> Let's see. What I have learned on the job is projects and processes
>> (even though college tried to give a taste of those, as well). Then,
>> I have gathered some encyclopedic knowledge about programming
>> languages, libraries, frameworks and operating systems. Finally, I
>> have developed routine.
>>
>> But true eye-openers took place in college: data structures,
>> algorithms, complexity theory, parsing and compiling, recursion,
>> object-oriented programming, logic programming, functional
>> programming, distributed systems, cryptography, logic and formalisms,
>> mathematical rigor etc.
>
> So if you were to choose between two potential hires, one who had 25
> years' experience and the other had nothing but college, which would
> you choose? Are you worth virtually the same salary now as you were
> worth straight out of college?

I am not in management at the moment so I don't do salary negotiations.
I do know people's compensation is *very* loosely correlated with their
value to the organization for various shortsighted and/or exploitative
reasons.

However, I have been doing quite a bit of hiring, quite successfully, I
might add. I am not prejudiced one way or another. Your résumé doesn't
count. Your education doesn't count. What you can do for the team
counts, and that is measured during the interview process.

The team where I work has a gamut of education and experience
backgrounds. Some are college dropouts, some have a PhD. Some are still
in school. I'm the most senior. Frankly, I have *not* detected much
advantage (or disadvantage, for that matter) with a long on-the-job
experience. What has been hugely more important is adaptability and
sheer smarts. The team members have to be able to grasp, evaluate and
express new abstract concepts and be generally on the same wave-length.

Long years in service don't automatically translate into wisdom or
practical solutions. However, I have put to good use what I have learned
along the way.

As for my take-home pay? It peaked during the telecom bubble in the
1990's. Don't worry. I get by fine.


Marko