[Baypiggies] Job Requirements PEP

[Jeff Fischer]

On Tue, Jun 30, 2009, Charles Merriam wrote:
>
> So, will there be a PEP for how to hire and evaluate Python
> programmers?   Python would be the first language to explicitly even
> think about what a programmer should know.  It could provide a topic
> list or point system for competence in Python  constructs and aspects.
>  It might provide a guideline for other professionals to get an early
> pass at competence.
>
> My intuition is that this idea deserves a vigorous, silly, in person
> debate.  After which, one person will write "The Purity Test:  Python
> Edition", and, more likely than not, no answers will be found.

Here's my proposal for a Python certification test (in jest, of course):

1. [essay, 50 points] Pick any two-line stanza from "The Zen of
Python" and explain in your own words what you think it means.

2. [essay, 30 points] Compare and contrast the design philosophy of
Python to one of the following languages: C, Java, ML, Perl, Ruby, or
Scheme. You get five points off for each disparaging remark against
either language.

3. [Multiple-choice, 20 points] Which of the following issues is most
important to you?
    A. The Global Interpreter Lock
    B. Multi-line lambdas
    C. A better standard API for command-line argument parsing
    D. vi vs. emacs
    E. Building useful software applications in Python

 - Jeff