Where Are All the Qualified Programmers?

Wed 12 Dec 2007
Posted by Scott Westfall
http://blog.slickedit.com/?p=180

FTA: When Mr. Gates decries the lack of available programmers, he offers the solution that we should increase the number of H-1b visas. Indeed, if there truly is a shortage then this seems like a reasonable solution. However, this is more likely a ploy to address the true problem that these companies aren’t willing to admit: there aren’t enough programmers available at the salary they are willing to pay.
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Even without relying too much on years of experience, most companies put too much emphasis on experience with a specific combination of technologies. This includes things like Oracle, Struts, .NET, XML, etc. I consider these to be extrinsic abilities. Knowledge of these things must be specifically learned and aren’t generally applicable to other areas. In contrast, intrinsic abilities are more portable and can be applied in many areas. These include problem solving, communication, and the ability to learn quickly.
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If we had an opening on this team, many companies would make the mistake of requiring a couple years of experience in XML since it is so important to the project. A good programmer, who learns quickly, would be able to get up to speed on our use of XML in no more than a day.
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When hiring, consider what you truly need in your candidates. Don’t fall into the trap of just listing all the technologies you use. Determine which can be learned on the job and which truly require experience.