This bullshit on “hiring the best coder” makes me sick sometimes. You don’t need anything beyond determination and commitment to get the job done. I’m doing it and I’ve seen smart people pivot with zero domain knowledge and execute superbly
10 answers from the community
I agree 100%. There's too much hype around the great programmer today in the startup world. The truth is that great programmers are made, not born.
It just takes a lot of hard work and determination; not quitting when it gets tough. This article that I've linked to below is a good example of what I mean:
http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/24/dont-believe-anyone-who-tells-you-learning-to-code-is-easy/
Since you shared a link, I'll reciprocate for your reading pleasure on why programming sucks- http://www.stilldrinking.org/programming-sucks
Thank you.
I totally agree. I also always get annoyed when people act like they are the best coders and brag about it in ither peoples faces. Just went out with some people who were going on how they are the best in the world etc, etc. I find routinely the ones who are good don't brag (although they an be confident) or try to impress others with their domain specific knowledge or jargon
Also there's probably a misconception about "rockstar coders" as well. If you're Google, the best coders might be the ones who can sling code faster and produce code that are more efficient than the next coder. But if you're a smaller company your best bet might be the average coder who can understand your business requirements better than the next guy.
I've seen too many startups that are so hell bent on hiring for skill, that the programmer they hire waste tons of time building castles in the sky integrating needless "frameworks" and random best practices that have absolutely nothing to do with the business - to the point where the code gets so complex it hobbles the company.
Question for the OP:
I'm a bit confused with your statement. I don't understand your connection about being a good coder with pivoting and domain knowledge. Coders often are hired into a company without domain knowledge or are you associating domain knowledge with programming knowledge?
Answer from the OP:
The connection is based on history of how things played out for this specific startup. I wanted to relate an example of others succeeding from a pivot where they put themselves in a situation lacking both domain expertise and technical experience because of new market focus.
Enron was full of superstars, who were nurtured to the Nth degree, and look where that got them.
The glorification of coder unicorns is part of a really unhealthy culture in startups where non-techies are undervalued and essential roles such as marketing, sales and finance are diminished.
It takes a team of engaged and valued individuals to make a happy startup a successful
business.
I wear my non-techie badge with pride and I'm admittedly super harsh on developers, if you're an asshole with delusions of grandeur and importance I'll never work with you or bring you on to my team.
OP here: I didn't explicitly note it but I am the CTO. I commented earlier on my view of <a href="https://startupsanonymous.com/confession/i-get-the-sense-that-when-i-tell-people-im-the-non-tech-founder-i-lose-their-respect-why-are-marketingsales-founders-treated-like-the-lowest-life-form-in-startups/#comment-2253" rel="nofollow">non-technical founders here</a>
If I may ask, please don't be harsh or passive-aggressive; having been on both sides of the table, my experience is that there's exaggeration on both fronts for 'arrogant alienated loner coder' and the 'undervalued marketers, sales, finance'. Once you're doing both, working side by side, and walls come down, I've seen more mutual respect on both sides than any initial superficial hype.
Having said that, I don't have a better solution than creating an open dialogue (like here) to get both sides talking. I hope awareness will lead to open minds and healthier perspectives.