🚀 go-pugleaf

tsw@3do.com (Tom Watson) wrote:

>>I mentioned this a few years back, but it bears repeating:
>>"What is K&R?"

In article <4evtqg$c75@solutions.solon.com>,
Rick Wells  <rwells@fcnews.fc.hp.com> wrote:

>I'm sorry but I just can't go along with any of this discussion. First, you
>are asking about an "entry level" programmer. Next you are asking for C
>questions to put to the candidate. Which is it you're looking for. A
>programmer or a C programmer? I'll assume you're looking for an "entry
>level" C programmer.

I see your point, and agree to some extent. As you say....

>The key term now is "entry level". There are varying degrees of "entry level".
>It's wrong to base your questions on the job title. It means different things
>to different people. Precisely what does the job require? 

>1) do they need to know programming?
>2) do they need to know the C language?
>3) do they have to demonstrate a capacity to learn a language quickly?

I think what most people think of when they say or hear "entry-level C
programmer" is someone who's had the equivalent of an intro-to-C class,
as well as the usual CS stuff. That's my take, anyway.

I certainly don't think it's unreasonable for an employer to expect
a fresh college grad to have a good grasp of C. Certainly anyone who 
earns a CS degree in this decade without kowing what K&R is got buggered.

At my current job, knowing C well is one of the few solid requirements,
even for student interns. Most companies can only afford a certain amount
of spin-up time for new hires; if you're gonna have to teach the guy
about Unix internals or GUI programming, that's bad enough without
having to teach him to use pointers, too.

Of course, in practice, it's all moot. I'll bet many people's
experience is like mine: My interview consisted of an intense 
interrogation about C and Oracle, and now I spend most of my
time doing systems programming in Perl!

-- 
* This is (no offense meant) just plain stupid. -- Peter Seebach