What do programming contests actually measure? I've been to a few in the past and I am never quite certain what to expect or what value they provide. I think of them in similar terms to spelling bees or other narrow academic challenges. They're great if you want to know if someone is good at something very specific. You also get a good idea of how people react under pressure. At the same time, I think these contests can attract a very specific type of person and don’t provide a great view of how people would work in a business environment.
But when I ran across this article in Business Week, I took a moment to reconsider what the performance and participation in a recent programming contest meant (as did the Steve Hamm when he wrote the article). Steve's main point is that the US needs to acknowledge that we are not producing as many software engineers at the market demands. He points out that the main fear from people thinking about entering this market is:
that if they become programmers they'll lose their jobs to counterparts in India and China, who work for a fraction of the pay. Analysts say those worries are overblown: Programmers with leadership and business skills will do just fine. But the message isn't getting through.
None of this is new and we have seen these trends in other industries. In fact, most of his article heartily supports what Gret and I have been saying here on our blog. The question is then: where does this leave the industry and those of us that support it?
Just some food for thought on a fine Wednesday morning.
Cheers,
zoë