[dalke]

No.

Work isn't linear. Overwork often leads to less productive work, so working (say) 100 hour weeks for a year might be less of a learning experience than working 40 hours weeks for two years.

Part of experience is in knowing how things evolve. Best practices change. If you only have 2 years of clock time experience but claim 4 years of "real" experience due to working 80 hour weeks, then that doesn't mean you know to handle the changes from 3 years ago when Framework 2.4 became Framework 3.0.

You also don't have a baseline. A lot of people regularly overwork.

Finally, if someone asks "when did your first use Framework" and you reply 2013 but your resume says you have 4 years of experience, then you will likely be called out for the discrepancy.

[bobisme]

Ok, thanks. I was thinking more from the point of view that programming is a skill and skills develop with hours of practice.

[dalke]

Skill development, in the model of K. Anders Ericsson, requires a certain type of deliberate practice, not simply "hours of practice." Moreover, he argues that it's only possible to spend a few hours a day at deliberate practice. The rest doesn't contribute to improved learning.

[hashkb]

After a few real years, you'll start to appreciate how much experience your brain gets when you're washing the dishes. You need time away from the primary task to get better at it. I also echo the other points.