[rkunnamp]

Just like 'There is no such person as Good CEO', but only 'A Good CEO for a particular company, at a particular point of time', there is no such a person as 'Good Programmer', there is only 'A Good Programmer for a particular job, at a particular point of time'.

Context matters a lot. One does not use an AK-47 to kill a mosquito. It is terrible for that job. But that does not make AK-47 a terrible weapon.

Good at programming competitions does not equal good at any programming job, is a more appropriate sentence.

[kpil]

I think that there are personal traits that make people perform good in most situations, but perhaps not all extremes. As continuity is normally good, you try to find those, and change only if you really have to.

A programming competition evaluates almost none of the traits thats doing a marathon run as a highly preforming team.

[dsfyu404ed]

Have you tried killing mosquitos on the back of a deer[1] standing behind a tree at 400yd. Even the AK with it's heavy cartridge isn't enough. You want a full power rifle, especially if the tree is a hardwood. /s