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by tzs 699 days ago
If the internet is to be believed the average software engineer changes jobs every couple of years.

If that's true it makes some sense for a company to want to only hire people whose skills exactly match the specific thing they are hiring them to work on. If they only think the new hire is not going to be around long term why put resources into teaching them new skills?
3 comments
xethos 699 days ago
Oh hey, I've heard this joke before -one manager says to another "But what if they leave after we train them?"

The other manager asks back "What if we don't train them, and they stay?"

Not investing in people (and jobs) is a two-way street; there's always someone young and naive to think hard work and investment will be rewarded, and most companies have been around long enough to have set the assumption that "No it fucking doesn't".

The new guys need the most investment. Companies hiring are actively teaching them to be jaded by not investing in their employees.

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michaelbrave 697 days ago
that's a chicken and egg problem. People change jobs frequently mostly due to two reasons: 1. higher pay 2. to get away from bad management or a bad work environment (same thing really)

If it's the kind of place that doesn't help train new skills, that falls under "bad management". Employees could collectively try to be the better person first in fixing this, but most modern history would show that most employers if given an inch will take a mile, and will generally pay the least amount possible, expect one-sided loyalty, and overall get away with everything they can until either regulation or market forces force them to change.

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johnnyanmac 698 days ago
>it makes some sense for a company to want to only hire people whose skills exactly match the specific thing they are hiring them to work on

The good ol' "10 years of experience in Swift" approach... Though that joke is so old now that it probably is possible to legitimately have that.

That approach would make sense if the requirements seemed possible to begin with. And the salary was enough to attract that kind of niche talent. You're basically asking for a consultant for an employee's salary at that point.

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majewsky 695 days ago
> The good ol' "10 years of experience in Swift" approach... Though that joke is so old now that it probably is possible to legitimately have that.

Just about. Swift was released on June 2, 2014.

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