Why Non-Coders Shouldn't Write Code 421
jfruh writes "Software firm FreeCause made a bit of a splash with a policy that requires all its employees — including marketers, finance, etc. — to write JavaScript code. And not just 'code to learn basics of what JavaScript can do,' but 'write code that will be used in production.' Phil Johnson, a tech writer and editor who himself once coded for a living, thinks this is nuts, a recipe for miserable workers and substandard code."
Then try working for a small company ... (Score:4, Informative)
Oh, oh... Executive Officers clean up overflowing toilets. Not so they get an appreciation of what is being done, but for the general entertainment of the rest of us!
Hell, I'd pay to see just one of the suits around here cleanin' a shitter or two...
Then try working for a small company that is owned by one person, or maybe two if they are spouses. Then you may very well see an owner come in half an hour early to clean the bathroom in the morning. And yes one person I once worked for who did so was a suit, a business/marketing guy. He never asked one of the programmers, qa/support guys or the receptionist to do so. Small shop, 6 employees, plus a consultant or two at times.
As an added bonus the suit above trusted our judgement on technical issues.
YMMV.
The policy is deomonstrably idiotic. (Score:4, Informative)
If you want to dig deeper, here's a page with the link to the 2006 study. Short version: not only can not everybody learn to program effectively, but that there's a simple test to predict if someone could or not without putting them through a year of school:
http://www.eis.mdx.ac.uk/research/PhDArea/saeed/ [mdx.ac.uk]
The overlapping bell curves explain a lot about grade distributions when I went to college.
The companies' rationale is all wrong (Score:4, Informative)
FTA:
Every FreeCause employee, from CEO Mike Jaconi on down, is learning JavaScript. Inspired by the dictate within its Japanese parent company Rakuten to have all its employees become fluent in English, Jaconi decided to have everyone, from himself down to the interns, learn to code.
Emphasis mine.
A Japanese firm having staff which are fluent in English is actually useful. It's a very common language around the world. There is almost no benefit to having an entire company that knows JavaScript, especially if they're not in coding roles. Sounds like the man just wanted to make headlines as a pioneer of some sort, regardless of the fact it makes him look stupid.