[plt-scheme] Re: Programming for non-programmers

Eric Kidd wrote:

> So if can reliably staff your project with very good programmers, you
>
>can reduce development costs by at least 30%.  So why doesn't
>everybody do this?
>
>  1) Good programmers are scarce.
>  2) Good programmers are hard to identify if you're not a good
>programmer yourself.
>
>The PLT project is trying to fix (1) by fixing CS education.  And
>they're doing a good job.  I've actually worked with people before and
>after they've studied HtDP, and seen people with very basic skills
>turned into respectable programmers.  I'd certainly pay 30% more for
>one of their graduates than for a programmer from a typical Java
>curriculum.
>  
>
The PLT project could help with point (2) as well if more managers were 
good programmers.  HtDP based courses in more business and engineering 
oriented curricula would help here.  I've seen poor programmer's do well 
as a result of their speaking or report writing ability despite the low 
quality of their work.  They tend to work for managers who know little 
about programming.  The common belief that a good manager can manage 
anything contributes to this.

Regards,
Steve

-- 
Steven H. Rogers, Ph.D., steve at shrogers.com
Weblog: http://shrogers.com/zope/reflections
"Don't worry about what anybody else is going to do. The best 
way to predict the future is to invent it." - Alan Kay