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

>Message: 8
>Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 09:44:08 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Noel Welsh <noelwelsh at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Re: [plt-scheme] Re: Programming for non-programmers
>To: PLT Scheme <plt-scheme at list.cs.brown.edu>
>
>
>--- "Neil W. Van Dyke" <neil at neilvandyke.org> wrote:
>
>> I think they'll increasingly find that
>> they're not sufficiently competitive in a global IT
>> workforce.
>
>> Perhaps the US can out-educate inexpensive overseas
>> labor, enough to
>> catch up cost-effectiveness-wise.  (An HtDP in every high
>> school!)
>
>Preach on, brother. (And generalise the US to "Western
>nations".)  Here are two puzzles I'd like to solve:
>
>  1. How can I make myself 20x more productive than an
>Indian SE, so our salaries are comparable
>
>  2. Why aren't top SE's paid £300ph (circa $600ph), which
>is what a top lawyer would easily charge?  Software is
>incredibly valuable, or Microsoft wouldn't be what it is,
>so something must be wrong if we can't charge what lawyers
>do.
>
>I suspect solving 1 would also solve 2.
>
>Noel
>

1. Use Scheme creatively. For example, we are using PLT Scheme 
to generate applications (in C#). We gain better than 20X
productivity over people who just write the apps in C#. So if 
you bill for output and not hours, you achieve your goal.

2. As Matthias claims -- savvy companies WILL pay $200k for
great programmers. Great programmmers, for example, come up
with solutions like 1) above ;)

Alex