What interests me is if there's any correlation between objective ability (as in programming 'skill') and GPA. I'm not surprised that programmers with good GPAs make better hires for Joel - it means they're more likely to do work on somebody else's project even when it doesn't particularly interest them (which is good for an employer in a small/medium size firm like Fog Creek, as opposed to an early-stage startup).
But is there any correlation with programming ability? Or is GPA just an indicator of 'obedience'/employability?
Nonetheless - great insights, all of them, as is only to be expected from Mr Spolsky.
If the courses were rigorous enough, then I'm sure the correlation between grades and programming ability would be meaningful and fairly reliable. It's hard to imagine someone doing well at courses like algorithms, statistics, and compilers, and not being a decent programmer too.
> It's hard to imagine someone doing well at courses like algorithms, statistics, and compilers, and not being a decent programmer too.
Sure, but are those who did poorly in those classes less likely to be good programmers?
I aim for slightly over a 2.0. I limit myself from going lower because that puts me on probation, which does irritating things like prevent me from being on paper as a club officer (I'm unofficially the president of our LUG for this upcoming year). I don't aim for higher grades because I find that the amount of work required is on an exponential order - the difference between a D and a C is far less than a B and an A. Doing fewer assignments gives me time to work on all sorts of projects that there aren't any classes for. As a result, I've got a basic understanding of quite a few different things, enough to realize if one of them is a good solution for a problem.
But that's what I am - the guy who knows a little about a lot. My role in a recent team project was essentially that of technical advisor: when my teammates weren't sure of how to approach a problem, they came to me for suggestions.
Now, will this bite me in the butt later? Quite possibly.
Edit: I suppose my question is this: would you rather hire someone with a good GPA but little programming experience outside of school, or someone with a rather poor GPA but contributions to open-source (with code quality being roughly what you would expect in order to achieve the first candidate's GPA)?
There is a correlation between GPA and working hard.
Yes there are awesome programmers who have terrible GPAs because they dropped out of high school to found their own company, or who refused to do any non-programming subjects since kindergarten.
But you want to hire somebody he has been working their hardest on everything they have been given to do - however uninteresting - since the age of 11.
> But is there any correlation with programming ability? Or is GPA just an indicator of 'obedience'/employability?
When we were looking at entry-level resumes in a big consulting company we looked at the following:
1. Did they complete college? If not, have they shown that they can stick with something over months and years?
2. Did they have a good GPA? If not, do they stand out from their peers in other ways?
3. Have they chosen a path that takes dedication to master? We found that music majors could do very well on I.T. projects with some coaching. They were used to committing time and creativity to mastering difficult tasks.
But is there any correlation with programming ability? Or is GPA just an indicator of 'obedience'/employability?
Nonetheless - great insights, all of them, as is only to be expected from Mr Spolsky.