
Ask HN: What are common things you see in a bad developer? - crush_xc
When you&#x27;re working with a developer what do you find most bad developers do that good ones tend to avoid?<p>Thanks!
======
enkiv2
If you don't have ten years of experience with at least five very-distinct
languages (i.e., C & C++ only count once, & Java and C# only count once),
you're not really a developer yet -- just an apprentice.

Sorry to say, there's no way to cut the gordian knot there: you're going to
have to wait until you gain the necessary experience before you're a benefit
rather than a liability.

If it's any consolation, most people with entry level / junior software
engineer jobs are in the same boat, & there are whole companies that are
essentially doomed because of a monoculture of people who haven't yet reached
minimum competence. If you're surrounded by peers that know twelve languages &
have been working as a dev for twenty years, then you're in a much better
place than most of your cohort.

~~~
humbleMouse
I respectfully disagree with everything you said here. Firstly, you are
speaking in vast generalizations about what being a "developer" means. You
don't need 10 years of experience with 5 distinct languages to be effective or
not a liability. That's bullshit.

I am curious - what kind of development are you referring to here? What kind
of things do you think people need 10 years of experience with multiple
languages to be effective at?

OP - don't listen to this guy. Focus on writing clean, simple, non-abstract
code that reads like a book. Make sure your code reads well and is written
with performance taken into consideration and you'll be fine.

To answer the original question - common things I have seen from bad
developers are the following:

1) Over complicating/engineering solutions to simple problems. 2) Not using
readily available libraries that solve 99% of the problems you'll run into. 3)
Naming methods and variables abstract things that don't accurately explain
what they're for. 4) Not asking co-workers for help/domain knowledge before
they start coding.

~~~
crush_xc
In defense of the person you replied to, I had the original question framed
around my situation more but edited it to be more generic. Thank you for the
information!

------
QuinnyPig
Treats other people like crap. The better someone is, generally the kinder
they are to other folks. Crap developers seem to have an edge to them- it's as
if they're afraid they're going to be found out as not being as skilled as
they portray themselves as, so they try to avoid that by demeaning others.

------
smt88
\- Specialization (as someone said) because they haven't learned how to learn.
Being able to learn a new stack, library, or language is really important.

\- Pre-mature optimization and/or perfectionism

