Re:Top developers can have a life outside coding
by andrewstuart on Saturday May 21, 2016 @06:33PM
(#11746486)
Whether an employer should select employees who have a personal interest in their field of work very much depends on what the job is. In some cases a personal interest matters, in some cases it does not. To address your specific scenario, yes I would select marketing people who have some evidence of a personal interest in the field. Marketing is something that is done better when the practitioner thinks about it. For other jobs, personal interest might matter less.
As for software developers, I think most employers do not expect to provide employees with learning time. Larger employers do so, typically through formal training programs.
But if you are a software developer then you need to understand that the industry as a whole expects that you do your own learning. What do I think? I think that is fine, it's no great burden to put a little attention towards software development outside work hours. Doesn't need to be all your available time.
And if you want to be a software developer and resent learning and the time it takes then matey boy, you are in the wrong game.
Do you ask sales people if they have independent side commissions, or would you consider that as cutting into the time spent chasing the deals your company looks after?
Do you ask strategic account managers if they take the time to visit their clients beyond an employers' requirements, or do you see that as a liability for having them poached as in-house talent?
I get that you want developers who show an intrinsic interest in staying current, because the field often requires training in deeper levels or new technologies. But that's different than avoiding someone who's obstinate about always doing things the old way: no one wants that in any role. The real question I think you're missing is this: is it the employee's job to do this on his/her own time, or should the company be providing the time and resources into it as normal staff development?