If he is a coder, how is it harder to judge the "talented" aspect of the equation?

People/soft skills are very important, but what % are they relative to coding quality/output/volume?

I've telecommuted for almost a year before, working for a startup.

Communication can be a pain and you have to be really careful about wording, etc. when you're using email / IM / etc. Without vocal inflection it's easy to mistake joking / sarcasm / bluntness as instead someone just being a total dick.

Josh, I expected as much, but it is unfortunate to hear. I really want to finish up my degree, but there is not a lot of startup activity in my area, and I am really itching to get involved with one. I've considered starting my own, but I don't yet have a good idea to go with, and I'd like more experience before I jump the gun. What if the student were willing to work for equity (obviously a small amount) rather than pay?

It's a considerable risk handing any sort of substantial work to a new person in a small startup. I'm not going to give responsibility to someone who I don't trust completely and, being part-time, may not have the level of commitment to follow through, leaving me high and dry.

As you have probably read elsewhere, the choice of co-founders and early employees is extremely important to a startup.

That said, depending on your skillset, you might want to look for freelance work for smaller companies on places like authenticjobs.com or the 37signals gig board. These will give you good experience and credibility, and require less risk on the part of the hiring company.

Where are you and what skills do you have?

I think starting your own or getting involved with something locally is your best bet. That's the fastest way to get experience.

I forgot to touch on the skills part of things. I am three years through a CS degree, so I have the experience you'd expect from that (Java/.NET/C++ development, UML, some design, significant math (Calculus, Linear Algebra, Stats), but I have also been working as a Ruby on Rails developer for a year now, and really dived into it. I really love software development, and I am learning Scheme on my own right now. I've been working through SICP and have almost completed chapter 2, doing every single exercise on the way. I've also dabbled with smalltalk and seaside, and that looks appealing as well. As far as what I would be looking for in a job, I don't really care about the language. If it is one I know already, great, if not, I'd be more than happy to learn a new one. I just want to work with smart, ambitious people in a setting where I can actually do significant work, rather than the drudgery that I have experienced from my corporate experiences so far.

Since you mention the words "smalltalk", "seaside", and "dabble" ;), drop me a note - [email protected].

I live in Salt Lake City. I did work for a local "startup", but they a marketing startup where software was a small part of the company, and I was basically the only developer. I am looking for something with more like minded individuals and more software oriented.