May 13, 2016: Friday news roundup
It’s Friday the 13th, so try to avoid bad luck and black cats today. We’ve got some thought-provoking reads this week about what aspiring programmers should or shouldn’t learn, the truth about millennials, and some ideas from the Udemy for Business team.
Please don’t learn to code
This piece got a lot of people talking and debating. The author, an iOS engineer, suggests that those who’ve been advocating for more people attending coding bootcamps and the like are missing the bigger picture of what it means to be a great programmer. Rather than simply learning languages and generating code, aspiring engineers need first to understand the problem in front of them and why it needs solving, according to this writer.
The three skills every software developer should learn
Software paragon Joel Spolsky doesn’t necessarily disagree with the previous article. He, too, advises people not to focus exclusively on the hot tech skills of the moment. Instead, Spolsky points to three fundamentals every programmer should learn: economics, writing, and C programming.
How badly companies misunderstand millennials
No, millennials aren’t just looking for the employer with the coolest rock wall and most tempting snack selection. According to a new Gallup poll, we’re seeing a shift from “paycheck to purpose” as the most important factor when millennials go job-hunting. Moreover, 59 percent of millennials rate opportunities to learn and grow as “extremely important” when applying for a new job.
The thing employers look for when hiring recent graduates
Okay, so if millennials want career development and purpose from their employers, what do employers want from new grads? In a word: internships. And other “experiences outside academics.” There are interesting findings from the Chronicle of Higher Education about how different industries value different aspects of a resume, whether it’s grades, major, or work experience.
Consumerization of learning
Here, Udemy for Business Director of Product Marketing Yvonne Chen explains why companies need to deliver training that’s less corporate and more consumer-oriented. That means making engaging content available across devices and on demand whenever employees want or need to pick up new skills.