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Software Engineers Say They're Losing the Ability to Code Now That AI Does It for Them (futurism.com)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 53 points 3 months ago (7 children)

We have been interviewing for entry level positions and the new grads know less than ever before. I don't really care what they know, I am looking for evidence that they can think, but I usually ease them into thinking scenarios by asking easy foundational questions like how many bits in a byte. You would think I was asking for them to explain the Shrodinger wave equations... One candidate was waivering between 13 and 17...

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  • [–] 32 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    Metric or imperial byte?

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  • [–] 9 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Two nibbles is an acceptable answer.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago

    You jest, but a byte isn't always 8 bits (well, nowaday it kinda is, de facto, but it wasn't always like that). An 8-bit byte is called an octet, I don't see it used much in english, but apparently it is used nonetheless, after a quick check. Since octets are the standard byte size, I suppose we could call them "metric bytes".

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  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    ..easy foundational questions like how many bits in a byte..

    GTFO.

    I mean, yeah.. perhaps it's to be expected. https://www.theverge.com/22684730/students-file-folder-directory-structure-education-gen-z - if this is true, it's as the methods of using computers and various devices has been infantilized and made too easy.

    Yeah.. let's obscure the inner working of computing and make the process as opaque to the user as possible. It'll be fine.. no negative consequences at all.

    Colleges do not matriculate anymore (that's in the British sense of the word, where one has to show actual knowledge in the degree field one is seeking before enrolling, and TBH, they haven't done so for a very long time, actually..) so this is what we get.

    Higher ed in the US is just about da moneys..

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  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    It is ridiculous. I am interviewing for embedded systems development where we frequently write to specific bits in a register. I am sure these kids have had to learn something, but I can't figure out a polite way to ask them to give me some examples of what.

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  • [–] 10 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    There was a series of questions I heard in a political discussion about whether or not any given politician understood what the internet was, and if they really had any idea of how to regulate it.

    They are.. "Explain the differences between, the internet, the world wide web, a search engine and a browser."

    If the person could not answer those 4 questions , well.. they shouldn't have been trying to write legislation about it. I think that still stands as a basic foundational step to start from

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  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    There are internets, but there is only one Internet.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    I miss the Internet. Frankly, I find that the web blows balls now. :(

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Dead Internet is a thing for a reason. :(

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  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    I can't wrap my head around how the people in the article get anything done on the computer.

    Sure, I could have File Explorer search for a file in theory, but it's ridiculously slow and often fails to find the files I actually want. It's way faster to just have things organized on a day-to-day basis

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago

    Oddly enough I've always sorted current working files by date.

    Then when backup time comes I'll look at the last dated file in the archive, then go to that date in my current work folder and everything newer goes into the backup. Once it's in the main backup folder, I then sort the files into year and project.

    Still, on my system (a MacPro from the Olden Times when Steve Jobs was still kicking) I have 4 drives, so it's crucial to know what is where.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    One candidate was waivering between 13 and 17...

    Pleas tell me that's a joke. Or were they trying to switch fields and were a baker or something before? I just can't accept that someone that would struggle with that question, even in a stressfull situation, ever took a single comp science class.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago

    It's called entry-level for a reason. Back in my days, you could start such a position without any formal education as long as you were willing to acquire the required skills and knowledge without needing a nanny. We had to go to the library or actually buy the books for knowledge. Now they can just use the internet.
    The actual requirement for doing the job never changed. And it's not knowledge.

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