Usually it is said in the form of "one year experience over 10 years". Or similar variations. I see this phenomena being mentioned several times in the field of programming.<p>It suggest problem of lagging in skills, basically spinning your wheels and falling well below expectations of employers.<p>I sometimes read about ways on PREVENTING it, but I rarely see it come up with solutions to fix it once you're waist-deep into this problem.<p>For the sake of convenience, a lot of companies correlate years of experience with skill level when vetting candidates for jobs. But several programmers have fallen on the "slow" track for one reason or another, and break those expectations making them very tough to judge.<p>These programmers end up with "senior-level" years but still maybe junior-level in skill and wisdom. And need to catch up to the status quo or risk being un-hireable at many places.<p>How do you solve this problem when you're already regarded as unfit for work?<p>How would they stand a chance against the average developer?<p>What companies are most willing to give the "one year experience over many years" worker a fighting chance and get them up to speed?
Fixing it is hard. The biggest hurdle is just admitting to yourself where you're at and how you got there. As much as you can blame your previous employer for your situation, it's ultimately your responsibility and you need to own that.<p>From a hiring manager perspective, I wouldn't say that it's game over, however. I've had plenty of devs get to the interview stage that have an experience vs skill mismatch, maybe 5 years instead of 10, but I consider them for maintenance work or our QA team that's less code heavy. For someone in this position, those roles might be a better fit or the candidate would have a place to prove themselves. Of course, you'd have to take a pay cut and take a mid-level or possibly a junior position. If I offered someone with 5 years of experience a junior position, it would probably be communicated that a bump could happen in 6 months to a mid-level role. A trial period of sorts.<p>The key is to be upfront. I've had devs try to bullshit their experience into something it obviously wasn't and it never works. I'd be blown away if a candidate came in, acknowledged their deficiencies, and said "I'm doing XYZ to figure it out and I really just need a chance to prove myself". Don't underestimate the importance of attitude and industry experience.<p>> What companies are most willing to give the "one year experience over many years" worker a fighting chance and get them up to speed?<p>Something about this question rubs me the wrong way. If you've fallen into the 1x10 pattern, no company is responsible for giving you a fighting chance. The burden is now on you. The advice I can give you is the same as any other dev, but probably more important, find a way to show me your skills and that you're working on improving. Open source work, code tests, side projects, anything and be able to discuss them.<p>The 1x10 devs that I already have are the ones who reject the opportunities given to them, who don't want extra responsibilities, and who aren't interested in learning new things. You need to give me confidence that that isn't you.
To me, this seems like it is either an issue of confidence or passion.<p>What makes you say that you have junior level skill and wisdom? If companies have employed you for 10 years you are bound to have learned a bunch of things in that period of time. A lot of blue flamers[1] fresh out of college may have a fancy buzz words for describing things, but nothing tops experience.<p>If you truly have gone 10 years without picking up any experience that would differentiate you from someone fresh out of college its pretty evident that this is not where your passion lies. Would you be reigniting your passion, or would you be trying to improve by sheer force of will. If its the latter, I would consider making a career change. Writing code isn't the only way to make money. You'll do a much better job and get more satisfaction out of doing something you enjoy.<p>Obviously this is just my $.02 and I would definitely recommend against blindly taking advice from strangers on the internet.<p>1.<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/blankies/comments/765fk4/blue_flamer_defined/" rel="nofollow">https://www.reddit.com/r/blankies/comments/765fk4/blue_flame...</a>
> What companies are most willing to give the "one year experience over many years" worker a fighting chance and get them up to speed?<p>The simple answer is none.<p>The company would need to not only figure out why an individual was behind, but then make a call if they were a worth while investment to get up to speed. Too many variables too much room for dishonesty or it not working out. No need to make that sort of investment when there are other people out there, who will likely cost the same amount (all in) and be productive.<p>> I rarely see it come up with solutions to fix it once you're waist-deep into this problem.<p>Individual problems require individual solutions - Change what area one works in (frontend vs backend vs embedded) and make a radical language change. Basically start over and then work like a starving student (be hungry for knowledge).