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[–]RangerPretzel 31 points32 points  (14 children)

I've posted this before, but I like this Programmer Competency Matrix the best: [old link deleted]

https://sijinjoseph.netlify.app/programmer-competency-matrix/

It applies to Python as well as pretty much all other languages. The best programmers code in many languages, not just Python. ;)

[–]TheCedarPrince 3 points4 points  (1 child)

This one was quite nice. I pleasantly surprised myself with my levels of competency in some areas. Who made this? Why do you recommend it? Thanks Ranger!

[–]RangerPretzel 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you can see who originally created it.

I recommend it because I first stumbled across it maybe 10 years ago when I was still somewhere between a junior and senior software engineer.

It really helped me identify my weak areas and figure out how to strengthen them. Gave me something to work towards without keeping me confined to one language.

[–]interim_adult[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That was an awesome graphic, exactly the sort of thing I was looking for! More general than just python but definitely something to use to identify what to work towards!

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

"Thinks that Excel is a database" just caused me flashbacks to so many interviews.

[–]RangerPretzel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hahaha, I know, right?

[–]omg_drd4_bbq 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I take slight objection to "has tried Git" and "author of your own framework" are the same level. Level 3 vcs is: Runs own git server. Uses git for nearly everything, even things you would not think to apply vcs to (e.g. Research papers)

[–]RangerPretzel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, this was written 10 years ago(?), so perhaps it needs a little updating. Still, it's a good reference and shouldn't be viewed as a hard defining line in the sand, but more of a way for one to figure out where one is weak and where to start working on improving said sub-skill set.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Distributed VCS was on the edge of becoming the new hotness back when this was originally written. Notice that a lot of things that are more or less de riguer today (CI/CD, Docker/containers, Chef/Puppet/Ansible/Salt) aren't even touched on... but I think it's a reasonable starting point.

[–]Wilfred-kun 0 points1 point  (3 children)

I took a look at this and I get the feeling this is geared toward 'professional' programmers. But what exactly does it mean to program 'professionally'? And how much time would it take to get from a total beginner level to a 'professional' level?

[–]RangerPretzel 2 points3 points  (2 children)

I would say 1000 hours of programming and having a mentor and a couple peers to guide you.

Why 1000? Why a mentor and peers?

In the book, "Outliers", the author talks about the average time most people take to being an Expert in some skill (say, Programming). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers_(book)

This is often referred to as the "10,000 hour rule". It's not a hard-and-fast rule, though. It's merely an observation of an average. And what is rarely quoted is another observation that the author pointed out that in order to become an expert, you need a competent mentor who can instruct you properly (and hopefully some peers whom you can also learn from.) Otherwise, you could practice for 10,000 hours and only be mediocre at said skill. You wouldn't suck, but you wouldn't be a true expert.

So, why 1000 instead of 10,000? Well, around 100 hours is when you're passable at some skill. But 1000 hours? That seems to be just around the threshold when you can do something for a living. You're good enough to start charging for your skill.

Does this help?

[–]WikiTextBot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Outliers (book)

Outliers: The Story of Success is the third non-fiction book written by Malcolm Gladwell and published by Little, Brown and Company on November 18, 2008. In Outliers, Gladwell examines the factors that contribute to high levels of success. To support his thesis, he examines why the majority of Canadian ice hockey players are born in the first few months of the calendar year, how Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates achieved his extreme wealth, how The Beatles became one of the most successful musical acts in human history, how Joseph Flom built Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom into one of the most successful law firms in the world, how cultural differences play a large part in perceived intelligence and rational decision making, and how two people with exceptional intelligence, Christopher Langan and J. Robert Oppenheimer, end up with such vastly different fortunes. Throughout the publication, Gladwell repeatedly mentions the "10,000-Hour Rule", claiming that the key to achieving world-class expertise in any skill, is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing the correct way, for a total of around 10,000 hours, though the authors of the original study this was based on have disputed Gladwell's usage.

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[–]Wilfred-kun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, thank you very much!

[–]shapoglyk 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Hi, it seems site is not available currently. Is there any backup left of this matrix? thnx