Bruce Patin - 2011-12-01 01:14:42
Too many jobs these days ask for a long list of specific skills in specific products, rather than looking for a talented individual who can quickly learn a bit of the list on the job. Some of the products required are obscure, and the personnel department or hiring manager have no clue why they can't find anyone who fits their list.
Regarding working from home - sometimes it works, but the distractions may make it very difficult. For some of the years I worked at home, I hired a nanny to take care of the kids and locked myself in a home office. That worked. Some other years of the time, my wife expected me to do the laundry or other chores while working - which made it difficult to concentrate on programming.
I like best to commute to work in a regular office, because I find it easier to talk to people about solutions when I or the other person(s) can casually walk over to do it, often with diagrams or printed pages. Video conferencing is still too cumbersome and formal, requiring too much preparation. Office distractions are usually either minimal or actually an asset to the job. However, the commute needs to be not more than half an hour. Long commutes are definitely a turn-off, especially if that is added to long hours on the job.
