How relevant is talent in IT?
- very relevant
- somehow relevant
- not relevant
Note: This is my personal opinion based on my personal experience.
I am not very talented. As a kid, I had a hard time learning to read and write. When I tried to learn my first programming language, I was not able to understand the concept of variables. Over the years, I spent many hours learning some advanced programming ideas. Yet, I perceive myself as a quite successful “IT person”.
At one stage of my career, I was privileged to build my own team. I interviewed, hired, promoted, and fired many people. I saw some develop as mature consultants while others fall behind.
One thing struck me at that moment. Some of the best candidates I hired, were not willing to put in the work to learn/improve their skills. At the same time, some candidates who barely met my requirements became my core team for many years.
Those “best candidates” were smart (talented?), presented well during the interview, and had some decent knowledge. But being smart (talented?) took them only through the recruitment process. For sure it helps when you are smart and understand advanced concepts with ease, but that is not enough if you are not willing to put in extra hours every day to learn.
Since that time, whenever I see a recruiter “looking for top talent” I smile. Based on my experience, talent has nothing to do with IT.
What is your opinion?
