I was reading a Malcolm Gladwell blog entry titled Teachers And Quarterbacks this morning. He made a comment I think is relevant to anyone hiring software developers. Gladwell, in part said ..what matters more than anything in predicting professional success is the quality of the learning environment that the quarterback is drafted into, not the quality of the experience he was drafted from. Ive hired many developers. Some were right out of school. Some worked out well and some didnt. Gladwells comment makes me wonder what kind of learning environment my shops offered and prompted me to suggest anyone hiring a newbe should be pretty confident they have created one where a inexperienced person can succeed.