Ask HN: Does learning coding at university result in a "programming accent"?
Much like someone learning a second language later in life might have a detectable accent, the same might be true for people who learn programming later in life?
I guess it is less the uni than the first job(s). On the uni for me it was everything from assembler, c, bash to java and matlab so rather no chances for catching an accent.
But later working with some folks and doing much coding on my own could create some style, like naming the methods or the overall way of thinking of and structuring the code.
Also the Clean Code and Thinking in Patterns books could shape that in some way.
I think you get your "programming accent" during your first real work experience or major project rather than the learning phase at uni.
It tends to mimic the "accent" of the most experienced programmer on your team.
The real test is whether they are curious and can continue to learn throughout their career.
A uni CS degree is essentially a very specific sort of history degree, it helps but it's not essential. What is essential is knowing if you're right or wrong or can't tell (and being ok with being wrong and taking criticism, which is maybe the biggest obstacle to computing for most people), knowing when to ask for help (early and often, btw) and allowing yourself to always continue to explore new ideas and technologies. Those are the traits required to be a good software developer, everything else is anecdotal.