Are you trying to guarantee system failure?

When selecting software and support, some bad decisions transcend company size and industry. One of the worst things you can do is to hire your brother (sister, cousin, nephew, friend . . . ) who is learning to program.

It seems like a great deal at the time. Your best friend loves her programming classes, and when she hears you complain about how hard it is to find a good software developer to make a small change to your application, she offers to do it at a very low rate after hours. You agree – thinking, “What can I lose?”

Turns out you can lose both your friendship AND the reliability of your software.

A new programmer needs to work under the direction of an experienced software analyst. No matter how great the teacher and how applicable the classroom experience, it’s not the same as working on a real production system.

One out of 20 people who are learning to program can complete the work you need in a timely manner, but do you really want to bet your software on a 5% chance of success?

Experience and teamwork are necessary to successfully modify existing software or integrate applications. Designing and developing a new business system requires skills that are almost always beyond anything students learn in a classroom situation.

We’ve completed the code for many systems that were started by an inexperienced developer who got to what he or she thought was “90%” finished. In the best cases, 50% of the functionality was coded, and the original design and most of the existing code could be salvaged. In the worst cases, we had to start over.

If you really want to hire a relative or friend who is learning to be a programmer, do both of you a favor and be sure to pair him or her with an experienced IT professional who can mentor and supervise.