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From: duncan@ctt.bellcore.com (Scott Duncan)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: What's "Average" in Software? (was Re: bridge building and discipline)
Message-ID: <1991May22.204237.7711@bellcore.bellcore.com>
Date: 22 May 91 20:42:37 GMT
References: <1991May15.223719.10256@auto-trol.com> <1991May16.152429.27870@bellcore.bellcore.com> <1991May17.112755.14611@weyrich.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@bellcore.bellcore.com (Poster of News)
Reply-To: duncan@ctt.bellcore.com (Scott Duncan)
Organization: Computer Technology Transfer, Bellcore
Lines: 25

There have been a couple posts about this that have gotten into the statistical
meaning of average, median, etc. or at least what these may imply (as in half
the folks above and half below).

There has also been commentary about employer standards for what they want (and
think they have).

What I was trying to get at was that "average" is often a negative term used
to imply those who need to "shape up" in some way.  By implication, it seems
to mean "below average."

So my interest in the idea of "average" was to explore what characteristics
people felt distinguish "average," from "below average," from "above average"
in software skill.  For example, given many things a person could know about
software development, what would they need to know (or be able to do) to be
"above average?"  Then what would qualify them as "average?"  Then what would
be "below average?"

I am assuming that even a "below average" person must know _something_ or they
wouldn't even be included in the count!

Speaking only for myself, of course, I am...
Scott P. Duncan (duncan@ctt.bellcore.com OR ...!bellcore!ctt!duncan)
                (Bellcore, 444 Hoes Lane  RRC 1H-210, Piscataway, NJ  08854)
                (908-699-3910 (w)   609-737-2945 (h))