Speaking of Northern Europe, many people think of cold winters, long polar nights, fairy tale kingdoms and Santa Claus, but if I list the computer technologies born in Northern Europe, I am afraid you will be shocked. Let’s take a look at some character introductions:
- Linus Torvalds : Finnish computer programmer, founder and main developer of the Linux operating system.
- Bjarne Stroustrup : Danish computer scientist and creator of the C++ programming language.
- Rasmus Lerdorf : Danish computer programmer and founder of the PHP programming language.
- Lars Bak : Danish computer programmer and creator of the V8 JavaScript engine.
- Eivind Aarseth : Norwegian computer programmer and creator of the Sublime Text editor.
- Mårten Mickos : Finnish entrepreneur and software engineer who served as the CEO of MySQL.
The Nordic region is one of the hottest regions in the world for computer science and software engineering, with many successful technology companies and brilliant programmers. However, compared to China, the Nordic region seems to have far more top programmers than China. So why does the Nordic region have so many top programmers?
1. Differences in historical background and education system
First of all, the difference in historical background and education system is one of the main reasons for the difference in the number of top programmers in the two regions.
The education system in the Nordic region places a strong emphasis on education in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. This culture of emphasizing STEM began in the early 20th century. Finland, for example, began adopting educational reforms in the early 20th century to place a greater emphasis on STEM subjects in its education system. The education systems in the Nordic countries provide students with a rigorous education in mathematics and science, which prepares them for success in computer science and software engineering.
In contrast, China's education system places more emphasis on traditional subjects, such as literature and history. While China has also been advancing education in STEM fields, it hasn't been for very long. It is only in recent decades that STEM education in China has begun to receive attention. In addition, Chinese university education focuses on theoretical knowledge and lacks practical experience, which may affect the skill level of programmers.
In the 2018 International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC) World Finals, a total of 10 teams from Sweden, Denmark and Finland in the Nordic region entered the top 100, while only 2 teams from China entered the top 100. 3
2. Differences in working environment and culture
Secondly, the working environment and culture in the Nordic region and China are also very different. These differences to some extent affect the skill level of programmers in the two regions.
The work environment in the Nordic region is often very focused on work-life balance. They generally adopt a flexible working system, allowing employees to freely arrange their working hours according to their needs. This kind of work culture can make employees more focused on their work and have better productivity.
In contrast, China's work culture may be more results-oriented, ignoring the quality of work and happiness of employees. Companies and enterprises in China usually put more emphasis on overtime and overtime than the Nordic region, which can lead to programmers feeling tired and dissatisfied at work.
According to the 2018 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, developers in the Nordic region have the shortest working hours, averaging less than 40 hours per week, while Chinese developers work more than 50 hours per week on average.
3. Differences between policies and social security
Finally, policies and social security are also one of the factors that affect the difference in the number of top programmers in the two regions.
Policies in the Nordic region are very focused on attracting and retaining talent. Many Nordic countries have implemented very favorable tax policies and social security policies, which are very helpful in attracting and retaining excellent programmers. In addition, the governments of the Nordic region also attach great importance to supporting the development of the technology industry, investing a lot of funds and resources in R&D and innovation, which provides more opportunities and resources for local programmers.
In contrast, China's policies and social security are relatively weak, which may affect Chinese programmers. Although the Chinese government has been increasing investment and support for the technology industry, most of these investments are in high-tech fields and less in the software industry. In addition, China's social security system also has some shortcomings, such as medical security and pension security, which may affect the enthusiasm and stability of programmers.
According to the 2019 Expat Insider survey, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the Nordic region were named the best countries in the world for expats to live in, while China ranked 57th.
