I frequently read about the shortage of programmers in the tech industry. There’s no shortage of ads beckoning to coders to come join a fresh, young, passionate company with flexible hours, beer in the fridge, nap rooms, and ping-pong tables. The problem, as you and I both know, is that those ads are filled with phrases like “minimum 3 years programming experience in a fast paced, changing organization”, “Senior Developer with a degree in Computer Science”, and “Full Stack Developer.”

There’s also a growing number of entrants into the field. Take this guy for example, http://antfreda.com/. He seems like a guy who’s committed to the goal, will to work and put in the time. But here he is, coming up empty. There may be more to his story, but there are a lot of people out there trying to join the industry, without much luck.

This is an industry known for it’s open spirit. For thinking outside the box. And for happily collaborating, sharing and helping each other to a level unprecedented in the history of business. So may I make a suggestion? Every business which benefits from the work of developers and has a staff of, let’s say 5 or more, should hire one staff member who is totally and completely green.

Now I’m not saying just hire anyone who shows up at the door. You’re still looking for the one with the strong inner geek. The one who’s gets up in the morning, goes to the keyboard and tries out something she thought of in the night that might be the answer to something she was trying to understand the day before. The one who works at it in their spare time because they love it, but looks for a job because they also need to eat, and have a place to sleep.

Here’s why you should hire the noob.

Money. You are, after all, a business, and by definition need to be profitable. Noobs are willing to start out at a very affordable rate. They understand (or should) that they are building skills, and as such, must accept a lower salary in the early days in order to get the payoff later.

Loyalty. If you help a good person get into the field, treat them well, and pay them fairly as their skills develop, you are likely to have a highly loyal workforce who will walk through fire for you. If you have loyalty from your team, and your customers, the job of running your business will become much easier. (BTW, if you don’t have this with your team, you’re doing it wrong.)

Commitment to the industry. For you to survive and thrive, your industry needs to survive and thrive. You are part of a bigger team. And you must do your part. If you, and all others like you, in the industry, collaborate to bridge the gap between the unskilled and skilled, we will make this industry stronger. And we will continue to be the future and together change the world.

There are plenty more reasons to hire a noob. Maybe you just need some good karma, or the warm fuzzy feeling you get from doing a good deed. But think about it. And next time you’re reading that resume from the candidate who sounds great, but just doesn’t quite have the skills, consider stepping up and doing your part.