We all know and love the Joel Test , Joel Spolsky's quick quiz to determine the quality of a software team. If you're searching for a job, it's a great idea to run potential employers through the Joel Test.





There's a problem with it, though. Well, there are multiple problems. First, who the hell cares about hallway usability testing? Second, you're only checking for the good qualities of a team. What about the horrendously bad qualities that will eventually drive you towards both insanity and a crippling dependency on cough syrup?

We need something like the Joel Test to measure the potential crappiness of a job, or else each of us might stumble into becoming Milton Waddams.





Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Codypo Test, aka 8 Questions To Identify A Lame Programming Job. If you are in an interview, you give the company the Codypo test, and the job scores more than a 1 or 2, you need to pull the fire alarm and get the hell out of there.









1. Would I be paid below market rates?





If they're looking for 10 years of hardcore, multithreaded C++ experience and they're offering 48k, these people have lost their minds. Expect this sort of delusional thinking to appear in everything they do.





2. Would I always be on call?





No one likes being on call, because as soon as you're on call, someone is going to page you at 3 AM on a Sunday because the Reset button on the support portal is a different shade of blue than they're expecting. Occasional on call stints are both understandable and tolerable, but 24/7 is for doctors and exorcists.





3. Am I the IT staff?





You are a programmer. You make software. You are happy to support your software.

This does not, however, mean you are a computational master of the universe, and just the guy to ask why the receptionist's laptop got all weird after she installed that Garfield screensaver.





4. Would I work with a single monitor?





It's no longer 1998. We don't have to stare at a single 17" boat anchor all day while rocking out to Smashmouth. You can buy huge, thin LCDs for $100 each. If doubling your productivity isn't worth $200 to this company, then this company may just be a really elaborate practical joke played by an eccentric billionaire.



