5 Weeks! Great Scott!

Today I had a job interview for an Android programming job for a company that I can not disclose. The company was started by three recent Entrepreneurship graduates. They are looking for an Android developer to make an application for them. I wish I could say more, but legally I can't.

I believe that they have a breakthrough idea, but I do not seeing them succeeding unless they learn a lesson. Don't make unrealistic timelines.  Dr. Emmett Brown pretty much sums up my shock when they said they wanted a full blown app in five weeks, and that I would be the sole developer on the project.

Business people do not understand software development. That is why they hire engineers to make the software for them. Unrealistic timelines will scare off potentially valuable resources, demotivate the team, and flat out stress people out.

As far as the interview goes, I nailed it. My answers for the questions were perfect. I got a lot of "good answer's" from the interviewers and they were really into my ideas for the app. Unfortunately, I can not meet their timeline. I do not know whether or not they were interested in hiring me or not, but as my decision stands right now, I would have to respectfully decline their offer, solely because of a bad timeline. This is not just a message to business people, I have learned that many people, regardless of their field are often unrealistic with timelines. Do yourself a favor, set realistic timelines, surpass your expectations and feel good about doing so.