i can has apex?

This was the question posed to me recently, and typically a difficult question to answer in the realm of computer science.

If a manager is hiring for a junior java programmer position asks, they're actually wondering if you've ever had a job as a Java programmer. If James Gosling asks, he's wondering "Can you list the standard java classes from memory - by package, alphabetically?".

And the question gets even more vague when we move to Salesforce.com. Why? Because Salesforce does NOT require a high level of technical expertise to be successful. Depending on the organization, the definition of "Development" on the Force.com platform can range from "Can you create formula fields?" to "Can you write an Apex Trigger?". Because the Force.com platform allows us to create sophisticated applications with ZERO code, most of the administrators out there have never THOUGHT of writing a trigger, and are rather amazed by someone who can.

"I met this Force.com developer - he was nuts! He wrote, like, 5 triggers, and even had a Visualforce Tab in his app! What an incredible developer!"

Any programmers reading this are chuckling to themselves. "Anyone impressed by a 'mere trigger' isn't a PROGRAMMER! They don't understand the DEPTH and COMPLEXITY of CODING!"

True. And the fact is, you don't need to know such things in order to develop very sophisticated custom applications on the Force.com Platform.

And it's this very dichotomy that makes it a difficult question. But it helps to know who's asking the question: System Administrator asking? "Why yes I am - I've written over 20 triggers" would suffice. Senior Java Programmer asking? "Why yes I am - in fact, I just wrapped up writing the unit test coverage on a 1000-line Apex class - man, those static methods were driving me NUTS!" is the entry level response.

And me? The 1000-line example is a true story, so yes, I am. Those with 20 years of C programming may disagree. But that's the beauty of Salesforce - expert development is available - without 20 years of C programming experience!