I am in a position where I have to hire a programmer and have the option of 2 candidates, the first has experience but he doesn't have a passion for coding and he says so while the second doesn't have the experience but he has the passion, he did well in the interview and is certified.We have the resources to train someone, but I really don't want to blow this process and hire someone who will be disappointing. Can anyone help me as to how to approach this situation?
Choosing between two programmers: experience vs. passion
career development;management;hiring
Wow guys this has stirred up a lot of debate in the end I decided to give the rookie a shot and he has great promise so far, to the point that I am so worried maybe he is working so hard that he'll burn out.In the end I gave them a simple 10 minute programming task and discussed how they came about to their solution and other possible solutions, the pro's and cons and I just felt like the rookie seemed to have a sound understanding. So in the end I read a lot of articles but I felt like the young guy was a good choice.There is nothing wrong with experience, but a lot of programmers go to work and spend their time daydreaming. You don't have to code in your spare time, a lot of us do but it's not a must. A competent programmer ought to spend his 40 hours at work each week solving problems and keeping up to date with his tools. The truth though is the divide between great and average programmers exists because in this profession an individual can just coast and just be an architectural astronaut.Thank you all very much  