Why entry-level programmers should not be placed in Test organization?

I don't like the idea of taking entry-level programmers and putting them into a test organization because:

(1) Loser Image.

Few universities offer undergraduate training in testing beyond "Be sure to test thoroughly." Entry-level people expect to get a job as a programmer and if they're offered a job in a test group, they'll often look upon it as a failure on their part: they believe that they didn't have what it takes to be a programmer in that organization. This unfortunate perception exists even in organizations that values testers highly.

(2) Credibility With Programmers.

Independent testers often have to deal with programmers far more senior than themselves. Unless they've been through a coop program as an undergraduate, all their programming experience is with academic toys: the novice often has no real idea of what programming in a professional, cooperative, programming environment is all about. As such, they have no credibility with their programming counterpart who can sluff off their concerns with "Look, kid. You just don't understand how programming is done here, or anywhere else, for that matter." It is setting up the novice tester for failure.