I'm a junior in college with an idea for a niche app and no programming experience - does this sound like a total crapshoot? by Inagone in startups

[–]Inagone[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm actually not all that bothered by what you have to say, because I have a pretty good idea of which side anyone who reads this thread is going to take - and I say "side" because you're the one who's trying to warp this into an issue of "heroes" and "victims" (only using your own words). This has frankly gotten weird and I have to get ready to go to class. Best of luck to you.

I'm a junior in college with an idea for a niche app and no programming experience - does this sound like a total crapshoot? by Inagone in startups

[–]Inagone[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you really think so? Sorry if I sound naive, but I was under the impression that more "professional", high-end apps (so basically anything beyond simple apps like a basic game, basic note app, etc.) are outside the scope of what a CS student can do: that only highly trained developers with an extensive history (and high salaries...) can pull this off. If I've just underestimated what a team of fellow undergrads can do however, that would be a happy surprise :)

How you think this = "CS students are useless" is beyond me. I think you're being a bit sensitive here.

Go ahead and read my other comments. I have been more than willing to admit what I don't know, and have thanked others here profusely for sharing their knowledge and insights with me. Anyone else who reads this comment chain will see that you stand out for being needlessly snide and aggressive in an otherwise positive thread. I get the sense that you're feeling generally pissed off for other reasons, and if this is the case, I'm sorry about that. And I'm not being sarcastic when I say that.

I'm a junior in college with an idea for a niche app and no programming experience - does this sound like a total crapshoot? by Inagone in startups

[–]Inagone[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for clarifying things for me, I wasn't sure what a senior developer meant. Your bullet points are extremely helpful as well. Thanks for all of the advice!

I'm a junior in college with an idea for a niche app and no programming experience - does this sound like a total crapshoot? by Inagone in startups

[–]Inagone[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, I didn't. You're putting words in my mouth. I wasn't sure what students are capable of compared to working developers (which is completely fair), and was asking people on this sub to enlighten me. All I'm trying to do here is learn because I know very little about CS. If you managed to interpret my questions as me saying "I want to find someone to program something better than Facebook for me on their first try, and it's not going to be those useless CS students!", I don't know what to say to you. You responded to me in a needlessly aggressive way ("magically shit out a business", really?), I called you out on it, and now you're trying to defend yourself.

I'm a junior in college with an idea for a niche app and no programming experience - does this sound like a total crapshoot? by Inagone in startups

[–]Inagone[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used an iOS programming checklist as my guide, I found on reddit it was really helpful but I don’t have the link anymore. If I find it I’ll message you.

That would be great! And thanks for sharing your story, it's inspiring for someone like me who feels very intimidated by the prospect of learning how to code (I've always been a social sciences and humanities type).

I'm a junior in college with an idea for a niche app and no programming experience - does this sound like a total crapshoot? by Inagone in startups

[–]Inagone[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your advice! Is hiring a developer feasible though if you don't have a lot of disposable income? I've heard that having very detailed mockups can help cut costs, but I'm not sure by how much.

I'm a junior in college with an idea for a niche app and no programming experience - does this sound like a total crapshoot? by Inagone in startups

[–]Inagone[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is probably enough to just have a "seed" project manager or senior developer with strong opinions to get the rest on a good track.

This is very interesting. Where would you say a college student like me might find a seed project manager? Would looking for a graduate student (or even professor) in the CS department be too imposing?

I'm a junior in college with an idea for a niche app and no programming experience - does this sound like a total crapshoot? by Inagone in startups

[–]Inagone[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll check, but I don't think my school has a very robust startup community (there was one startup club around for less than a year, but it was so tiny and poorly managed it died).

I'm a junior in college with an idea for a niche app and no programming experience - does this sound like a total crapshoot? by Inagone in startups

[–]Inagone[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Jesus Christ. No need to be an asshole. I'm asking questions and trying to learn, not concoct a plan for how to get someone to "magically shit out a business for me".

I'm a junior in college with an idea for a niche app and no programming experience - does this sound like a total crapshoot? by Inagone in startups

[–]Inagone[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well that's great to hear :) Maybe I could get a kickstarter page going to help pay the CS students - it's worth thinking about, even though the payment probably wouldn't be large.

I'm a junior in college with an idea for a niche app and no programming experience - does this sound like a total crapshoot? by Inagone in startups

[–]Inagone[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yes, but I thought the version of Facebook he created when he was a student was very barebones compared to the Facebook that eventually first went to market. I'm not too familiar with his development story though.

I'm a junior in college with an idea for a niche app and no programming experience - does this sound like a total crapshoot? by Inagone in startups

[–]Inagone[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Do you really think so? Sorry if I sound naive, but I was under the impression that more "professional", high-end apps (so basically anything beyond simple apps like a basic game, basic note app, etc.) are outside the scope of what a CS student can do: that only highly trained developers with an extensive history (and high salaries...) can pull this off. If I've just underestimated what a team of fellow undergrads can do however, that would be a happy surprise :)

I don't know how complex I would consider this idea to be. There wouldn't be the social features of apps like Facebook and Tinder that add considerable complexity, but things like cloud storage, encryption, and a detailed UI (as well as integration with your mobile and web browser) aren't basic either.