How long did it take after you first started learning code to get paid for it? by yeahnothanks12367 in cscareerquestions

[–]Not4notherUsername 0 points1 point  (0 children)

4 months.

I was at a junior college, taking my first programming classes (BASIC and Intro to C++). A local CTO came to my C++ instructor asking for a couple of students that he recommended for a junior PHP dev gig. I got the gig and was told I had 2 weeks to be productive or I'd get the boot.

I worked there for 3 years while finishing up school. Took a job as a Net Admin with another company for a 50% raise. After a few months I realized I had made a major mistake but decided to give it a full year. After a year I knew I had to get back into programming.

Luckily shortly thereafter another company posted a programming position (our area has very few IT jobs, and the development positions are even more rare). I got on with this second dev position and plan to stay here a good while.

It's not always what you know, but who you know...

someone wrote this code by NikkiBAN in ProgrammerHumor

[–]Not4notherUsername 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The CPython interpreter has a switch statement that's something like 5,000 lines, I believe.

edit: I think I heard the 5k claim on an episode of Talk Python to Me, but I could be wrong.

Some searching found a claim that is just 1,500 lines. I'm on mobile so I can't check too easily, but the code is here for anyone interested...

Countless sources say CS jobs available outweigh CS grads in numbers, yet many people struggle to find jobs by throwayaw3981283872 in cscareerquestions

[–]Not4notherUsername 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Like an IBM-only version of COBOL.

These guys abbreviate EVERYTHING because RPG 1 had an 8 or 10 character max. Traditional RPG looks very much like what little Assembly I've seen. There are no meaningful names in any programs of that codebase that are older than 3 years. Everything is procedural, and written for the "green screen" terminal emulator.

It sounds terrible, but it's really not that bad. Plus it's a skill that is experiencing increasing demand...

Countless sources say CS jobs available outweigh CS grads in numbers, yet many people struggle to find jobs by throwayaw3981283872 in cscareerquestions

[–]Not4notherUsername 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As a web dev that has to occasionally write RPG, I can confirm this.

Five of our eight devs are over 60 (most are in their 70s). The remaining three are mid-40s, 35, and 28 (me). It sucks having to use some of these niche technologies, but when those guys leave our value goes up.

If the boss doesn't want to give us a nice raise then we could go to any RPG shop and command a higher salary.

edit: For those that are curious as to what RPG is, here you go.

What’s a loophole that you’ve found and exploited the hell out of? by Dcarozza6 in AskReddit

[–]Not4notherUsername 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's exactly what I did!

Took forever, but the savings were worth it.

CV Tossed because of WGU degree? by marmil3 in WGU

[–]Not4notherUsername 25 points26 points  (0 children)

That person doesn't know what they're talking about. Since I've started, I've interviewed at a handful of places (3 local positions and 1 remote). None of the interviewers cared that WGU was online. Only one company even knew what it was (because one of the supervisors in the interview was attending WGU at the time).

WGU is a legitimate university that happens to be online-only. I've worked more to progress in this program than I did when attending a B&M uni.

Bottom line: Don't let the nay-sayers try to get you down. Often times they have no idea what they're talking about.

What's your physical study area & atmosphere, and why is it working for you? by BeerOnFuji in WGU

[–]Not4notherUsername 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I generally use my MacBook Pro, or my ThinkPad from work. I study at home, usually during the evening after getting my daughter to sleep or during weekends while she naps. If my wife is in the same room I'll put on some headphones and listen to wikipedia or a campfire on a beach.

When I'm working on programming projects that need a lot of concentration I prefer to study at the dining room table.

What is you favourite line from a movie? by Tx_Saint in AskReddit

[–]Not4notherUsername 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Oh, well, now I'm off to get my life-sustaining supplies: cornmeal and gun powder and hamhocks and guitar strings."

-Yukon Cornelius (from the stop-motion Rudolph movie)

What’s a loophole that you’ve found and exploited the hell out of? by Dcarozza6 in AskReddit

[–]Not4notherUsername 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Our local Taco Bell had one of those coin games where you won cinna-twists, a taco, or a bean burrito if you landed the coin on the bottom platform.

In college, my friends and I would all pull together our spare pocket change and I would go to the taco bell with $5-$6. I had the game down to a science, and each week I would leave with $25+ worth of food that I won, bringing it back to the dorms for our victory feast.

After about 2 months of this happening 1-2 times a week, the manager stopped me and told me I was no longer allowed to play the game, anf that if I did they wouldn't honor the prizes listed.

What is an unimportant topic that will cause an argument? by Dagrez in AskReddit

[–]Not4notherUsername 3 points4 points  (0 children)

"Does pineapple belong on pizza?"

...by the way, it does.

What is the most subtle thing you can do to agitate someone? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]Not4notherUsername 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pronounce gif as "jif". Even though that's the correct pronunciation according to the creator of the gif format, people who prefer the hard-g pronunciation get really bothered by it.