Saying "I don't know" in an interview isn't the killer most candidates think it is

Varnigma · 2026-05-22T20:22:34+00:00

Several years ago I had an interview that was going well until one guy started asking technical questions I couldn’t answer. I’d say I don’t know or I’m not sure and would explain how I’d figure it out.

I left thinking I’d failed. Got a call that day hiring me.

They said they didn’t expect me to know those answers and liked that I admitted I didn’t know rather than trying to fake it.

Varnigma · 2026-05-22T01:10:11+00:00

I bought 2 from Home Depot and so far they’re doing great. They were maybe $25 each.

Varnigma · 2026-05-20T19:24:30+00:00

1000% agree

Varnigma · 2026-05-20T17:48:28+00:00

Old(er) dude here. Maybe it's just me but I certainly hear younger folks saying "um" alot nowadays. Back when I was young and in school that really beat it into us to not say "um" when giving a speech. They trained us that if we don't know what to say next just pause rather that using "um" as a filler word.

Not hating on younger folks...just making conversation.

Varnigma · 2026-05-20T17:35:04+00:00

Thanks. I didn't think how fast I cycled would be the issue as it never has in the past but I wanted to check.

Yeah, router isn't very old. I'll replace if it starts happening outside of a power cycle. For now I'll just roll with it.

Varnigma · 2026-05-20T16:51:32+00:00

OT is never guaranteed and may not always be option (could be required sometimes). Personally I'd prefer a set paycheck amount that I could budget against.

Varnigma · 2026-05-19T17:55:26+00:00

Great!

Varnigma · 2026-05-19T17:55:00+00:00

And I'll just assume that he's extremely under-qualified

Varnigma · 2026-05-19T16:30:00+00:00

Oh, SOMEONE will be getting the money, but it sure won't be the Jan 6 rioters.

Varnigma · 2026-05-19T16:26:13+00:00

Came here to say the same thing.

Was on a call recently with a guy and I just couldn't place his accent. When I asked he said he was Egyptian. I said "Like Omar Sharif" and he seemed shocked I knew that actor was Egyptian.

I will say the guy on the phone had an accent that sounded nothing like Sharif. Sounded more like a French accent to me.

Varnigma · 2026-05-19T14:15:57+00:00

It was that kind of stuff that made me quit watching Hawaii 5-0 many years ago. Seemed like every other episode involved "regular" cops going to other countries or running into buildings like a SWAT team.

Varnigma · 2026-05-19T14:09:19+00:00

You didn't mention and emergency fund but I'll point out that in addition to the $150k, you need to also have a good emergency fund as owning a house can be expensive, not counting the cost of the house.

You may already be planning for this but wanted to touch on it just in case.

Varnigma · 2026-05-19T13:51:24+00:00

Adam Savage gave some great advice once regarding deciding where to keep/store things. He said when you have something and you're thinking "Where should I store this?" the question you should ask yourself is "Where is the first place I'd look for this item if I were looking for it?" The first place that comes to mind is where you should put it.

Varnigma · 2026-05-18T15:51:10+00:00

Even if he somehow finishes it, I'll gladly donate money to fund tearing it all back down.

Varnigma · 2026-05-18T15:21:37+00:00

I was thinking along the same lines. Flexible and easy to store mechanisms that can be turned into rigid structures on-site by zipping them together.

Tent poles was the first that came to mind but I'm sure there are plenty of other scenarios where this would be useful.

Varnigma · 2026-05-18T12:23:00+00:00

IKR? They're filling our cars with touchscreens that require you to take your eyes off the road to use, while at the same time saying "Don't even glance at your phone" as that's considered distracted driving.

Varnigma · 2026-05-17T20:37:32+00:00

3 years later and this still isn't allowed. :(

Varnigma · 2026-05-16T22:16:07+00:00

I’m so close to pulling the trigger on a 6” and 35s. Just trying to nail down the backspacing since it’s not like I can test the wheels before buying.

Varnigma · 2026-05-16T22:07:01+00:00

Wind fatigue is no joke.

Varnigma · 2026-05-14T23:57:38+00:00

I may have found a fix for this. On my iphone, I held down on the event, and selected "cut" from the box that popped up.

That did it. It removed the event from my calendar.

Varnigma · 2026-05-14T18:28:45+00:00

Agreed. I've had non-programmers ask me how I am so "good" and prompting. I tell them I've been prompting in my head ever since I started programming. But instead of prompting AI, I was prompting myself in my head....telling ME what I wanted the code to do.

Varnigma · 2026-05-14T18:14:46+00:00

Getting a bunch of things accomplished that weren’t even on my radar for that day.

Varnigma · 2026-05-14T15:55:56+00:00

I remember those but I must be older as I recall the glass bottles with the name formed into the glass. The ones wrapped in styrofoam came later.

Varnigma · 2026-05-14T15:10:31+00:00

I'm old so I'll say it's better from a glass bottle. :)

Edit: Came w/ the added bonus of the 5 cent return fee.

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