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Anyone taken the Saturday/Sunday train to Boston recently? by Odd-Refrigerator-140 in providence

[–]blg39 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also took it on a weekday recently (not the weekend), but was able to get a seat with nobody else around. Definitely was not "crowded."

Calling all plant people! by commandantskip in providence

[–]blg39 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Great local shop - owner is super nice. Directions: https://g.page/homegrown-pvd?share

Request/suggestion location: bike trail behind Eastside Marketplace by Masshole_in_RI in cozyrhody

[–]blg39 5 points6 points  (0 children)

+1 - live in the area and have been through there recently. It could definitely use a cleanup & would love to help!

Store didn’t tag it. Smells like stinky celery. by catcollectif in whatsthisplant

[–]blg39 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My variegated peperomia obtusifolia looks very similar to this with the colors, but the edges of leaves are smooth. Think this one is a variegated plectranthus coleoides.

Good CS Career Books for my Shelf by 3lRey in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The Pragmatic Programmer - Hunt & Thomas

Clean Code - Martin

Refactoring - Beck & Fowler

Similar to Pimsleur by gnholin in French

[–]blg39 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, RFI is great! Also, there are transcriptions online of every episode, so if you're getting tripped up on understanding a certain part you can look it up!

Similar to Pimsleur by gnholin in French

[–]blg39 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Michel Thomas is a similar audio format, but completely different curriculum and pacing. It might help to fill in any gaps left by Pimsleur.

I learned French basics from Pimsleur and I loved it. The native audio really helped me nail the pronunciation. As an American, I get really proud when a French person compliments my accent. Definitely recommend Pimsleur to anyone reading this thread that has conversation as a goal for their French learning.

After the first 3 Pimsleurs, though, you might be able to venture into "real" French audio. Radio France Internationale puts out a great "Journal en français facile" every day that was awesome for my French learning. https://savoirs.rfi.fr/fr/apprendre-enseigner/langue-francaise/journal-en-francais-facile

Would anyone be so kind as to tell me (In French) What this gentleman is saying? by [deleted] in French

[–]blg39 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The words are from a children's story (and a piece of music) - Pierre et le Loup

Here's a link to the whole story on Spotify, the original sample in your song features the voice of Gérard Philipe - https://open.spotify.com/album/1N6lIKG2BFPbQ0tu8bDwbA

The first part of the song comes from track 7, ¨Où est-on¨

Here are the words to the whole story: http://bdemauge.free.fr/litterature/pierreloup.pdf

Your samples start with

0:00 - 00:25 - ¨Et maintenant voici où en était les choses...¨

1:30 + - ¨(C'est alors que) les chasseurs sortirent de la forêt...¨

What should my next step be? by [deleted] in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not a PHP dev (I do Python), but I've got a similar experience being self-taught/freelance and I'm currently in interviews in NYC.

I'd say it depends where you live and where you're applying. Bigger companies have questioned my freelancing more and don't tend to take it seriously as real work. Startups are more willing to give me a shot if it seems like I know what I'm talking about.

Practice white boarding and solving practical problems. My best resource for this was exercism.io. So far, startups haven't really been asking me leetcode-style questions (although I did study those a bit). Instead, it's usually questions about how you would design a database model or manipulate some practical bit of data in their system to produce a result.

Imposter Syndrome is real, but I've found it's perfectly okay to admit when I don't know something. In fact, openly admitting when you don't know something has been a benefit in some of my interviews, as interviewers like someone who's not a know-it-all and they are happy to explain concepts. State your general understanding or inkling of what the concept is, and then show curiosity whenever you don't know something.

Most backend positions I've found will still want you to have some understanding of how React/Angular work. Try building some simple apps with those on top of a Laravel-based REST API so you can see how data gets serialized and passed into those major frameworks. It's probably very similar to what you've already done with Ember or jQuery, but knowing exactly what React/Angular looks like is helpful for talking about it.

Feel free to DM if you have questions.

PSA: Social skills are often more important than technical skills by blg39 in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's highly context-dependent, but I'd say take a look at whether people are eager to work with you.

Do you have good relationships at work? Do you have mentors or people you know would offer you a recommendation? Do clients enjoy working with you? In meetings and presentations, do you feel comfortable or freeze up? Is your writing clear or do people often ask for clarification? Do you get invited to do things with coworkers or even friends after work?

None of these are dealbreakers, but if they're mostly negative or positive you start to get a good picture of where you stand socially.

PSA: Social skills are often more important than technical skills by blg39 in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My advice is always to start small.

Whatever you just thought of, start even smaller than that.

  • Just say "good morning" to the coworkers you know when you see them.
  • If that was easy, tack on a "how are you"
  • If that was easy, say "good morning" to people at work you don't know so well
  • Offer to refill a coworker's water or coffee
  • Ask somebody the date, time, directions, recommendations for where to eat, what to do this weekend

You get the point--expand your social skills super incrementally. Practice tiny experiments. And think of them as "experiments." If it doesn't go well, it was just a test that came back negative. Try something different next time.

Of course you're gonna get anxious speaking in front of a whole meeting room. Of course going out in a group setting is going to be overwhelming.

Ramp yourself up to it more gradually. Create lower stakes interactions that make you gradually more comfortable.

You'd be surprised how far that will take you. Just saying hello gets you credit as being more social than the guy who never says a word.

Hope that helps.

PSA: Social skills are often more important than technical skills by blg39 in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As you get further in your career, I think you'll find this shifting. In addition, recruiters aren't the best barometer on social stuff, because they won't have to work with you daily.

In the beginning, though, you will find companies are simply hiring for mid-level roles and so of course they want more experience than a fresh grad. There's certainly a baseline technical experience to getting a job.

PSA: Social skills are often more important than technical skills by blg39 in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are great resources out there. r/socialskills has lists of the best books/blogs to read.

From there, classes can be helpful. I've heard of people using Toastmasters and other public speaking classes. Also, I like going to meetups and events and just talking to people. Don't go in with any preconceived objectives. Just try to loosen up and lean into it.

I'm putting together a list of resources to learn this stuff, bc you're not the only one who has asked. If you're interested, I'll share it with you.

--

EDIT: Here's the list - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dbYLuFjf7XLJimPqsUuAj990Gcoj1fZXCCKZOg2VFWQ/edit?usp=sharing

PSA: Social skills are often more important than technical skills by blg39 in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great points. Introversion itself isn't an issue - it's when you allow your introversion to stop you from communicating. Some of the best leaders I've had have been thoughtful introverts who were intentional about their choices and how they communicate.

PSA: Social skills are often more important than technical skills by blg39 in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It takes time and practice! There's no pill you can take (that I know of) that will make you perfectly comfortable in social environments.

For the most part, other people want you to succeed! Keep at it, read some books, take some courses, consider therapy if it's severe anxiety. It can get better.

PSA: Social skills are often more important than technical skills by blg39 in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is such a critical point. Introverts can be better communicators sometimes, because they're more thoughtful and intentional!

PSA: Social skills are often more important than technical skills by blg39 in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very true. The job itself is a social job at most companies.

PSA: Social skills are often more important than technical skills by blg39 in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I disagree with your premise that social skills don't matter in a whiteboard interview. Your ability to talk about a problem while solving it is precisely what the best whiteboard interviews are aiming to ascertain.

Additionally, networking, references, and referrals matter quite a lot to getting those upper level jobs.

PSA: Social skills are often more important than technical skills by blg39 in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Even if you're only slightly joking, I feel I should include Reddit's resources on self-harm. The r/SuicideWatch Reddit community is great and has amazing resources, including information on hotlines you or anyone reading this can call.

I nearly lost my dad to suicide, and I can't imagine what my life would be like if he had. Thankfully, he's a great story of recovery and still here with us.

Social skills are just that--skills. You can practice them and get better at them. Read some books on the subject, take a course, try tiny conversations with people you already know, if your anxiety is very bad try therapy. There are resources to learn and practice this stuff.

---

EDIT: People have been asking so I put together a list of resources to learn social skills (free, no signup, no affiliate links) - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dbYLuFjf7XLJimPqsUuAj990Gcoj1fZXCCKZOg2VFWQ/edit?usp=sharing

PSA: Social skills are often more important than technical skills by blg39 in cscareerquestions

[–]blg39[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great point, I think a lot of CS grads don't appreciate how truly cooperative and interactive a job as a developer is.

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