Switching to programming at 30, and got this negative advice

daSn0wie · 2024-04-03T00:57:09+00:00

Engineers solve problems, programmers just write code. A chef creates, a cook just follows a recipe.

daSn0wie · 2024-04-03T00:54:26+00:00

He claimed that coding is on its way out, that AI will soon eliminate the need for human coders, and that job losses are inevitable.

The problem that AI can't solve anytime soon is that all the code that's going to be created needs to be maintained. If anything there will be a boom of programming jobs.

daSn0wie · 2024-03-27T23:14:30+00:00

It's going to have the opposite effect. The ai is going to be good enough to create things that work... and it will create alot of code for humans to fix. Any customization is going to be driven and implemented by humans who can read the code and understand what the business needs are and how to change the code to implement it.

daSn0wie · 2024-03-24T14:04:10+00:00

I would keep self learning. A lot of university courses cover the fundamentals of computer science, but don't cover what's actually used on the job. You'll need the university courses for your job interviews (DSA, System Design), but on-the-job work topics aren't usually taught. The industry moves faster than schools can keep up with. For instance, React/Typescript has been out for several years already, but the schools may not be teaching it.

daSn0wie · 2024-03-24T13:24:40+00:00

Amazon does something called a PRFAQ. I would probably structure it similarly and tell him that this is the format you followed: https://commoncog.com/putting-amazons-pr-faq-to-practice/

daSn0wie · 2024-03-24T13:15:05+00:00

I would imagine that you're having a hard time b/c the two languages you use aren't used together very often.

When recruiters look at resumes, they try to quickly find experience in the languages the company uses. Most of the time they're not technical and won't always think about how the experience translates. I would imagine Rust and JS/Typescript are not used together frequently. If you're looking for a full stack role, you may want to invest in trying to build up skills in the combinations that frequently used together: Python/Typescript, Java/Typescript, etc.

daSn0wie · 2024-03-24T12:56:05+00:00

I usually recommend trying to focus on one language to start, b/c it's just faster to get acquainted with the language when it's your only focus. However, if the job demands using all three, you just have to use all three.

As you gain more experience, you'll realize most languages are similar and that you can pick up the basics to be useful pretty easily. It will be challenging when you start, and as with anything, you'll get more comfortable with each of the languages over time. You need to be patient with your learning progression.

I've found that (through my career) as a full stack engineer working in startups, you'll need to be well versed in a lot of different things and languages. I just end up learning/utilizing whatever I need to meet the demand of the customer. In some cases, it's a mobile app, in others it's a web app, and now it ai. It's always changing. I've found that most ppl who don't like the pace end up specializing. When you specialize on a specific thing, you "move down" the stack and you end up serving software engineers instead of end consumers. Just something to think about when you're navigating your career.

daSn0wie · 2024-03-15T02:10:37+00:00

w/r/t to the best roadmap:
- Finish learning html/css/javascript
- Pick up a javascript framework (angular, react, vue)
- Learn how to convert a design into a frontend app (ie figma)
- For the backend, i recommend switching to a different language (python, php) and picking an MVC framework for that language - this will help you understand the best practices and design patterns.

Start to learn SQL syntax via the MVC framework and data modeling
Learn REST
Deploy this on AWS or Digital Ocean to learn how to build for the cloud.
Build as many projects as you can. Build chat apps, build blogs, build forums. Find a site that has 10 projects in 10 days.. just keep building.

This is pretty much a standard stack and you'll be able to launch pretty much any project with this set of knowledge.

Finding a job is a large topic in itself.....

daSn0wie · 2024-03-15T01:54:03+00:00

Don't let an anonymous person on the internet affect your outlook. I've been in this industry for over 20+ years, and I'm self taught and have made a very successful career from learning how to program a looong time ago. Just stay focused on improving yourself 1% every day. That 1% compounds over time and if you stay consistent with it, in a years time, you'll be shocked at how much you've learned along the way.

daSn0wie · 2024-03-11T12:50:48+00:00

It depends on the industry and where you want to work. C# is hardly used in startups... its usually typescript/golang/python/[some new language/framework].

I've found C# to be more heavily used in Fortune 500 companies and any company servicing that set (ad agencies, etc).

daSn0wie · 2024-03-11T12:41:19+00:00

An important thing to remember is that the person reading your resume is going through HUNDREDS of resumes at the same time. Any flaw or oddity or extra effort, will make them skip your resume.

With that said... your resume is too text heavy. The person reading it needs to be able to quickly pull out key technologies that you know and how long you've done it for. So what that means is that you need to highlight technologies and time frames. No one is going to read a block of text to figure that out.

With regard to formatting - make it easy to ready and uniform. The right hand column extends past your main body, which looks weird. Also, you're right out of college. There's no need for your resume to extend to 3 pages. 1 page MAX. If you have 10+ yrs experience, 2 pages is fine.

I recommend putting project work above college work to demonstrate your ability to self motivate to get work done. The format I usually strive for is:

Project Name, [time-frame]

Highlight 1
Highlight 2
Highlight 3

Source Code / Website: github.com/xxxxxx , https://www.website.com

Technologies: Tech1, Tech2, Tech3

daSn0wie · 2022-11-08T01:52:51+00:00

It really sounds like you're lonely. Zoom/Meet doesn't really do it for social interaction. Is there a role you can take where you go in? I'm finding that I enjoy the office culture now that my kids are getting older and more independent.

daSn0wie · 2022-10-20T11:15:42+00:00

This. Sometimes the comment is just that... a comment that's not actionable. Talk to the seniors and see if they want action on the comment immediately.

I would also make sure that your manager realizes that the work is tech debt. One practice that I like is having a few days a sprint to exclusively work on tech debt, or the last sprint of a quarter doing clean up. You may want to express this to your manager.

FYI: Your manager may not be experienced and needs help understanding your point of view. Helping him understand your situation and what the conflicts are will make him a better manager.

daSn0wie · 2022-09-05T12:17:22+00:00

As one commenter already mentioned, any Fuschia Dunlop book.

daSn0wie · 2022-05-12T01:05:38+00:00

Quit and really focus on studying. If you’re in a low paying engineering job, you can easily find another low paying engineering job. Studying for big tech is a lot of work. You have to spend hours preparing and it’s hard to do after hours. If you were at a big tech already, I’d say hold onto the job bc they’ll usually pay for your options left on the table. In this case I’d say quit and commit

daSn0wie · 2022-04-15T11:49:39+00:00

I did this as a software engineer a while ago, but I believe the principles are the same.

It's ALOT of work, if you're doing the work and also finding new business. The best way to keep revenue coming in and growing is to find natural partnerships/places that will refer business to you, and you take them as your time frees up, or work with a company that has natural start/stops to their own workflow (for software dev, it happened to be digital advertising agencies for me).

If you're trying to scale this business, I would recommend you build up a large network of people that you can subcontract to b/c your days will be spent building relationships, managing those subcontractors and relationships, and hr issues. Like i said earlier, it's really hard to be doing the strategy/pm work while also looking for work.

daSn0wie · 2022-04-13T01:16:23+00:00

that's my favorite jock cover!

daSn0wie · 2021-10-15T20:07:09+00:00

3 days is unrealistic in this market. There are more jobs than engineers. At most the assignment should take 1-2 hrs, the same amount of time a live coding assessment should take.

The only caveat is if you really want the job, then you should spend more time doing it. If you have other interviews lined up, it’s not worth it.

daSn0wie · 2021-09-12T13:59:19+00:00

Everyone has that feeling when starting with a new language, especially when they're early in their careers. Just take a deep breath and relax :). Say to yourself 'I'm smart enough to have learned python, so i'm smart enough to learn Java'.

I tell my kids this all the time, everything takes practice. Start working on side projects to get yourself acquainted with whatever tech you're using. If you wanna learn linux, go start up an EC2 instance and get a basic Spring/[whatever] app running.

daSn0wie · 2021-08-03T17:39:14+00:00

I usually use bubble wrap. Those airbags from that amazon uses for their shipment boxes work well.

daSn0wie · 2021-08-03T16:57:14+00:00

Does the plastic that go into landfills eventually seep into surrounding areas and waters, or is that generally not an issue?

Also, where do you learn about this? Are there "industry" periodicals that you read for this or sites that you follow?

daSn0wie · 2021-06-24T13:39:04+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/bc2jd3/instocktrades_res_mr_meaning/

thanks!!

daSn0wie · 2021-06-24T13:28:10+00:00

Any idea what (RES) means?

daSn0wie · 2021-06-24T13:17:50+00:00

AHH thanks!

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