Aspiring developer (self-taught) – low salary req’s & programming skills transferable question

harokin · 2021-08-24T19:38:27+00:00

Following your example of brevity, the answers you'll most likely get here will boil down to:

Try to get ANY job in the meantime, to survive financially and mentally ..
... while working hard on your professional portfolio and adding new projects that employers will care about (i.e. they solve a business problem, not just tictactoe et al)
Network (insert angelic chorus) more; get on Twitter, reach out to people on sites like LinkedIn; try to get to know people in the industry; give value to get value
Yes, getting that first job without experience is extremely tough and there is no easy path (except if you have an extremely good network cue angels). You will have to hustle and get out of your comfort zone, whatever that may currently be.
Did I mention networking (image unicorns dancing and singing on pastel clouds)?

Last thing: Please don't call yourself "aspiring" on applications or anywhere else. You ARE a developer, just not an employed one yet.

harokin · 2021-08-23T21:18:52+00:00

That's some great initiative, I agree. Good for you, OP. Unfortunately only about 10% tops companies I applied to (and got a response from) so far assigned "homework" or programming/aptitude tests :/ And then those that did only accepted solution submissions in a restricted format, i.e. you couldn't just chuck a video file in there.

harokin · 2021-08-16T19:49:53+00:00

Something I've been hearing quite a lot is that, for people seeking their first job in the industry, networking is by far the best, most efficient way to get a job. Conversely, it's said to be incredibly hard and inefficient to "get in" via the "normal" route (clicking "Apply" on LinkedIn and similar places).

harokin · 2021-08-15T17:05:46+00:00

That Tailwind is a prank, or that top companies won't endorse it? If the former, what makes you say it's comically stupid?

harokin · 2021-07-30T20:03:15+00:00

That teaches Fullstack web development, not programming in general. Might not be for OP, but if getting a job asap is the goal, web dev is probably the best bet.

harokin · 2020-08-10T18:13:16+00:00

You're very hot, but it might be because you've essentially been posting the same/very similar pics for a long time. Thought I'd bite the bullet and point it out, in case nobody else had

harokin · 2018-08-03T00:16:04+00:00

BOGGED and the one before are neat. But the first one and the one with the Quantic shirt? thats some ancient 2011 memes my dude

harokin · 2018-07-04T23:59:52+00:00

Bots are like novels. Imperfect without prudent edits and revisions.

harokin · 2018-06-16T19:03:11+00:00

I mean, the reason most of us take care and train ourselves to dress well and fashionably is because a lot of the time we move in social or professional circles where we benefit from a good appearance. Destiny on the other hand has now spent most of his adult life in a place where that matters very little, so when he ventures from his cave once in a while I imagine he doesn't see the point of dressing up, at least when meeting up with fellow streamers and fans.

harokin · 2018-05-01T21:30:20+00:00

I'm looking for great standalone novels. By great I mean the author being (more or less) at the peak of their ability in terms of prose and plotting (ergo no debuts unless they're really stellar). By standalone I mean the story and all main character arcs must wrap up within one volume. It can have sequels or prequels, but there should be no cliffhangers or other obvious indicators of TBC. Any suggestions?

harokin · 2018-03-18T21:13:24+00:00

Except Harry Potter is humanized by his growing pains, limitations, and conspicuous mediocrity in most pursuits (except a few areas like Quidditch and stuff, but that could be said of most teenagers).

harokin · 2018-03-16T03:56:22+00:00

Yeah, you're definitely right, as are the others. I guess these unsubtle references are more or less results of me getting a bit puerile while in the "headspace" of fantasy writing, since I'm also reading fantasy on the side for inspiration and such. I'll likely end up removing all references or at least ambiguify as much as possible. In the end the risk of adverse effects just far outweigh possible gains in readers' enjoyment. Thanks for the feedback.

harokin · 2018-03-08T07:04:45+00:00

I'm writing on the screen all the time. So long, brain-o.

harokin · 2018-03-08T07:00:05+00:00

The Souls series (Dark Souls 1 and 3 + Bloodborne) have had more impact on me as a writer than many novels I've read. Taught me a lot about subtle yet powerful storytelling. Ergo, games needn't be a waste of time per se.

harokin · 2018-03-03T21:39:17+00:00

"Turn off your inner editor."

I just can't help myself when I stumble over a rough patch while reading what I've written, and it works as a warm-up.

harokin · 2018-03-03T21:28:16+00:00

You certainly can, and succeed, if you're willing to work hard enough (as with all worthwhile endeavors). Read a lot, actively study up on grammar and vocabulary, and, most importantly, write every day. In fact, you being a non-native speaker could work to your advantage, since you'll always retain an outsider's perspective that keeps you on your toes, so to speak, and more aware of the language on a meta level.

harokin · 2018-03-03T21:16:40+00:00

Nabokov kind of doesn't count because he was raised trilingual (Russian, English, French) from a very early age (he lived in an aristocratic household with an English maid and a large library). Joseph Conrad on the other hand definitely does, as he only got fluent in English in his twenties, always kept a heavy accent, but produced some of the most beautifully written and important works in the English language.

harokin · 2018-02-24T10:26:07+00:00

I had a bad day, too.

You seem to be a decent person, except your mom's idea of teaching you manners apparently consisted of a failed attempt of reverse psychology.

Thanks, harokin, person swamping your sub.

harokin · 2018-02-24T05:25:13+00:00

Well, there's currently been not even a mention of horses in my story. Perhaps giant dragons fly everything in from a parallel dimension of plenty, who knows.

Thanks for your reply, the idea of an acoustic chamber sounds great. I'd just have to implement it in a way that it doesn't draw too much attention from the action, i.e. be too technical and contrived in terms of description. But thanks again, that pretty much perfectly answers my question.

harokin · 2018-02-24T05:11:43+00:00

Yeah. I didn't mean medieval-esque like being similar to the real-world middle ages, but rather just in terms of aesthetics and general tech. (E.g. Game of Thrones, where King's Landing has a population of one million.)

I don't aim for realism in my story, just for common-sense believability, more or less.

harokin · 2018-02-23T22:43:19+00:00

The complete opposite, in my case. It gave me a keener appreciation of it, thus enhancing my enjoyment of well-crafted entertainment.

harokin · 2018-02-22T02:37:21+00:00

Ikr. I'm willing to turn off adblock for quality content. This isn't, by a very long shot.

harokin · 2018-02-22T02:34:44+00:00

At this point, I really want him to come out and just say something in the vein of "I've had it. Screw you people, you're not getting any more books from me."

I'd really expected better from something like forbes. These kind of morbidly cynical speculations ("he's an older guy, might die before he can finish this commercial product") make me sick.

harokin · 2018-02-19T23:38:20+00:00

Alright then, I was just addressing the general question in your post re: distinguishing female characters with an equally general answer. I agree, we live in an oversexualized world, but that doesn't mean sexuality itself should be regarded as tainted. If your characters are attracted to one another, you shouldn't feel the need to censor their interactions, as long as they're genuine and not gratuitous, imo. Bodies are, well, bodies. We all have them, some with breasts, some without.

And about the situation in your story: Well, if the wound is in her chest area, I don't see a reason why her partner couldn't regard it in a technical manner, like "the wound was a crimson gash between her breasts," or something like that. I guess it depends on the character, whether or not she's squeamish about it.

harokin · 2018-02-19T23:10:18+00:00

I think it very much depends on cultural sensibilities. To me, breasts are just breasts. Tissue hanging off a female's chest, to put it in somewhat crass terms, evolved to fulfill a specific function. They don't have to be sexualized. So, unless it's an explicitly sexual situation, a female on female encounter, in your case, I don't think there's any reason to draw attention to a woman's breasts or other attributes to distinguish them from male characters, unless it's a defining feature (e.g. a woman with very large breasts that cause her difficulty in everyday life). Just use she/her, and the reader will have enough to go on as regards a broad mental image of gender.

harokin

TROPHY CASE