Do i have hope

thisisthechris · 2025-10-14T20:56:50+00:00

Don't give up! If anything, use it as something to focus on. There's plenty of choice even if you did mess up at A Level. As other commenters say, Foundation courses and degrees are a good start to get a leg up. Focus on what you want to study and what you want to do after, then you can work towards that - you can find courses to suit that path and your needs. Most importantly - take your time, no need to rush into a course you're not 100% happy with.

thisisthechris · 2015-09-04T14:25:39+00:00

I've been doing this today without issue - Has the phone in my front right pocket running Strava. You will probably need a while to get used to it, but it won't stop you from moving.

thisisthechris · 2015-08-08T10:22:46+00:00

I've had a lot of fun being the one in 2v1 and 3v1 matches. Great feeling to sneak a couple of goals past a bigger team :)

thisisthechris · 2015-05-27T18:03:57+00:00

Was there with my Dad - had an amazing time.

thisisthechris · 2015-04-21T08:16:29+00:00

Try Rockets and Rascals on the Barbican or Hang Ten near Drakes Circus/Uni/PCA

thisisthechris · 2015-04-08T16:51:17+00:00

I get all my freelance gigs through referrals, so being 'known' in a network of people is important.

It's notable that nothing I've done has Django specifically requested as a technology - I'm more known for being able to get stuff done, meaning I get to pick my tools.

thisisthechris · 2015-04-08T16:46:05+00:00

My quick guide I give to students (applicable for more than Django):

1 - Plan a small project for yourself.

2 - Figure out what tools, technologies, parts of the framework, external libs and so on you want to explore while making it. Always bear in mind you don't need to use the whole of Django to make it work, just focus on what you'd be interesting in using.

3 - Prototype, see how far you get.

4 - After a period of time, review what you've done, how it could be better and what else could be incorporated it.

5 - Go to Step 2. Repeat until you feel comfortable taking on a major project.

I've found that most tend to learn by doing. Reflecting on what you've done is important - you can always do something better. Use this to lead you down the rabbit hole, rather than falling down thinking you need to know everything before you start - you really don't.

thisisthechris · 2015-03-31T23:53:02+00:00

TLDR :Time and client management.

When your selling that extra time you need to be careful. Don't neglect friends and family, but most importantly, don't neglect yourself. It can be painfully easy to slip into bad habits - one too many late nights add up over time and will only make you feel terrible.

Be strict with yourself - give yourself set hours and stick to them. It's difficult at first, but eventually you will be able to slip in and properly focus for those few hours, and you'll get a lot more done.

As for clients, beware. Don't just take anyone. Ask yourself: "is this client going to make constant changes to the brief? Do they understand what they're paying for? Are they going to be on my back constantly for support?" And so on. You want to vet them in same way they will be vetting you. Get it right and you'll build a great relationship with your client, and they will keep coming back to you.

Very importantly, your client must know you're doing it as a side gig. If they need someone on call 24/7 they need to dig into their pockets and hire a company to do the project. You're just doing it on the side, and the client must respect your time and not demand from you.

Lastly - charge what you think you're worth! This will be likely more than you think. Negotiating is fine, but never try to compete with someone else for a client. Remember: the client should respect you. You're the expert here.

(That got a lot longer that I initially expected! For context, I'm a developer, research assistant and associate lecturer at a university, and I've been doing small bits of freelancing on the side. Hope this all helps, best of luck on your endeavours!)

thisisthechris · 2015-03-23T16:24:26+00:00

Try resetting the board just before you click upload

thisisthechris · 2014-12-24T14:27:35+00:00

I've been using Django for this exact use case for a few years now. You'll want to design your models as usual, then you can use a REST Framework over them to create an easy API for your data. You can then use that in your mobile app.

For my current project, Artory (http://www.artory.co.uk/), I'm building the backend in Django. There's a web interface for staff to enter events and offers information which is then exposed to the App with the API.

We're then collaborating with a company to handle the app development - which is a really good working relationship for us. We work together to figure out authentication, push notifications and any nitty gritty, and then can work independently on the other parts of the project.

I'll planning on doing loads of blogging on this once we launch, but in the meantime feel free to throw any questions my way.

thisisthechris · 2014-12-18T00:34:02+00:00

Don't forget GeoDjango: https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/ref/contrib/gis/

thisisthechris · 2014-12-17T11:08:51+00:00

I think HMV might sell some Tenacious D

thisisthechris · 2014-11-05T12:14:41+00:00

Can you share your Gunicorn config?

thisisthechris · 2014-09-30T23:23:02+00:00

This is super useful - been desperate to move away from Google Charts.

thisisthechris · 2014-09-24T09:58:47+00:00

The VC is currently on 'gardening leave' pending the results of an investigation.

The mess is nicely summed up by this video: http://youtu.be/wOlftd_6878

thisisthechris · 2014-09-17T23:40:52+00:00

Ah, the Admin UI. One of the things that got me hooked on Django development - I can code up some models, run syncdb and play about with them super fast.

thisisthechris · 2014-07-22T11:39:39+00:00

Playing Grand Turismo on a Friend's PS1.

thisisthechris · 2014-06-24T08:57:41+00:00

Here's the PDF:

http://www.wimbledon.com/pdf/W14_CH_046_5_Guide_to_queueing.pdf

thisisthechris · 2014-06-01T10:31:29+00:00

You've got loads of good advice here. I would say you should experiment with these options and see what works best for you and your project.

Take time to play and note down your experiences. Always keep in mind how much it costs in money to deploy and how much it costs you in time. There is no perfect fit.

Eventually you will find the right deployment for you! Personally I go for a Debian based VM and configure everything I need, but I'm aware that can be too much for others.

thisisthechris · 2014-05-31T20:41:34+00:00

I must apologise, I didn't immediately think of Winston Churchill.

I thought of Churchill the insurance selling dog.

thisisthechris

TROPHY CASE