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Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

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Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#271

Post by xchaotic »

newfie_bullet wrote: post #55

Procrastination - wanting to accomplish things (technical things - learn new language, stack, technology) in my head but not actually starting/completing them. I've tried to minimize my hobbies and whatnot so that I'm not being torn in too many directions but I guess I just aspire to do more software dev-type activities (in my head) but after a day job related to that I can't quite muster up the energy (default to FO…

simple first step would be to do the extra things in the morning rather than after work. It's no surprise that you're mentally tired after a work day.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#272

Post by meesterdude »

Mizza wrote: post #269
legohead wrote: post #219

I don't like the new way of doing things. Kubernetes, node, react, terraform... Everything is more complicated and also more fragile. I feel like the software world is collectively mad and I'm sitting on the outside asking "wtf is going on?" Or maybe I'm the crazy one.

So much of this. React is like one step forwards, 10 steps backwards. Mixing markup and logic, adding a whole front-end compiler, needing imports from third parties to re-implement basic browser functionality - for what? So that users have to see a loading spinner and their back button doesn't work any more? I'm 90% sure it's an accidental conspiracy to keep front end developer salaries high. Talking to older heads,…

It's really helpful to hear that i'm not alone with this. My troubles with picking up and buying into react has not sat well with me, but seeing someone else say what i've been thinking is a huge relief.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#273

Post by g_delgado14 »

throwaway82729 wrote: post #261
ChuckMcM wrote: post #240

I have a very wide area of interests, and doing things takes time. But while I'm doing thing 'A', I think about the fact that I'm making no progress on 'B', 'C', ... 'n' and it distracts me both from thinking as deeply as I need to on thing 'A' and the enjoyment I get from getting something done. So I struggle with letting go of the desire to get everything done that I can imagine would be fun and interesting to do.

+1000. I have too many interests and cannot focus on one thing. Lack of a strong hobby (except computers) in my childhood could be a reason for it.

I don't think that's the reason. It may be the internet itself and our low-attention-span-culture.

I highly recommend you check out "The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains", by Nicholas Carr [0].

[0] - https://www.amazon.ca/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp...

---

edit: grammar

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#274

Post by meesterdude »

abledon wrote: post #256
legohead wrote: post #219

I don't like the new way of doing things. Kubernetes, node, react, terraform... Everything is more complicated and also more fragile. I feel like the software world is collectively mad and I'm sitting on the outside asking "wtf is going on?" Or maybe I'm the crazy one.

I’m playing with the idea of quitting software , getting a softskills excel/MS word gov job for equal pay then only programming on spare time in elixir and tensor flow for fun side side projects —- current web dev environment is ridiculous !

Right? You could still do interesting work, solve problems - but the landscape isn't changing overnight every night, you have the mental resources to learn things you actually want to learn instead of things for work... Not a bad deal.

The only reason I got into web dev were what it offered me as far as ability to make things. But the work itself? I'm just as happy writing reports vs refactoring a test suit. Rails makes software fun for me, I would not have gotten into web dev if i thought React was how things are done.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#275

Post by SubuSS »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #201

Everything worth doing and about half of the things that aren't. If I had to pick one thing, it'd be my weight. I've lost 150lbs and have been keeping it off for years. People who've never lost a significant amount of weight (north of 50lbs) probably can't understand what it is like to have to fight your body every day of your life. I have to avoid temptation as much as possible, which means keeping only enough food…

I personally have lost about 75 - but that was fueled by a cycling habit. (FWIW any regular cardio helps big time because you can expand your caloric needs to 2500 or so easily and have a reasonable meal instead of pure leaves diet that leaves you miserable)

One anecdotal contra-point for me - and this is going against popular scientific wisdom of calorie in vs calorie out is that simpler foods have allowed me to consume beyond the caloric limits. Recently I have been exploring this and my weight has remained in the 155lb range for over 2 months through vacations - I documented my findings in https://www.subu.io/post/176259843689/one-step-from-the-farm if you are interested! I am almost always feeling full and yet able to keep my weight stable. HTH!

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#276

Post by PerfectElement »

legohead wrote: post #219

I don't like the new way of doing things. Kubernetes, node, react, terraform... Everything is more complicated and also more fragile. I feel like the software world is collectively mad and I'm sitting on the outside asking "wtf is going on?" Or maybe I'm the crazy one.

Same here. I'm hoping to retire by selling my current SaaS business (which uses vanilla ASP.NET/Web API/IIS) so I don't have to get back in the market and learn the new way of doing things.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#277

Post by Zyst »

g_delgado14 wrote: post #273
throwaway82729 wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1000. I have too many interests and cannot focus on one thing. Lack of a strong hobby (except computers) in my childhood could be a reason for it.

I don't think that's the reason. It may be the internet itself and our low-attention-span-culture. I highly recommend you check out "The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains", by Nicholas Carr [0]. [0] - https://www.amazon.ca/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp... --- edit: grammar

Ironically something I'm interested in, which will further distract from 'A', 'B', and 'C'.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#278

Post by bu0Ahcei »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #240

I have a very wide area of interests, and doing things takes time. But while I'm doing thing 'A', I think about the fact that I'm making no progress on 'B', 'C', ... 'n' and it distracts me both from thinking as deeply as I need to on thing 'A' and the enjoyment I get from getting something done. So I struggle with letting go of the desire to get everything done that I can imagine would be fun and interesting to do.

You're a generalist!

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#279

Post by meesterdude »

deathanatos wrote: post #267
legohead wrote: post #219

I don't like the new way of doing things. Kubernetes, node, react, terraform... Everything is more complicated and also more fragile. I feel like the software world is collectively mad and I'm sitting on the outside asking "wtf is going on?" Or maybe I'm the crazy one.

This is interesting. While I'm going preface most of these tools with having not used them to their full extent, to me, they still seem to solve very real world problems: Kubernetes: I've actually not used kubernetes yet ; I do hope to, sometime in the future. I do see the value in managing distributing the images/code required for a job to the machine that will eventually execute it, and distributing jobs automatica…

For every one of of the things there is a simpler approach that not only works, but is more robust and will better serve smaller projects. It's not that they don't solve problems, but that there are different perspectives of the problem space entirely - often exceeding simply technical justifications and taking a larger look at it.

If you've got a kubernetes problem, go for it. But there is a lot of value in simplicity too.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#280

Post by mehblahwhatevs »

nbardy wrote: post #226

Interviewing. I'm good at my good. My portfolio is at least decent, and I get a lot of responses on my resume, but I consistently can't close the deal. I also have a very hard time bettering myself with the lack of feedback. I've gotten better at all the stuff you can read about online and often made it to the final round, but I can't make it to an offer.

Same here - I keep failing the "algorithm" phone screeners.

I've been in software dev for a decade but don't have a comp sci degree and it shows a bit. Every few years when looking for a new job I stress and try to re-learn these algorithms that I only ever need to know for these interviews.

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