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Ask HN: I will quit my job as a PM to join a coding bootcamp. Am I crazy?

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Re: Ask HN: I will quit my job as a PM to join a coding bootcamp. Am I crazy?

#51

Post by n00b101 »

geoka9 wrote: post #35
noname123 wrote: post #29

Yes very crazy. I have a anecdotal survey of all coders I know: most of whom all graduated from only median Tier-2 US & News Report Ranked Nat'l Universities (>15) and whom have on average, earn only median Fortune Magazine's Best Jobs annual ranked salaries as Application Developer, and only very few employed by Forbes' Most Admired Companies list or who are on the Mattermark's Top 100 Startup Index. Most don't feel…

> such as closing JIRA tickets I'm not a big fan of JIRA myself, but even cool startups need to use an issue tracker?

No, cool startups don't have any code issues, so there's nothing to track.

Re: Ask HN: I will quit my job as a PM to join a coding bootcamp. Am I crazy?

#52

Post by ivan_gammel »

ioda wrote: post #45

As someone who runs a startup,here are some personal observations. I would say, a PM has to understand the user needs, and drive the product. The former has got two parts 1. Understanding the user needs which the user can articulate 2. Understanding the user needs which the users cannot articulate. I have had the opportunity to work with some of the best coders. Though I greatly admired their intellectual capability,…

Generally, PM does not need to understand user needs and drive product. It's a job for other people (product management, ux/cx analysts etc). The PMs primary function is to facilitate communication in the extended team, so that it will achieve the desired goals in given time, and this means his focus is internal, not external.

Re: Ask HN: I will quit my job as a PM to join a coding bootcamp. Am I crazy?

#53

Post by keeptrying »

You're not crazy but your math is wrong.

Calculate the opportunity cost of doing this in dollars. That cost is REAL.

People seem to think opportunity cost is an abstract concept. It isn't. Your retirement and your personal situation will be less $Oppurtunity cost.

Other false assumptions I see in your thinking:

1. Underestimating the difference in competition in engineering versus PM

2. Large error in the number of years of low beginner status in programming

3. Your personality as a PM puts you at a disadvantage when trying to get technical buy in from other engineers

Investigate other paths:

1. Study on the side.

(If you can't do this for 6 months, you won't be able to sustain it full time either.)

2. After Work 1-on-1 face to face engineering coaching

Use the money you make now to have a full time tutor who sits right next to you (I.e. they only have 1 student and thats you and you sit side by side and code) after work. I think this is a much cheaper and much more effective way to learn that isn't available even at bootcamps. You keep your optionality but you also learn more/faster than at a bootcamp.

(Ping me - I'll do it for $150/hour. :)

Re: Ask HN: I will quit my job as a PM to join a coding bootcamp. Am I crazy?

#55

Post by gyardley »

You're almost certainly crazy from a financial perspective. You're unlikely to catch up, salary-wise, and will hit the ageism wall a lot faster as a developer.

But hey, we all get a little crazy when it comes to the things we love. Just be aware that a bootcamp is just the first of a great many steps before you can contribute to something you'd consider the 'future' and not 'move the button 10 pixels to the right'.

Re: Ask HN: I will quit my job as a PM to join a coding bootcamp. Am I crazy?

#56

Post by bluebeard »

If my PM was interested in improving coding skills and went through a code bootcamp I think at the very least it would foster some mutual respect and understanding. Also in my limited experience using ML and deep learning frameworks the tools aren't about knowing how to code, they're more about "turning the right knobs" to achieve desired results. That said I think if you find the right code bootcamp it will teach you how to use the tools you're interested in. And yes you're crazy. But it helps to be crazy to do this kind of work.

Re: Ask HN: I will quit my job as a PM to join a coding bootcamp. Am I crazy?

#58

Post by Cyph0n »

n00b101 wrote: post #51
geoka9 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> such as closing JIRA tickets I'm not a big fan of JIRA myself, but even cool startups need to use an issue tracker?

No, cool startups don't have any code issues, so there's nothing to track.

>> # Elixir + Phoenix is the future -- Python/Ruby/Java are too mainstream for us

>> vi main.ex

>> # No tests needed thanks to BEAM ;)

>> git add -A

>> # No need for descriptive commit messages; we spend our time on the important stuff ;)

>> git commit -m 'New commit'

>> # Rockstars push straight to production

>> git push origin master

Am I doing this right?? /s

Re: Ask HN: I will quit my job as a PM to join a coding bootcamp. Am I crazy?

#60

Post by tux3 »

Cyph0n wrote: post #58
n00b101 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, cool startups don't have any code issues, so there's nothing to track.

>> # Elixir + Phoenix is the future -- Python/Ruby/Java are too mainstream for us >> vi main.ex >> # No tests needed thanks to BEAM ;) >> git add -A >> # No need for descriptive commit messages; we spend our time on the important stuff ;) >> git commit -m 'New commit' >> # Rockstars push straight to production >> git push origin master Am I doing this right?? /s

Don't forget to git push --force to resolve conflicts!
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