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Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

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Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#61

Post by dylan604 »

unnouinceput wrote: post #48
shaggie76 wrote: post #14

When I read the latest "who is hiring" post I was overwhelmed by the amount of Python listed; I've always used PERL but I seem to be the only one at the office left who can.

So you're becoming a niche developer. Congrats, now is time to shine and rack in the big dough. While everybody flocks to Python, go search jobs for Perl and ask for big buck. I bet there are plenty of legacy projects for Perl.

I would not be surprised to find that many of those new Python gigs are rewriting the legacy Perl.

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#62

Post by phowat »

kerkeslager wrote: post #9

Starting conversations with strangers. Squat and deadlift. Eating healthier. Doing something kind for someone else every day. Honesty. Listening to people you disagree with. Driving safer (this is the most dangerous thing we do on a regular basis). Meditation.

From this list, the thing I struggle most with is conversations with strangers. Any suggestions on how to improve that?

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#63

Post by tmountain »

Dumblydorr wrote: post #44
yaman12 wrote: post #19

Learn a another human language. You don’t have to be good at it or even able to converse. Languages are systems of thinking as much as they are systems of communication. Some thoughts only make sense in a given language! The process of learning a language builds cognitive skills and perhaps fights cognitive decline. If you have absolutely no “ear” for human language start with Esperanto and work your way to additiona…

I was thinking of learning French, can anyone recommend which tool to use?

Spanish language learner here (five years invested). Some generally applicable tools/programs I'd recommend are: Anki (or any other SRS flashcard app), Glossika (expensive but worth it), and Clozemaster (free). Glossika and Clozemaster work better after you have a basic foundation with the language. To establish a basic foundation, I recommend this strategy (https://bit.ly/397DPzM).

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#64

Post by ryugarden »

Learn how to make more friends. Communicate. Learn how to talk with people, how to be adaptive and contextual.

Learn about yourself as much as you can, either via introspection or from other people. Learn what your values are, and what makes them satisfied. "You are your own ally, when you make yourself an enemy even though you should trust yourself, you become the victim hit the hardest".

Learn agency. Remember that you are a person, and you can take initiative.

Learn that another person's behavior toward you is just a reflection of their relationship with themselves rather than a statement about your value as a person.

Learn to genuinely tell people that you love them. People are precious.

Last of all, actually learn how to use knowledge of all of the above in your situation.

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#66

Post by ak39 »

kerkeslager wrote: post #9

Starting conversations with strangers. Squat and deadlift. Eating healthier. Doing something kind for someone else every day. Honesty. Listening to people you disagree with. Driving safer (this is the most dangerous thing we do on a regular basis). Meditation.

“Honesty” a skill?

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#67

Post by JJseiko »

bbody wrote: post #7

I think improving communication skills, particularly technical topics to non-technical people will always be advantageous regardless of where your career takes you in tech.

"How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie is very good. The title is absolutely terrible, but the content is as good as the title is terrible (in my opinion at least)

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#68

Post by orbz »

phowat wrote: post #62
kerkeslager wrote: post #9

Starting conversations with strangers. Squat and deadlift. Eating healthier. Doing something kind for someone else every day. Honesty. Listening to people you disagree with. Driving safer (this is the most dangerous thing we do on a regular basis). Meditation.

From this list, the thing I struggle most with is conversations with strangers. Any suggestions on how to improve that?

- Meetups with like-minded individuals

- Board game/trivia group at your local bar

- Join Toastmasters

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#69

Post by BlueTemplar »

silicon2401 wrote: post #30
yaman12 wrote: post #19

Learn a another human language. You don’t have to be good at it or even able to converse. Languages are systems of thinking as much as they are systems of communication. Some thoughts only make sense in a given language! The process of learning a language builds cognitive skills and perhaps fights cognitive decline. If you have absolutely no “ear” for human language start with Esperanto and work your way to additiona…

As a fellow language lover I second the suggestion, but not the reasoning. What's your evidence for "some thoughts only make sense in a given language"? From what I've read, this isn't agreed upon in the linguistic community. As for Esperanto, it's heavily biased towards Western speakers, so it wouldn't necessarily be easy to start with for someone whose native language is non-Western.

On the most superficial level: It's easier to talk about snow or numbers in languages that have more words for these concepts than in languages that have less.

Re: Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?

#70

Post by gh0t1 »

Dumblydorr wrote: post #44
yaman12 wrote: post #19

Learn a another human language. You don’t have to be good at it or even able to converse. Languages are systems of thinking as much as they are systems of communication. Some thoughts only make sense in a given language! The process of learning a language builds cognitive skills and perhaps fights cognitive decline. If you have absolutely no “ear” for human language start with Esperanto and work your way to additiona…

I was thinking of learning French, can anyone recommend which tool to use?

I would suggest using a French or Canadian person.
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