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Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

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Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#91

Post by daanlo »

80386 wrote: post #30

I make I try to get at least one Git commit every day, but my job is pretty draining, so that doesn't happen. And sometimes all my projects get blocked on hard stuff that I don't have the energy to solve. For all I know, I might look alright on paper. I've co-authored a paper in a respectable journal, written a few Rails apps, a few desktop apps, and a crappy interpreter for an old language - which doesn't really use…

Don't clean up anything. Just apply for the next 5 development jobs you see. See if you make it to the interview and how that goes. That will help you understand where you stand. Also see that other post on imposter syndrome above :) You don't need to be perfect to start your first job as a developer. You are supposed to learn on the job.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#92

Post by croo »

Odenwaelder wrote: post #15

I struggle with the question whether to have children or not. I'm surrounded by new fathers who struggle with their children, whose wives have turned from attractive women into unattractive moms. I read witty comments all the time suggesting how much of a burden kids are. This struggle burns me out.

Think your life as a sine and happiness and sadness is the high and low. Having children multiples the amplitude. You will feel happier you ever thought by simply watching them. You will be able to cry on stupid endoftheworld movies because kids. You will walk out of your house at 2 am because otherwise you would hurt those little fkers. You won't sleep well for years. You will be able to squat one more series if you imagine you're saving them with that. To summarize you will get more _life_ out of having kids with all the highs and lows that life naturally contains.

This is a boost I would never miss out.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#93

Post by weaksauce »

80386 wrote: post #30

I make I try to get at least one Git commit every day, but my job is pretty draining, so that doesn't happen. And sometimes all my projects get blocked on hard stuff that I don't have the energy to solve. For all I know, I might look alright on paper. I've co-authored a paper in a respectable journal, written a few Rails apps, a few desktop apps, and a crappy interpreter for an old language - which doesn't really use…

There are people that I have interviewed that didn't even know the bare basics of programming. you are well higher on the list than you think you are. apply.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#94

Post by AJRF »

Finishing things.

I've started countless projects all with a wave of optimism on how its going to be different this time, how this will be the side project that earns me enough recurring revenue to leave my job and start making things I want to build full time, but I never can finish them.

I am in awe at people who can work on things for 4+ years without getting large scale feedback or revenue from them. My attention span for a side project lasts a month at most.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#95

Post by flatfilefan »

acconrad wrote: post #87

My relationship with money. I make more than like 98% of the population but my parents grew up middle/lower class so I'm just constantly worried about having enough for retirement, and having enough money for kids, and having enough money for their education, AND any possible illnesses/issues having seen families with health insurance crippled by things like cancer treatments. It seems like no matter what, I find mys…

Move to a country like Norway or Germany where it doesn’t matter how much you make. Social security covers the basic and medical needs. Problem solved.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#96

Post by flatfilefan »

CM30 wrote: post #21

Overambitiousness. Or more precisely, actually getting stuff finished because of overambitiousness. I really need to remember the idea of a minimum viable product and not get sidetracked with 'wouldn't it be cool if' type features that slow everything down.

Set goals to have something done as in „delivered“ not „developed“. Even if you work on a fun hobby project.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#97

Post by mkirschner »

80386 wrote: post #30

I make I try to get at least one Git commit every day, but my job is pretty draining, so that doesn't happen. And sometimes all my projects get blocked on hard stuff that I don't have the energy to solve. For all I know, I might look alright on paper. I've co-authored a paper in a respectable journal, written a few Rails apps, a few desktop apps, and a crappy interpreter for an old language - which doesn't really use…

I have a feeling you are selling yourself short (and being overly hard on yourself, something I'm well acquainted with but more easily recognize in others).

Based on your technical focus, you're clearly (in my opinion) way above the "average" developer in technical ambition and appreciation for computer science.

A bit of unsolicited advice: If you organize your preparations around the concept of providing value to a prospective employer, rather than merely getting hired to write code, then I bet your outlook will change. One book (and definitely not the only one) that can help with that is Bob Martin's The Clean Coder: A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers:

https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Coder-Conduct-Professional-Prog...

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#98

Post by harlanji »

I struggle to get respect in the workplace. New in the last 5 years.

Have been a programmer since high school, now early-30’s. Am now homeless in Silicon Valley because coworkers at each job profile me wrong and bully me out. Recently I was wrongly identified as a Trumper and fired while on berevement leave via bogus HR reports. Later I had my Christmas days off revoked while boss was laughing in Hawaii at next employer, and had the final employer do an illegal reference check and refuse to officially acknowledge it—walked off these two. My network abandonded me in doubt, so options are worse than ever and confidence is hard to muster/maintain.

Seems like there is no way to get on track beyond luck/good will, and I am so skeptical of nice gestures that it can be offputting for all involved.

Re: Ask HN: What do you struggle with?

#100

Post by dewey »

flatfilefan wrote: post #95
acconrad wrote: post #87

My relationship with money. I make more than like 98% of the population but my parents grew up middle/lower class so I'm just constantly worried about having enough for retirement, and having enough money for kids, and having enough money for their education, AND any possible illnesses/issues having seen families with health insurance crippled by things like cancer treatments. It seems like no matter what, I find mys…

Move to a country like Norway or Germany where it doesn’t matter how much you make. Social security covers the basic and medical needs. Problem solved.

Living on the minimum amount of pension isn't as easy as it sounds, especially if you never had a well paying job. There are a lot of very poor old people that have to be supported by their families if possible or by smaller side incomes.
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