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Not Just Any Old Geek

blog.oldgeekjobs.com

61–70 of 305 posts

Re: Not Just Any Old Geek

#61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>(still must admit that 37 doesn't feel old to me) Same; I find it a bit terrifying that 35+ is considered 'old' in our industry...

It's not, but he has to call himself old to give his business idea credibility. (which I think is fair, by the way)

I dont think its as much a business-motivated thought, as it is an observation about there being a very distorted age spectrum associated with working in tech-related industries.

Re: Not Just Any Old Geek

#62
post #45
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't worry. We can actually Get Stuff Done, which at the end of the day is what really counts. Inexperienced young programmers working 2x the hours do not necessarily produce Output That Works (I know, I've been one myself). Sure, not every company will realize that, but then again, you don't necessarily want to work for every ping-pong table company, either. Cultural fit and all that.

Honestly, even as I'm getting older, this isn't at all obvious to me. Someone with five years solid experience with web development might very well be far more effective than someone with twenty years experience of working in corners of large companies with various technologies, especially when you consider the expected salary. I think it good that people are talking about these things, but sometime it seem like peop…

I am with you on this - it is what causes me a lot of anxiety but what also drives me to at least know about "all the shiney things" that the new breed of engineers basically come equipped with standard.

Re: Not Just Any Old Geek

#63

Nice idea, but the site itself is clearly copied from https://weworkremotely.com/jobs/new -- even down to the segment headers. The only notable change is setting the font family to monospaced...

I don't know who copied who, but it's quite clear that those pages are way beyond just coming from the same idea. That text is far too verbatim.

Re: Not Just Any Old Geek

#64
post #4

I got invited to a YC event - meet companies, they pitched - a recruiting event. More than a few pulled the "we work hard, play hard, are a family" card. If you have friends/family, avoid such. Cultural fit is bull shit. It's about getting people to work more at a fixed rate. I've been there, done that, ran away to better things. As someone expected to write code - make sure "operations" isn't a hidden requirement -…

Claiming "we are a family" in a business environment is always a reg flag for me. Team is a much better metaphor. Sports teams back each other up, but ultimately underperformers get dropped. You don't get fired from a family, you don't stop being a brother, sister, father or mother.

This. The most tight knit people I've met are in military special operations: Nothing comes close to the combination of technical skills, teamwork and ability to mitigate "interpersonal friction" that those guys have, IMO.

The telling thing is: Not once have I heard these folks refer to themselves as a "family" - almost like it is an insult to what family really is (separate and sacred). Only have I heard them refer to themselves collectively as a "team" or a "community".

Re: Not Just Any Old Geek

#65
post #4

I got invited to a YC event - meet companies, they pitched - a recruiting event. More than a few pulled the "we work hard, play hard, are a family" card. If you have friends/family, avoid such. Cultural fit is bull shit. It's about getting people to work more at a fixed rate. I've been there, done that, ran away to better things. As someone expected to write code - make sure "operations" isn't a hidden requirement -…

Claiming "we are a family" in a business environment is always a reg flag for me. Team is a much better metaphor. Sports teams back each other up, but ultimately underperformers get dropped. You don't get fired from a family, you don't stop being a brother, sister, father or mother.

Thanks for the great analogy. My employer had layoffs recently but has always referred to employees as family. always thought that was a terrible analogy as you said because you don't fire your mom or dad.

Re: Not Just Any Old Geek

#69
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Starting your own business always entails some risk. Some people are not comfortable taking that risk, surely if you have a family to support it might not be feasible. This depends a bit on the country where you live, but where I live you are liable for your company - which means that what you own privately is shared. I don't know how it's like where he lives, but the risk might not be worth it. It also takes a huge…

Consulting business is pretty low risk. I started my own business when my wife was pregnant. I found it much more family friendly than 9-5 cubicle job.

True that seems to be low-risk, and 9-5 cubicle might not be family friendly either. But I'm working for a company where I can choose my own hours to a certain degree (in between 8-12, leave after 8 hours with one hour break). So I can be home rather early.

Plus work from home means that I can easily take care of making dinner etc.

But I didn't consider a consulting business and actually I have no idea how your day looks like in that area. Care to elaborate, I'd love to hear about it :-)

Re: Not Just Any Old Geek

#70

(Not that it really matters, but I'm 27...) A few things came to me after reading the post: Firstly, how this situation shared by the OP and many others is pure insanity. That the very people who grew up with this technology during the baby years are now struggling to have a place now that it really has taken off. Secondly, for those in their mid-30's and onward, to realize how immensely skilled they likely are at wr…

>(still must admit that 37 doesn't feel old to me) Same; I find it a bit terrifying that 35+ is considered 'old' in our industry...

White beard is old.

And a hat.

(some cool YT sessiosn on C++ and Java are from that exact type, somehow :))

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