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Ask HN: How do you keep motivated if nobody supports you?

cabada.mx

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Re: Ask HN: How do you keep motivated if nobody supports you?

#81

Post by bcheung »

Hang in there. I started programming when I was 7 and by the time I was 18 I had lots of programming experience but nobody would hire me because I didn't have a degree or previous work experience. I had to do a lot of QA and support before I finally found some development jobs. One things that helped was moving down to LA and doing a lot of freelance work. I found it was a lot easier to get work at places where I was the only programming. Once you get a good reputation and have a portfolio of work it gets easier and easier. Eventually I moved back to the SF bay area and didn't do well at interviews either despite programming for 20+ years. Now I do a lot better just because I have interviewed so many times. I found that interviewing others at different startups has helped me interview at other places as well.

Also, I would definitely recommend reading Robert Greene's book called "Mastery". It talks a lot about how to go about building a career and is a great read.

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep motivated if nobody supports you?

#82

Post by mrcabada »

Denzel wrote: post #78
jmt_ wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've come to realize the same thing. Like the author, I've been programming since I was an early teen and that was pretty much all I did for years. I would love to break into the software market but realized that I only think like an engineer and not so much like a business man. I've been mainly interested in the design, implementation, and theory of software rather than thinking of what software that people would an…

"The E-myth" by Michael Gerber is the single most helpful book I've ever read on transitioning your thinking from engineering-focused to business-minded. Specifically, the difference between the Technician, the Manager, and the Entrepreneur. I read it on the recommendation of an ex-Google engineer turned failed-entrepreneur, here on HN. He said that a The E-myth described all the failures he had encountered trying to…

Will totally check that book, thank you!

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep motivated if nobody supports you?

#83

Post by BlackjackCF »

fiveoak wrote: post #30

I'm a 27 year old programmer that was in a similar situation as you when I was 25 (although with much less lines of code written). I still struggle a bit with motivation for working on personal projects, but I did eventually get a job as a software developer at a non-tech oriented company. I noticed you applied to several highly selective companies like Google, Facebook, Uber but have you tried looking at less select…

You'd also be surprised at the number of companies out there that aren't the Big Five and are tackling a bunch of interesting problems using different technologies.

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep motivated if nobody supports you?

#84

Post by mrcabada »

iktwo wrote: post #50
mrcabada wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm mexican, is not that easy to get a working Visa. Is a bit easier to get working Visas in big companies, that's the main reason why.

Also mexican. Not sure what visa you are trying to get. But if you just want to work in USA it is very easy to get a visa if you are Mexican and you have a relevant degree. Look at TN Visa. You just need an offer letter. 3 close friends have done that and the process was very simple. https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/employment/nafta.h...

Totally checking that, thank you.

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep motivated if nobody supports you?

#86

Post by mrcabada »

cabinguy wrote: post #74

I've been bootstrapping my current business for 13 years...and started in business several years before that. I didn't necessarily want to bootstrap, but no one (outside of my business partner, wife & kids) ever believed in me or supported my efforts in any way...and for good reason, I was a classic underachiever until I was 25 or so. I personally believe that success has to be your life's mission if you are going to…

Can't agree better with your concept for success. Thanks for your feedback.

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep motivated if nobody supports you?

#87

Post by metafunctor »

jmt_ wrote: post #20
aasarava wrote: post #7

For me the most eye-opening lesson about the business world was the realization that you are not an entrepreneur just because you can build something. You become an entrepreneur when you build something that people are willing to pay for. You may be good at writing software, but are you writing software that solves a problem for anyone? If not, you're going to be hard-pressed to find external validation. You don't sa…

I've come to realize the same thing. Like the author, I've been programming since I was an early teen and that was pretty much all I did for years. I would love to break into the software market but realized that I only think like an engineer and not so much like a business man. I've been mainly interested in the design, implementation, and theory of software rather than thinking of what software that people would an…

If you're an engineer looking to try bootstrapping a business (as opposed to going the venture capital route), try the “Startups For the Rest of Us” podcast. Start from the beginning. Or startupbook.net for mostly the same content in book form.

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries.

Traction by Gabriel Weinberg.

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep motivated if nobody supports you?

#88

Post by mrcabada »

vlokshin wrote: post #67

I did a quick search through the comments on here that the OP (@mrcabada) has made. While this sort of snooping is rarely pleasant for the party being snooped, I hope this is helpful. Mr. Cabada, I believe the most impactful thing you can do is to stop blaming others and to start putting all of your energy into improving yourself. Based on your writing, your site, and your LinkedIn, you are already doing a lot of imp…

This is a feedback I'd filter as good, thanks. And sorry for the "blameness", the straw broke the camel's back today.

Re: Ask HN: How do you keep motivated if nobody supports you?

#89

Post by jorgemf »

I don't get how being reject from 5 companies has any effect in your motivation. I was rejected from 5 companies a week for a couple of months and don't care at all. I always take the first rejections as a warm up. Because the interviews needs some practice until you can show all your potential. Moreover, as long as you pursue what makes you happy who cares?

Think the interviews are like dates, you have to impress them with your skills, but it is very hard you can do it in your first date in years. You need to get the mind set, you probably need to learn the skills. You can be an awesome developer that if you don't know how to explain it the other person it is not going to know. Communication is important, empathy, charming. It is not only about your CV, it is about you and the image that the other person creates about you.

As a side note, you have a lot of projects, too many in my opinion. I think you should get a project and keep working on it for more time, because you learn a lot of things from small projects but keep learning more when the project matures (maintain code, refactorization, keep adding features, etc).

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