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Ask HN: What do you want to learn in 2017?

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Re: Ask HN: What do you want to learn in 2017?

#41

Post by LeanderK »

aethos wrote: post #33
Ocerge wrote: post #18

I want to learn how to even start a side-project. I've been out of university since 2012 and have done basically nothing in my free time CS-related. Every time I start to even think about doing something, that "why are you working while on your free time" feeling comes up and I immediately do something else. Not sure if it means I really don't love programming and Computer Science after all (entirely possible) or if…

I've yet to graduate, but I find myself in the same position. I've got other non-CS related hobbies that I enjoy and so I don't really end up making any good side projects. CS seems to have this feel around it where it has to be both your job and your passion. Recruiters want to see that you spend all your time outside of work/school programming, which makes it difficult for people like us who have other hobbies they…

i sometimes wonder whether it's worth it. One of my passions is Cs and i enjoy it very much. But It's not the only one and i fear that one day i wake up burned out, wondering how i have wasted my time learning technologies that have become totally useless. If you have a passion for CS, CS will likely consume youre time and dominate your life. I don't want this, i want to learn and have fun, but i think it's comparable to a drug that's fun a first but if you don't watch out dominates your life. Just image if you're in your 50s...does this really matter? Is starting a family a better (but harder!) idea? is work/learning CS really that rewarding? I don't know. I just really hope that i make the right decision and don't waste very valuable time.

Re: Ask HN: What do you want to learn in 2017?

#44

Post by davedx »

sergiotapia wrote: post #13

I want to write a real, hand-holding example for using GenStage and Elixir for a real tangible feature. The official documentation sucks and does nothing to illustrate how to use it in a real setting. I've tried to understand what it does and how it works about once a month for the past four months but I still don't get it. http://elixir-lang.org/blog/2016/07/14/announcing-genstage/ Hopefully I can understand it soon…

I found this post educational: https://discord.engineering/how-discord-handles-push-request...

Re: Ask HN: What do you want to learn in 2017?

#49

Post by grardb »

LouisSayers wrote: post #32
Ocerge wrote: post #18

I want to learn how to even start a side-project. I've been out of university since 2012 and have done basically nothing in my free time CS-related. Every time I start to even think about doing something, that "why are you working while on your free time" feeling comes up and I immediately do something else. Not sure if it means I really don't love programming and Computer Science after all (entirely possible) or if…

I think the trick is to find something you're truly excited about. It's not work if you're enjoying the thing you're doing. Perhaps the problem is you're wanting a side-project for the wrong reasons.

This. Aside from a hackathon or two, I have "completed" exactly one side project since graduating in 2013. There were numerous times I started projects and quickly gave them up, and it was simply because my goal was to have a side project, which is not really a goal at all.

This year, my girlfriend and I were using Google Sheets to track our expenses and compete to see who could spend less money. We eventually decided it'd be a way better experience if we had a dedicated app for it, so I worked relentlessly to build one and polish it up until I was pretty proud of it. I "released" it to a couple of online communities where I thought people might be interested, and I gained exactly 1 active user who I don't know in real life.

It's all good, though, because my girlfriend and I use it every day, so that's all that matters to me :D

But yeah, it can be difficult to "scratch an itch" if you feel that nothing needs scratching. If that's the case, I wouldn't really worry about it. If you don't need to build anything, then don't spend time building anything. It's nothing to feel bad about.

Re: Ask HN: What do you want to learn in 2017?

#50

Post by LeanderK »

markhollis wrote: post #27

* How to make a simple MMORPG. * Understand what toposes are. * Understand what monads are.

A recommendation for monads. Don't read too much tutorials, try it. Programm in some languages that emphasises monads and then reflect how you used them. I think these fundamental concepts are way easier to experience than to explain.

Edit: what are toposes and why do you want to learn it? Has it some connection to topology?

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