Ask HN: Developers with kids, how do you skill up?

PG wrote a post a while back about how kids really only have the magic of Christmas a handful of times (ages 3-11?) and then it's gone.

When you're making choices, realize there will always be another framework, another conference, another chance to try out that new tool but your kid is constantly changing, learning, and is fundamentally different today, tomorrow, and a week from now, especially when they're young. I have a 2yo and a 5mo and they get first dibs on my time. After they go to bed, I work until whatever time.. but they're back up by 8am so I take it easy.

Btw, it's fun opening a conference call with "Just so you know, my son is joining us for this call. He's not NDA'd but he's 2 years old, doesn't write yet and has a very limited vocabulary. Are you okay with that?"

And then if it's internal-only, I turn on video for a minute so he can wave at everyone. ;)

I just stopped bothering what to learn or accumulate green boxes. The only time github graph looked like a jungle was when I was hired to work on a sponsored open source project.

I tend to read on the train ride if not completely wasted. Coding is kind of not fun while commuting. Topics differ however.

In the evenings I just do whatever I like to do after chores. Sometimes it's coding, sometimes just playing games, mostly screwing around the internets or reading non profession books.

Demand for computer science is not (yet) declining, quite the contrary. So my need for learning does not come from competition.

The most quality time to learn something new is an hour here an hour there at work. I try to be efficient to generate the desired output so I can get a bit of slack to get my head into something new coding wise. Call me unethical, but it seems to work out for me and clients. There is only one life to live.

Being 5 months into the parenting adventure, I seem to get a few hours a month on each side project at the moment! It really does make you prioritise. (And work harder on things I can do on my rail commute than other tasks).

I haven't got to the "wants to play with me" part yet, just the "oh man, I just spend half an hour staring at the baby being cute" stage. :)

1. They can't move stage. Depending on their sleep schedule, this is easy, or it's still tiring.

2. They can move. They still have the baby sleep schedule. No sleep, no time.

3. They have a normal sleep schedule. You can sleep.

4. They can play with other kids. A chance to save time, if you can use it!

5. They go school. You have time.

6. They are teenagers. You wish they spent more time with you.

7. They move out. You miss them a lot.

8. They move far away. You miss them even more.