351–360 of 438 posts
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As the oldest of 5, allow me to echo this sentiment ;)
Amateurs. I'm one of 8. My parents never had a chance.
I'm a middle child, and yes I suffer from middle-child syndrome big-time, still. Working class background, mum was a housewife and dad worked in a textile mill. Its amazing how he managed to raise us on that salary, yet 7 out of 10 of us have at least a degree, going all the way up to at least one PhD.
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If your answer to number 1 is not 100%, you are going to be letting them down in some way. (Or at least feel that way) Trust me, they will own you, being your #1 priority for the next 5 years at least.
This doesn't strike me as very useful advice, sorry. Taken at face value, you're saying my wife and I need to stop sleeping, and I need to quit my job. The number may be high, but I already know it's not 100%
My point was that as a father of two boys, I can tell you that as far as priorities go, they are by far number 1, and they occupy pretty much all of my free time, either directly or indirectly. Of course I do make time for other things like work and my wife and trying to get a startup out the door.
I'm working on becoming a beekeeper. Learning about bee cycles and getting involved in a beekeeping group is easy enough. The biggest roadblock is finding a place to keep them in LA.
My most recent life goal is to learn how to shave with a straight razor... Don't ask me why, just seems like a cool skill to learn and someday pass down to my sons.
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Python. Easy to get started, but also very capable.
I looked at Python a few years ago and lacked the self-discipline to continue forward with it. I remember nothing of that failed attempt other than everyone spouting how wonderful and easy it was. It could very well be my answer though. One of the solutions I would like to work on involves a few small applications that I would need to run on Windows, Linux, OSX and cell phones. I could cut out the cell phone requirem…
Not trying to force you to use Python - I just thought I'd address some of your concerns.
You don't have to ship Python to your Windows users - there's a way to glue the Python runtime to your program and generate a standalone EXE (see py2exe.org). Also, a non-trivial Windows application will eventually need an installer. Which could install a Python runtime. But distribution is a problem for later.
Java on cell phones is a totally different beast than the regular JRE. Getting your desktop Java program to run on a phone is not an automated task by any means. Also don't forget that your desktop users have to have the JRE installed (and preferably running the same version).
Learning to program takes time. You will likely end up rewriting many of the earlier pieces of your app, and possibly have to reorganize it entirely. I see that you are trying to replace an existing system that is badly put together. That's a good motivator, but keep in mind that quick and dirty solutions are unlikely to produce a good result, at least not until you rewrite that first attempt. Having said that, there is a place for VB, and it has an undeservedly bad reputation.
My own programming language timeline went like this: QBasic, VB, PHP, C, Java, Python. Having gone through all of the above, Python seemed easy and well-designed. But the easy to learn part is at least somewhat influenced by having done similar things before.
learn as much mathematics as I can. Currently enrolled in undergrad summer classes at Berkeley, but I already have a CS degree from another school back east. Some obstacles: paying tuition out of pocket, navigating the bureaucracy of being a non-matriculated student, finding inexpensive housing near the university that's not utter crap; struggling to keep up in classes because I am older and my brain doesn't work as…
Get admitted to a PhD in CS at Stanford next cycle. Bottleneck: At my age and with no formal education in CS and poor academic records, getting an admission is next to impossible by conventional wisdom. But the challenge is what makes it interesting :-). PS: If anyone has any data/anecdotes/advice on "impossible" PhD admissions, I'd be glad to hear it (either here or my email is in the profile).
If you are really serious about this, I would say that your best bet is to start making inroads into the field by first getting a masters at a lesser school. There you would be able to demonstrate that you are capable of doing well in grad level courses, which will be a serious question mark on your application given your poor grades. If you are lucky and work hard, you may also be able to publish & network. Especially at the top schools, academia is extremely insidery and knowing people counts for more than you might expect. At least, this has been my experience, and I am trying to do something very similar in a closely-related field (math).
Last, I see it all the time that people get hung up on gaining admission to the best schools. Why Stanford? Getting to rub shoulders with the leaders of the field would, admittedly, be awesome--but you should remember that there are many less selective departments which could afford you a solid and rewarding PhD experience. In my completely un-scientific estimation, 90% of your success or failure grad will be due intrinsic factors--intelligence, work ethic, communication skills, and so forth. The other 10% will come from your surroundings. Don't get so hung up on the latter that you lose sight of the former. Or, more simply: it's possible for you to be a successful PhD student and academic without going to Stanford.
Learn to be happy. "Satisfied with my lot" is probably a better term. Life is excellent except for the 5% of my brain that sees the bleak side of everything. The main roadblock is the common depression / bipolar type II episodes.
To make something people love.