Ask HN: Self Taught techs, how did you keep from quitting once things got hard?

That is precisely the reason why I have learnt to work on multiple projects,3-4 at a time, so I can safely switch when things have got hard and somehow a decent duration (week or two) gives me the insight to unblock it. I know it is anecdotal but it has worked out well so far.

Re: Ask HN: Self Taught techs, how did you keep from quitting once things got hard?

#7

Post by anotheryou » Fri, May 03, 2019, 11:47 AM UTC

Choose the right sized steps.

Like for a new programming language: Tutorial > first example project > first meaningful addition to something existing > a small valuable first project > a project where you initially are a bit out of your depth but figure it out after reading the docs and asking around

Choose the steepest slope you can manage without giving up. This means sometimes giving up a project because you misjudged the slope, but that should be the exception.

I'm currently diving in to deep learning, I'm not sure yet if I'll make it. But I got an Idea and I already found some baby-steps that will be a lot of work as a noob, but should be doable for me. My biggest challenge is the width of the topic here, ranging from data acquisition, over math, actual deep learning, deployment to a production environment, web stuff for a front-end and so on.

Re: Ask HN: Self Taught techs, how did you keep from quitting once things got hard?

#8

Post by twoquestions » Fri, May 03, 2019, 12:29 PM UTC

Lower your standards for Good Enough For Now, and improve your thing later. Building crap and improving on it later is a lot better than building nothing.

Remember the two clay pot classes, where one is graded on pounds of pots and the other on quality only? The former wins.

Re: Ask HN: Self Taught techs, how did you keep from quitting once things got hard?

#9

Post by codegeek » Fri, May 03, 2019, 12:39 PM UTC

My advice is more general and not just related to self taught techs. What keeps me from Quitting is the alternative. That gives me nightmare. In my case, running my own company is what I want to do and it is DAMN hard. There are days when I am like "WTF am i doing" BUT what keeps me from quitting is the alternative. For me, the alternative would be to work in a corporate job where I feel empty even though I could make decent money.

So here is what you should do when you feel like quitting. Close your eyes and imagine doing the alternative. If that gives you nightmares, you know the answer. If that doesn't give you nightmares and the alternative starts making sense, it probably is time to quit. Remember it is ok to quit sometimes but you better quit in return for something worth quitting for. Keep fighting the good fight.

Re: Ask HN: Self Taught techs, how did you keep from quitting once things got hard?

#10

Post by otras » Fri, May 03, 2019, 2:02 PM UTC

When you say "things got hard", what exactly do you mean? I've encountered many different difficult aspects in tech as a mostly self-taught engineer. Here are a few of the different things that were difficult for me:

- Self teaching got hard: I always reminded myself that the alternative was staying in the same place, which was much less than ideal. My day job was enough to motivate me to get out of there, and tech represented a way to move up. Usually taking a short break or walk (diffuse mode) would also do the trick.

- Finding a job got hard: luckily this was hard from the beginning, so I was able to have a lot of practice from the start. I got so many rejections that I got acclimated to it. Once I had my first real professional development experience, things got easier.

- Impostor syndrome made life hard: post-first-dev-job, I was worried about my lack of CS foundation and ability to move forward in career. I ended up taking some classes at a local college, which was absolutely fantastic. I also ended up later getting a job at a large tech company, which has been both good and bad for my impostor-ly feelings.

- Programming problems got hard: compared to the other ones, this was the easiest. I usually took a break from the computer to draw out the problem, rubber duck debug, take a break/walk (again, diffuse mode), or ask someone for help. When the programming problems were when I was self teaching, I'd go the discussion boards and ask questions. At any job, I'd talk about and work through the problem with a coworker.