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Ask HN: I have nothing to do at work and it's killing me

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Re: Ask HN: I have nothing to do at work and it's killing me

#41

Post by saluki »

TurkishPoptart wrote: post #8
saluki wrote: post #4

Well sounds like a great opportunity to do some on the job training at work until you get tasks assigned or things pick up. I would sign up for an online training course Rails is a good choices or Laravel (Laracasts.com) or Wes Boss's javascript courses. Both of those have some free courses. Get learning and enjoy a laid back position while you can. Learn and look busy, enjoy the holidays, good luck.

Is there any hope that trying to learn this stuff on my own will help me get real work to do / a real job? Granted, I have a ton of academic accolades that I've never been able to get a potential employer to even glance at, so maybe the skills will help. I just doubt I'll learn anything well enough on my own...the best devs learn in pairs it seems. I wish I had a mentor here or something.

y, you can become employable if you learn HTML/CSS, then javascript and a framework like Rails/Laravel you can get a real job developing web applications. It will take time and some work though to build up the skills. Once you have the basics down offer to setup websites for family and friends, maybe a local small business that needs a website. Build a web application for yourself, maybe one to track a collection of yours, one to send messages in real time between you and a friend or maybe compile fantasy football stats and make projections. Pick something you are interested in and that isn't a step by step tutorial. If you have a knack for programming you'll just keep advancing getting more skilled.

Re: Ask HN: I have nothing to do at work and it's killing me

#42

Post by natalyarostova »

TurkishPoptart wrote: post #3
elicash wrote: post #2

If you desperately want to learn to code, how can you possibly be upset by having no work responsibilities? This is the opportunity of a lifetime to learn it. If not now, when?

I spend a few hours a day at work and at home on it. I just don't have any confidence that it will actually pay off.

Learning hard things is very demoralizing, because learning hard things is fucking hard. It makes you feel stupid. Learning to code sucks. It seems like everyone on HN is a gifted natural coding form age 8, while you're just stuck trying to make your stupid loop not give you a syntax error. But that's not true. Only 1% or so of people on HN are like that (approximate guess). The rest of us all learned the same way. Getting stuck on some bullshit trivial syntax error for years, while feeling like an idiot.

That's just what coding is. Please don't lose motivation. I know it's hard and demoralizing, but I strongly encourage you to not give up hope.

Even now I'm learning a new language (clojure) and despite 'knowing how to code' and working in this field for 3+ years, I still spent all day setting up a development environment and learning to loop through a list. That's just how it goes.

I still feel like the same idiot I was on day 1. Except now younger people at work look up to me, as though I actually can code or know what I'm doing. How this happened I do not know. All I know is that I kept at it every day for years, starting from that first day when I tried to understand what a difference between a list and a dictionary is.

Re: Ask HN: I have nothing to do at work and it's killing me

#44

Post by TurkishPoptart »

saluki wrote: post #41
TurkishPoptart wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there any hope that trying to learn this stuff on my own will help me get real work to do / a real job? Granted, I have a ton of academic accolades that I've never been able to get a potential employer to even glance at, so maybe the skills will help. I just doubt I'll learn anything well enough on my own...the best devs learn in pairs it seems. I wish I had a mentor here or something.

y, you can become employable if you learn HTML/CSS, then javascript and a framework like Rails/Laravel you can get a real job developing web applications. It will take time and some work though to build up the skills. Once you have the basics down offer to setup websites for family and friends, maybe a local small business that needs a website. Build a web application for yourself, maybe one to track a collection of…

Thanks for this.

Re: Ask HN: I have nothing to do at work and it's killing me

#45

Post by TurkishPoptart »

natalyarostova wrote: post #42
TurkishPoptart wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I spend a few hours a day at work and at home on it. I just don't have any confidence that it will actually pay off.

Learning hard things is very demoralizing, because learning hard things is fucking hard. It makes you feel stupid. Learning to code sucks. It seems like everyone on HN is a gifted natural coding form age 8, while you're just stuck trying to make your stupid loop not give you a syntax error. But that's not true. Only 1% or so of people on HN are like that (approximate guess). The rest of us all learned the same way. G…

Wow, I really appreciate this! And I like the Tolstoy-inspired username :) Thanks for the reminder that not everyone on this site is a Paul Graham or a Torvald. Congratulations on your progress.

Re: Ask HN: I have nothing to do at work and it's killing me

#46

Post by TurkishPoptart »

franga2000 wrote: post #36

I've been in a similar situation. I worked in a museum ticket office for almost 3 years as a student. We got maybe 3 visitors a day on average (most days it was 0). By the end, I had re-watched all of Stargate and probably spent a week's worth of time just on Reddit. It's amazing just how badly sitting in a small, tall room with only incandescent light will fuck you up. After a particularly stressful day, having to "…

Amazing story! I'm learning Python, too. Do you have any preferred Django tutorials or courses you might recommend? Congrats on leveling up!

Re: Ask HN: I have nothing to do at work and it's killing me

#47

Post by franga2000 »

TurkishPoptart wrote: post #46
franga2000 wrote: post #36

I've been in a similar situation. I worked in a museum ticket office for almost 3 years as a student. We got maybe 3 visitors a day on average (most days it was 0). By the end, I had re-watched all of Stargate and probably spent a week's worth of time just on Reddit. It's amazing just how badly sitting in a small, tall room with only incandescent light will fuck you up. After a particularly stressful day, having to "…

Amazing story! I'm learning Python, too. Do you have any preferred Django tutorials or courses you might recommend? Congrats on leveling up!

Thanks! I'm not a fan of video tutorials so I don't know what to recommend there, but in terms of written ones, the official getting started guide is hard to beat. I learned most of what I needed from there, as well as by reading the source of some other open source projects, but I did have some prior knowledge of databases when I got started, so YMMV.

Re: Ask HN: I have nothing to do at work and it's killing me

#48

Post by anotheryou »

Use the time to learn to code, you can totally get in to the industry starting that way.

Also once you got the basics try to think of a simple project. I'd even help you find one, just comment below. (depends a lot on what you want to learn). A project is really the best way to learn things beyond the very basics, learning without a clear goal is quickly demotivating. As a bonus you have something to show afterwards.

I learned web stuff while I was in school and became a front-end developer afterwards. Now I dipped in to AI and got an AI related job (not as a dev, but having some experience helps to propel you in the direction you want to go).

Re: Ask HN: I have nothing to do at work and it's killing me

#49

Post by mc3 »

natalyarostova wrote: post #42
TurkishPoptart wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I spend a few hours a day at work and at home on it. I just don't have any confidence that it will actually pay off.

Learning hard things is very demoralizing, because learning hard things is fucking hard. It makes you feel stupid. Learning to code sucks. It seems like everyone on HN is a gifted natural coding form age 8, while you're just stuck trying to make your stupid loop not give you a syntax error. But that's not true. Only 1% or so of people on HN are like that (approximate guess). The rest of us all learned the same way. G…

I coded from 8, but more down to luck of being bored and having a computer than being some kinda prodigy.

At 8 I was indeed "just stuck trying to make your stupid loop not give you a syntax error". Probably lack of an ego at such a young age you just get on with it and not care much.

Adult learning to code is going to be like adult learning foreign language or adult learning to swim. Just like a child but the ego getting in the way getting stressed that it is hard.

Re: Ask HN: I have nothing to do at work and it's killing me

#50

Post by QuanticSausage »

TurkishPoptart wrote: post #24
gitgud wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "I just want normal, boring work to do" Such an odd statement. Automation (and programming in general) is probably not for you. Perhaps look at other opportunities to help in the company? Surely they would be happy you have completed your duties...

You don't know what it's like to do nothing! I mean, I want some normal work to do so that I'm not wasting my time here. To learn stuff, build new skills.

I do know what it's like to do nothing. I don't know how you've lived your life until now, but I bet this situation is new to you. You'll have to learn how to fill up your time with meaningful things despite of negative thoughts overflowing your mind. You should one of this days sit down, put down the cellphone somewhere it doesn't distract you, grab some paper and a pen, and write down how you feel. You'll see that writing down your situation and feelings will help. Don't underestimate the time needed when doing this, and don't think it'll be easy to find something worth your time. And lastly, don't hesitate to try new things, unless they're drugs or alcohol.
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