Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom • Hacker News Board

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#151

Post by zrail » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 3:20 PM UTC

jonny383 wrote: post #105

As someone who developed their career from the comfort of their bedroom, I always find it very interesting to see people all over the world from different cultures experiencing the same basic issues with this kind of work set up. I absolutely loved working from my bedroom for years. It was great (despite the common down falls like the ones listed here). My family used to make fun of me at parties and seasonal celebra…

> I eventually ended up investing in building my own "detached" office in the back yard

This is the thing I want most in work life right now. I have a separate semi-dedicated office room but it splits time as the guest room and has basically no auditory separation the rest of the house including a 3yo and a 1yo.

Edit: OP would you be willing to share pictures of your space? I love seeing how people set up separate office spaces.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#152

Post by OJFord » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 3:22 PM UTC

cbm-vic-20 wrote: post #81

Is there a reasonably priced VESA-monoitor-arm attachable whiteboard out there? Something like this[1] that's cheaper, or should I just build my own? [1] https://www.ergotron.com/en-us/products/product-details/98-4...

My gut reaction is that that's way too niche for a VESA mount adaptor/spacer, normal whiteboard, and glue not to be cheaper.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#153

Post by nathanlied » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 3:22 PM UTC

RestAndVest wrote: post #58

I hope remote work is banned by law sometime soon. It's utterly dreadful for everyone involved - the worker(unless they are slackers and have no problems being unproductive while getting paid), the co-workers, customers, society.

> the worker(unless they are slackers and have no problems being unproductive while getting paid)

You mean, as opposed to office-work 8 hours a day, where it's extremely common to hear people talk about browsing Facebook and other social media a lot of the time because there's not enough cognitive capacity to be working the full 8 hours? Or, often enough, just not enough work?

> co-workers

I'm assuming you view it as bad for coworkers because they can't just get up and interrupt you at any time they need something from you; for me, that's a feature, not a bug. Asynchronous communication allows you to have an uninterrupted productive streak without worrying someone's going to need something that really isn't that urgent.

> customers, society.

I'm at a loss for those, though. Why would it be bad for customers and society?

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#154

Post by rubidium » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 3:23 PM UTC

globular-toast wrote: post #6

petargyurov wrote: post #5

> Buy a whiteboard and write the goals for the day on it, for instance As a solo dev the biggest productivity booster for me, from a physical and mental aspect, was purchasing a whiteboard. It honestly feels like some sort of hack. Prior to having one I would use pen and paper but that didn't quite scratch my itch - if I made a mistake I would have to scribble it out and that space was now wasted. I can't quite expla…

My PhD supervisor had me do all my writing in pencil. I still do it to this day. Being able to erase is great, but I prefer the permanence and limitless space of paper.

I had the opposite experience in research. I switched from pencil to pen. Reading later (e.g. 15 page math derivations) I could see some of the dead ends I took and mistakes made, while still following the thread.

Additionally, some research results should be stored in an immutable material.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#155

Post by DaveSchmindel » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 3:23 PM UTC

To those who have invested time in making a "task breakdown table":

Have the benefits of contextualizing your short-term goals outweighed the cost in time it takes to make the table for small tasks?

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#156

Post by rjkennedy98 » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 3:24 PM UTC

vsareto wrote: post #111

jonny383 wrote: post #105

As someone who developed their career from the comfort of their bedroom, I always find it very interesting to see people all over the world from different cultures experiencing the same basic issues with this kind of work set up. I absolutely loved working from my bedroom for years. It was great (despite the common down falls like the ones listed here). My family used to make fun of me at parties and seasonal celebra…

There's really no other words for it: a six figure job from the comfort of your own home/office is fucking magic Everyone should get the chance to experience it.

Yes, and some of us reject it. When you work with people you never or rarely meet in person loneliness can be a big issue. If you have addiction problems, having the freedom to drink, game, smoke, ect whenever you want can also be a huge issue. Yes, not having a commute can be great, but if you are young you can usually find apartments close to your work (I bike to work for instance). What I feel is best is having the flexibility to wfh when you want or feel its appropriate.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#157

Post by LeonM » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 3:24 PM UTC

csomar wrote: post #32

I have switched from working in bedroom, to working in a dedicated office, to working in a co-working space, to working from home in a dedicated office. 1. Working from the bedroom is hell. It's fun for the first few months but then you are likely to have severe eye strain and become very sleepy. 2. Working from a real office sets boundaries and forces a schedule. You have to wake up at xx:xx time and drive to office…

I went from bedroom > home office > shared office

The shared office space has been by far my best situation. My main drive is preventing loneliness, working from home can be very isolating for me. My shared co-working space is expensive, but gives me a sense of having colleagues. Given this situation/requirement I don't think I would want to 'upgrade' to renting a private office.

My office is about a 20 minute bike ride away from my home. I think I have used my car maybe twice in the past year.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#158

Post by amelius » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 3:27 PM UTC

vsareto wrote: post #111

jonny383 wrote: post #105

As someone who developed their career from the comfort of their bedroom, I always find it very interesting to see people all over the world from different cultures experiencing the same basic issues with this kind of work set up. I absolutely loved working from my bedroom for years. It was great (despite the common down falls like the ones listed here). My family used to make fun of me at parties and seasonal celebra…

There's really no other words for it: a six figure job from the comfort of your own home/office is fucking magic Everyone should get the chance to experience it.

Yes, but you need some people around the house. Spending entire days without any human interaction is mentally hazardous.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#159

Post by asdfman123 » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 3:34 PM UTC

rjkennedy98 wrote: post #156

vsareto wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's really no other words for it: a six figure job from the comfort of your own home/office is fucking magic Everyone should get the chance to experience it.

Yes, and some of us reject it. When you work with people you never or rarely meet in person loneliness can be a big issue. If you have addiction problems, having the freedom to drink, game, smoke, ect whenever you want can also be a huge issue. Yes, not having a commute can be great, but if you are young you can usually find apartments close to your work (I bike to work for instance). What I feel is best is having th…

The best setup for me is like what I have at my current company, where I work from home most days and go into the office two days a week. It's enough time to get face time and get back on the same page with everyone, but with most of the benefits of working from home.

Full time working from home wasn't great for me -- it felt isolating and I found myself running a lot more just to see other human beings. (Of course, running was good, but the motivation for it was kind of weird.) I'm shy and naturally form relationships with people I bump into regularly, but I still have no clue to how to do it intentionally, and I also feel uncomfortable practically living at coffee shops.

Re: Becoming a high performing software developer working from your bedroom

#160

Post by zrail » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 3:34 PM UTC

bkanber wrote: post #137

mlrtime wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

which funds require this?

He's talking about the "Admiral" class of funds which have lower fees but higher minimums. (And most are $50k min, not 500k). Most of these funds can be bought at lower minimums too, they just have higher fees.

I think OP is referring to the "Institutional" class of funds. They have much higher minimums because their target market is pension funds and large 401(k) plans that invest using pooled accounts.