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Lessons I've Learned as a 15 Year Old Web Developer

joshternyak.com

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Re: Lessons I've Learned as a 15 Year Old Web Developer

#51

Post by GuiA »

kipply wrote: post #34
devmunchies wrote: post #18

I wanted to see it from a 15 year old's perspective, not just some generic advice, especially given the title. Talk more about stuff that's unique to a teenage developer for more interesting content.

I was employed for SWE at 15 and worked at Shopify at 16 (legal working age in Canada is 14 for non-hazardous jobs). Here are some semi-serious thoughts; 1. Not being able to drink at company events :( Intern and team events are sometimes dinner, booze and music. My apple juice was pretty good, and if it when up the wrong pipe then I could get the burn too! (there was actually a time where I never experienced that an…

> Embrace and accept the brownie points you get just by being young!

+1. I was the youngest in everything I did/achieved, until one day I wasn’t. It’s natural to take the ego boost, but it’s definitely something to introspect about and not get too attached to - I’ve seen the loss of the “young prodigy” label affect some friends deeply.

Re: Lessons I've Learned as a 15 Year Old Web Developer

#52

Post by joshternyak »

gunmania0 wrote: post #15

Apologies for the animosity from this "community". Best of luck for your future Josh, I can't imagine what it would be like to have such technical experience and insight at such a young age.

I understand where the people in the comments are coming from. Some just don't express their thoughts in a kind way.

Re: Lessons I've Learned as a 15 Year Old Web Developer

#54

Post by kipply »

joshternyak wrote: post #42
kipply wrote: post #41

A lot of these negative comments here have ground, but you should keep your head high and continue developing your skills and character! I wrote a lot of stuff like this when I was younger and got similar criticism. You're doing great for sure, but you might find yourself cringing at this a few years in the future! What you've written and worked on so far is indicative of very positive future growth. <3

I will keep my head high and develop my skills and character.

When do you start looking for a job? Feel free to contact me (`hello@carolchen.me`) and I'll connect you with some employers I trust and are high-school friendly.

Re: Lessons I've Learned as a 15 Year Old Web Developer

#55

Post by julianeon »

joshternyak wrote: post #28
anw wrote: post #20

Hi Josh, thank you for sharing your experiences, and I'm glad to see the journey you've been on and the lessons you've learned. A lot of the lessons you're talking about come to those of us later in life (college, jobs, projects), so it will helpful to you later on when you run into these same situations and have a better understanding how to handle them compared to trying to figure it out/deal with it later. A few p…

Hi, I am glad my viewpoint is refreshing. I am also completely understanding and appreciative of the "harsh" feedback I am getting due to my misunderstanding of what I should actually write about and the way I do so. I will soon write a post talking about how I am transitioning into paid work and how since I'm not legally allowed to sign contracts, it's difficult.

I lol'd because I started reading your article thinking "I wonder what this grizzled old web developer has learning by working since 2005", before I realized I misread the title.

Dude, you got to the front page of Hacker News. That's impressive no matter how you cut it, and suggests you're doing something very right.

Re: Lessons I've Learned as a 15 Year Old Web Developer

#56

Post by kipply »

GuiA wrote: post #51
kipply wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was employed for SWE at 15 and worked at Shopify at 16 (legal working age in Canada is 14 for non-hazardous jobs). Here are some semi-serious thoughts; 1. Not being able to drink at company events :( Intern and team events are sometimes dinner, booze and music. My apple juice was pretty good, and if it when up the wrong pipe then I could get the burn too! (there was actually a time where I never experienced that an…

> Embrace and accept the brownie points you get just by being young! +1. I was the youngest in everything I did/achieved, until one day I wasn’t. It’s natural to take the ego boost, but it’s definitely something to introspect about and not get too attached to - I’ve seen the loss of the “young prodigy” label affect some friends deeply.

+1, I felt so emotional and terrified because being young was apart of my identity. This might be too soon for OP, but I recommend distancing yourself from your age whenever you feel ready.

Re: Lessons I've Learned as a 15 Year Old Web Developer

#57

Post by dang »

s5300 wrote: post #38
empath75 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Burnout for a 15 year old is when you’re tired of playing counterstrike and switch to overwatch for a little while.

It could also be a 15 year old who started suffering from a debilitating musculoskeletal chronic illness at age 11, without parents who gave the slightest shit about them and zero community support, still trying their hardest to get through the hardest classes their school offers and doing the shadiest shit they possibly can to make money to feed themselves as it's illegal to work at that age. Broaden your horizons,…

Please don't respond in the flamewar style, no matter how wrong another user is or you feel they are.

If you're sharing personal experience, that's of course completely welcome, but in that case please frame it that way, rather than as an attack on someone else.

Edit: you've unfortunately been breaking the site guidelines in previous comments a ton. We ban accounts that do that. If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and sticking to the rules when posting here, we'd be grateful.

Re: Lessons I've Learned as a 15 Year Old Web Developer

#58

Post by dang »

gunmania0 wrote: post #15

Apologies for the animosity from this "community". Best of luck for your future Josh, I can't imagine what it would be like to have such technical experience and insight at such a young age.

The contrarian dynamic strikes again: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu....

Threads often get an initial wave of negative comments, followed by a second wave of objections to the objections. What determines the initial wave of comments is not community opinion—rather, it's what's the easiest thing to make reflexive objections to. Those comments are the first to show up because those reflexive reactions take the least time. Thoughtful comments require reflection, which is much slower (https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...).

By now the thread is decisively positive. That's because other readers see those reflexive reactions, have a WTF reaction themselves, and show up to express the opposing point of view. Perhaps ironically, that double negative ends up being much more positive, and those comments tend to end up the more highly upvoted.

Re: Lessons I've Learned as a 15 Year Old Web Developer

#60

Post by kibebr »

joshternyak wrote: post #22
empath75 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Burnout for a 15 year old is when you’re tired of playing counterstrike and switch to overwatch for a little while.

One of the big and impactful decisions I made in my life so far was to remove video games completely. I actually don't play video games at all.

True. When I was 15 my parents had to sell my "gaming" computer because of our tough financial situation. I had to make do with an old computer thereafter. Of course, I was angry but that ultimately forced me to learn programming.

I am now 17 and I now realize that if it wasn't for that situation, I would still be gaming instead of learning a valuable skill.

Many people don't realize gaming can be a futile addiction like anything else.

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