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Ask HN: What should I do?

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Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#131

Post by gamegoblin »

gee_totes wrote: post #65

Yay! Another stuttering dev here on HN! I have a stammer too (stutter here in the US); you're not alone! I'll bet that code tests in interviews really suck. I know that they suck for me. I think alot of it is going to depend on interviewing with the right person. Keep trying, and eventually you'll find them. Also, if that doesn't work, you can always try to pick up totally remote freelance work, but if you're looking…

Another stutterer here. Fortunately, my stutter is limited to certain phonemes (generally initial plosives). I can generally just avoid words that I know I will stutter on, but unfortunately some words have no synonyms. For example, I stutter on the word "but", so I use "though" anywhere it wouldn't be terribly awkward.

I have a phone interview coming up this week. Hope I manage to keep a lid on it!

Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#132

Post by gamegoblin »

netcan wrote: post #129

I'm not entirely sure what this has to do with innovation vs iteration. It's more about why don't "third world" problems get solved by startups. There are a few answers to this: a - It's where the money is. Most of the products in the world are manufactured for and sold to the rich. That's what rich means. b - Startup founders are rich or come from rich communities. So are their investors and advisors. They are also…

Is this comment in the wrong thread?

Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#133

Post by guy_c »

ryanSrich wrote: post #109
alinajaf wrote: post #15

You're getting screwed at £15k, I've never been paid that little for developing web. For reference, my salary history over my 6+ year career is as follows: £20k->£26k->£45k->£450-£600/day Note that I am a totally average developer, nowhere near as smart or knowledgable as a lot of the guys here on HN. I have a CS degree, barely (I got a 3rd), so that helped at the beginning, but most of my luck has been thanks to an…

Wait I'm confused here. I did the conversion and those wages seem extremely low. I'm starting at double that here in the US and I'm not even graduated yet. How do you even live off of 60k in a city?

What US city? What are the tax and housing expenses?

Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#134

Post by aw3c2 »

dmlorenzetti wrote: post #93
aw3c2 wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are you posting people's names publically on the internet. Please remove that comment.

I think it's a reference to Jean-Paul Sartre, who had strabismus-- not naming a real developer.

I did not know that. Now I am sad how people downvoted my comment like that.

Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#136

Post by stevebot »

It sucks if people judge you for your stammer, and if a company lets that get in the way of the interview, they probably suck too. My advice is keep trying until you find a place that doesn't judge you. Otherwise, even if you get past the interview, you will probably find that the company's discrimination will just leak into other avenues.

Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#137

Post by guy_c »

guy_c wrote: post #102
potatolicious wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Keep in mind that cost of living in London can be higher than even New York City, so that 40K GBP ($60K USD) isn't exactly raking in the dough. I know one guy who contracts with a US-based company while staying in Asia, exploiting the gap between salary and living cost seems like a pretty smart play. Question for the Londoners around here: what is the salary range like? I gather that NYC and London living costs are s…

I guess for a fair comparison you'd need to consider taxation and major costs. In UK £45,000pa would net you £2,750/month after tax. Most likely your employer would be paying or contributing to your pension. Health care is free. Assuming you want your own place, a typical apartment in semi-central London might be £350/week rent. Local taxes depend on your properties value, but could say £100/month typical. Then for s…

Few additions:

Add £100/month more expenses for public transport to work (since in London it's not very common to live within walking distance of work).

Probably a fair comparison might want to factor in university education cost. In the UK undergraduate fees are capped at £9,000/year. So a simplified sum: a 3-year undergraduate costs £27,000; spread over 10 years that's £225/month.

Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#138

Post by goblin89 »

jdotjdot wrote: post #128
goblin89 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure this is a good idea. From first communications HR may remember him as the programmer with a stammer , and will have some time to give the condition undeserved attention. Yet there's even no guarantee that the interviewer will be aware of that conversation (especially with larger companies, AFAICT).

They're likely to remember him as the programmer with a stammer anyway, aren't they? At least this way they remember him as the programmer with a stammer who was brave and addressed it up front.

Or he may come out as insecure about his impediment, fearing it may affect their decision to hire him.

I have two friends who stutter, and it never occurred to me that their condition could be worth mentioning[0]. Maybe it isn't as bad as OP's, though.

[0] Unless one goes for an acting career, of course. On a serious note—I know it's easier to say, but maybe it would help OP stammer less if he didn't perceive it as something of importance in his professional area.

Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#140

Post by civilian »

edent wrote: post #13

1) Yes, you are vastly underpaid. (Unless it's 3 years with FrontPage Pro!) 2) Apply for big companies / public sector. They have massive HR departments who will send you an equal opportunities form. Disclose your disability and ask for support during the interview. That should help them prepare for you - they will also have the budget to support you if you do get the job and require extra help. 3) Build a portfolio.…

+1 for speech therapy. I was a kindergardener with a terrible stutter. Over the summer my parents sent me to speech therapy, and I learned some tactics for helping with my stutter.

I still feel my stutter rising up when I talk (this is 20 years out of Kindergarden) but I'm able to check myself.

I was going through old report cards that my parents saved a few years ago. In the "Questions for the Teacher" section of my 1st grade report card, my dad asked the teacher if she had seen improvement with my stutter.

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