I am a 31 year old programmer. I fear the day I start becoming discriminated against because of my age.
Software Engineers Will Work One Day For English Majors
151–160 of 231 posts
Re: Software Engineers Will Work One Day For English Majors
#152Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, the competition is outrageous at the top end of programming jobs, also bear in mind that you are reading HN where many of the commentators are above average programmers who dream in code. However just because you might not land a job at Google does not mean you will not be able to create a decent career for yourself. If you can get any experience working on OSS at all, especially on a reasonably well known proj…
Thank you for your input. I'm not sure how to get into the Operation side of things, I might have to inquire with a career counselor about that path, if it's an avenue that I can take. I'm aware that my time in is worth something, as I did obtain rank that probably looks decent , but I'm slightly edgy as to how it will be received. (I was an infantry Sgt.) Some have some derogatory views of how we are and I'm reticen…
Stop looking to authorities such as "career counselors" for answers.
Re: Software Engineers Will Work One Day For English Majors
#153I don't see the big deal if it's just for one day. (The title was obviously NOT written by an English Major).
Re: Software Engineers Will Work One Day For English Majors
#154Umm.. The author is not objective. He (Norman Matloff) had long since been spouting off on H1-B and why its bad. He also found a way to work it in to the article, in the same way that he had used in the past so effectively, to scare the current programmer segment in to being worried for their jobs. I am not saying that H1-B isnt abused, but his take on it is largely one sided, and against.
I googled the good doctor, and wow, you weren't kidding.
http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/h1b.html
He really does see the H1-B as some sort of Ragnarok for the American programmer.
Re: Software Engineers Will Work One Day For English Majors
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
I read your story and I see someone who is full-time kicking ass to fulfill a true personal passion. I see you've got various doubts. One small suggestion: when you say things like "I'm too old to compete at this gig" ask yourself if there is specific actual convincing evidence for that, or if you're just grappling with some near-term depressive thoughts. (Also, try gathering evidence for the opposite argument: That…
I thought there was? I mean, I keep reading about the age bias of hiring someone cheap at 18 or fresh out of college at 23, and that seems like a deathly blow to my success probability. I'm 25 now , so if I continued on the same path I'm on today, I would be starting out at 28.
In three years you will be 28 no matter what you are doing. Better if you are doing something you like.
(From Platitudes 3:14)
Re: Software Engineers Will Work One Day For English Majors
#156He seems to have missed making the point in the title. Why would software engineers work for english majors? He thinks that a 20 something english major is a better manager for a software engineer than a 40 something software engineer? Plus he seems to completely miss a separate alternative for software engineers over 35-- start their own businesses. I think the perception that 40 year olds are not up to date on tech…
You and mchurch should start a YouTube sitcom or something, where you rant about all your horrible experiences.ike a Curb Your Enthusiasm for techies. It would be entertaining and more profitable than just posting on HN. Larry David should love to invest, you've nailed his technique of railing against the firstworldproblems facing people who can't be happy in the most rewarding and comfortable niche around, and broug…
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Re: Software Engineers Will Work One Day For English Majors
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
As someone who left full time about 2 years ago to do 1099 work only, I recommend you definitely work on pushing your rate up as you go. Not only do you have to account for the extra costs, it's also likely you won't always be billing 40 hours a week. I've finally gotten my rate to a point where I feel alright if I only bill 20 hours of work a week. I am working a full week, balancing programming time with managing e…
Thank you. Those are great points. Is it weird that I love doing this stuff so much, that the simple idea that I can go work anywhere means I can go on a 2 week road trip and work while doing that is vacation enough? Granted, me from 2 years from now might have a different take. But the fact that 'work' means going into a coffee shop, staying at home with my dogs on the couch, or going into a cool co-working space an…
Yep I'm right there with you, and a lot of those points are exactly why I left to do freelancing and enjoy it for the most part. I've definitely done "working trips", and I do work each day when it's best for me. That being said, the part I'm struggling with right now is how to take a real vacation. I mean like 2-3 weeks off, full disconnected. I have 3 clients I'm working with right now on an ongoing basis, and trying to find 3 weeks where I can break from all 3 (and have anything to work on when I get back) is next to impossible so far. But that's part of the challenge, and I've learned to allot time to figuring out strategies for running the business, both in drumming up work and making it a better experience for myself (hence I only end up billing 20-30 hours a week generally).
Re: Software Engineers Will Work One Day For English Majors
#158This whole idea that the wisdom of an older experienced programmer isn't somehow hugely useful mystifies me. I'm at the top of my CS class in the UC system and spending this summer interning at one of the biggest Intenet companies. I'm also very comfortable in C++, Objective-C, Java, and a host of "hot" web languages. With that said, I'm aware I truly "don't know jack" despite being one of the best in my degree progr…
I'd take the graduate at 100k/yr if he had awesome side projects that show hustle/autodidactism rather than the experienced developer at any pricepoint.
Re: Software Engineers Will Work One Day For English Majors
#159He seems to have missed making the point in the title. Why would software engineers work for english majors? He thinks that a 20 something english major is a better manager for a software engineer than a 40 something software engineer? Plus he seems to completely miss a separate alternative for software engineers over 35-- start their own businesses. I think the perception that 40 year olds are not up to date on tech…
"He seems to have missed making the point in the title." I think his title was more of a gimmick to catch people's eyes; I think it worked. "I think the perception that 40 year olds are not up to date on technology is laughable" I strongly feel that this depends on whether the 40 year old likes programming for its own sake, or they feel that it's just part of a 'clock in' and 'clock out' job. It's also very difficult…
"I strongly feel that this depends on whether the 40 year old likes programming for its own sake, or they feel that it's just part of a 'clock in' and 'clock out' job. It's also very difficult for many programmers that I've known over the years to step outside of the language that they started with, and start learning and heavily using something new."
I'm not so sure.
At one of my previous jobs I worked with a lot of people in their 50s and 60s who were used to assembly language, Jovial (it was an Air Force contract), and Fortran. They couldn't wait to transition to newer stuff because the old languages were so difficult.
On the other hand they were all really smart, so maybe you're right.
Re: Software Engineers Will Work One Day For English Majors
#160I'm a 25 year-old former Marine who thought he could take a shot at being a programmer when he exited the military. I never had any background in programming other than being interested in UNIX and Linux at a young age, so CS seemed like the logical choice for someone who had a GI bill to burn. 2 years and a lot of classes later, I'm realizing I'm too old to compete at this gig, and I should have started when I was 1…
I was in a similar place two years ago.
Everyone around me totally out classed and outsmarted me. I made friends with a guy who was freelancing on the side for a local company. I offered to help him in exchange for some tips and help. He said yes. I learned a bunch of front end stuff, and took on some freelance work of my own. One of my projects impressed a local company I met at an event and that turned into a full time job doing Android Development. I got called by one of my 4.0 classmates just last week asking if I could help them find an internship. It's funny how these things works.
Hang in there man, keep your head down and don't be afraid to ask for help. Its a hell of a lot more attainable than you think.