Ask HN: What should I do? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#151

Post by goblin89 » Thu, Apr 04, 2013, 5:32 PM UTC

jdotjdot wrote: post #145

goblin89 wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 s…

He does fear it will affect their decision to hire him. All I can say, I had an interaction today that reinforced my view. Was at a friend's house and her boyfriend announced at the beginning of lunch, "Please just know I have severe hearing problems, so if I don't respond or continue a conversation we're not actually having, it's not you or me being rude, please just correct me." I really appreciated him being hones…

Notice that the person in your example made the announce immediately before the event, when it would directly influence the communication. Letting HR know beforehand that you stutter (and you can't be sure that your interviewer will be notified of that, too) is different IMO. So your example reinforced my point of view as well. =)

Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#152

Post by dylanhassinger » Fri, Apr 05, 2013, 6:34 AM UTC

jimsc wrote: post #20

dylanhassinger wrote: post #8

You are a programmer. You can make value by wiggling your fingers. (Stammering is just fine!) The solution: Build a micro product, turn it into a freedom business, and fire your boss. http://fourhourworkweek.com http://lifestylebusinesspodcast.com http://startupbook.net Fwiw, self-help products can be gold mines. You might try to develop a product to help other people with stammering, I have paid for "quit nailbiting…

Did the nailbiting thing work?

it helped. What finally broke the habit was my own technique, using bandaids as a pattern interrupt.

Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#153

Post by jdotjdot » Fri, Apr 05, 2013, 2:10 PM UTC

goblin89 wrote: post #151

jdotjdot wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He does fear it will affect their decision to hire him. All I can say, I had an interaction today that reinforced my view. Was at a friend's house and her boyfriend announced at the beginning of lunch, "Please just know I have severe hearing problems, so if I don't respond or continue a conversation we're not actually having, it's not you or me being rude, please just correct me." I really appreciated him being hones…

Notice that the person in your example made the announce immediately before the event, when it would directly influence the communication. Letting HR know beforehand that you stutter (and you can't be sure that your interviewer will be notified of that, too) is different IMO. So your example reinforced my point of view as well. =)

I think we actually agree--I'd also say he should let them know right before the communication event.

Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#154

Post by narayankpl » Sat, Apr 06, 2013, 9:33 AM UTC

If you want inspiration you need look no further than Winston Churchill. You could try to overcome it. I really like the card idea below. Why not Freelance... since most of it is done over mail.

Re: Ask HN: What should I do?

#155

Post by EnderMB » Sun, Apr 07, 2013, 11:31 PM UTC

Out of interest, what kind of Web Development do you do? In my experience, if you are a PHP developer that primarily uses WordPress, or solely a front-end developer there are far more employers out there that are ready to shaft you.

That being said, £15k is criminal. I'd not pay a student that little, let alone someone with three years of experience.

Would you be willing to relocate? London is obviously the biggest place in the UK for tech jobs, but I would highly recommend looking at Bristol. It has some fantastic agencies, a few large tech companies, and a good mix of languages (ASP.NET/C# is strong here, and I see some Ruby and Python work around). Most importantly, someone with three years of experience would easily rake in £25-30k. I've worked with a few devs that have come from your area looking for work, and they all seem to love it here.

Regarding the point of your post, I can understand how your stammer would make you feel less confident. I know that it's a bit rich for someone on the Internet to say "be confident", but in reality an interview is as much about you interviewing a company as it is about them interviewing you. You seem experienced enough that most friendly dev teams would happily take you on if there is a mid-level role available. While I would say that you should definitely seek help if it's this much of a problem I would also suggest that you try to focus more of your energy in an interview on assessing the potential job, rather than trying to sell yourself. It'll make the process a lot more logical, and will probably reduce the stress levels in the room, and hopefully with that the potential for stammering.