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Help a fledgling professional programmer makes some important career decisions.

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Re: Help a fledgling professional programmer makes some important career decisions.

#61

Post by adrianwaj »

Check out http://YouNoodle.com - do a search on your city and then contact the founders of the startups in your city.

Run with the first one that raises capital, or has it already to hire you.

Research some VC portfolios and contact the companies where you'd fit in.

A uni degree isn't everything, but you need to know how to optimize your time, to be able to keep learning, and to be positioning yourself for success in the best possible way - through a startup.

If you can, a blog will help with your writing skills and something to show employers.

If you get to college, take freelance jobs over the web that can be performed remotely like from elance, getacoder, programmingbids and the like.

Most of all Good Luck and don't be like your dad to your kids.

Re: Help a fledgling professional programmer makes some important career decisions.

#63

Post by alnayyir »

run4yourlives wrote: post #56
alnayyir wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My Father could afford to pay for me to go to Princeton, in cash, on a yearly basis. It has nothing to do with debt management. I am extremely frugal, and as said elsewhere, I'll be going to a community college I found. I am paying the tuition in cash . That isn't something someone with poor finance skills can do.

I don't think the lesson he is attempting to teach you has anything to do with money, btw.

My Father is a literal sociopath, he isn't trying to teach anyone anything.

Re: Help a fledgling professional programmer makes some important career decisions.

#64

Post by alnayyir »

menloparkbum wrote: post #60
alnayyir wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found a solution, but I'd still like to correct you. You can make that kind of money part-time at a bar, while homeless and never eating. 9k is the sum of what you'd make working part-time at a bar here.

It may be different in Columbus. A popular bartender at the right bar in SF can make $400/night in tips. However, I paid my way through school in the midwest with academic scholarships and a part time unix systems administrator job. The school I went to cost twice as much as Ohio State, and I graduated with no debt, so I sort of agree with "gm."

shrugs I found my solution: community college as a launchpad for getting high grades and going to Uni for free.

I can afford to pay for CC out of pocket. It's cheap.

Columbus has a severe labor surplus/job shortage. This rust belt area is dying hard. I was lucky to get my $9 an hour job. I live alone, I pay all my bills myself. Columbus doesn't give me much margin to work with, were it not for my frugality.

Re: Help a fledgling professional programmer makes some important career decisions.

#65

Post by run4yourlives »

alnayyir wrote: post #63
run4yourlives wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the lesson he is attempting to teach you has anything to do with money, btw.

My Father is a literal sociopath, he isn't trying to teach anyone anything.

Fair enough.

Re: Help a fledgling professional programmer makes some important career decisions.

#66

Post by prospero »

alnayyir wrote: post #63
run4yourlives wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the lesson he is attempting to teach you has anything to do with money, btw.

My Father is a literal sociopath, he isn't trying to teach anyone anything.

So emancipate yourself, and get financial aid. It doesn't sound like there's much holding you back.

Re: Help a fledgling professional programmer makes some important career decisions.

#67

Post by alnayyir »

prospero wrote: post #66
alnayyir wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My Father is a literal sociopath, he isn't trying to teach anyone anything.

So emancipate yourself, and get financial aid. It doesn't sound like there's much holding you back.

I didn't know you could emancipate yourself post-age-of-18.

I already found a solution via community college.

Re: Help a fledgling professional programmer makes some important career decisions.

#68

Post by hollywoodcole »

gm wrote: post #43
alnayyir wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a flake, I just don't have access to funds.

Alnayyir, I am by no means belittling you; stop calling yourself a flake. College: You can do it. You should do it. It's worth it. The tools are there. Almost everyone wants to help you. The mechanism is set up to help you. Heck, there are even scholarships for grandchildren of volunteer farmer firemen; and there are searchable databases too. My message to you is: Do it. Here's what I did, I had a similar situation a…

>>so if the calculus class is looking like you'll get a C or maybe a B, drop it and take it again. Don't screw up your grades, they are your ticket to the future. When I found out 4-year universities did not care about dropped courses, I started keeping my "A" classes, and dropping everything else.

Not good advice, Most 4 year universities wont let you do this but only two times. Even then, your main focus is getting the degree. 3.5 and 3.0 gpa is no different in interviewing for jobs. Most of the jobs(4) I interviewed with right out of school never asked, Only retake classes you have to or classes that are in your major and you enjoy. Don't waste more years and MONEY. Get the degree then job. THAT IS YOUR MAIN FOCUS.

Re: Help a fledgling professional programmer makes some important career decisions.

#69

Post by Jaytee »

Here's my situation. In no way am I trying to say I'm doing better or worse.

I graduated with Physics BS two years ago. I work 4 hours a week as a teacher/mentor. ($30-40 an hours) And I code AI the rest of the time. I live in a van on a co-op property to illuminate rent money so that I can work less for money and code more.

This is just temporary, but I do love the lifestyle. I have never learned as much and as more efficiently as I do now. So if you have a specific project to do, do it yourself or find other bright people to partner with. If not, it's time to network.

You will get a good job lead either by having a lot of accomplishment, or lots of good networks. And the latter seems to work for most people.

It sounds like you have done a lot of good work for other people. Have you exploited your network yet? Email friends of friends, past co-workers of co-workers, find out what they are doing. I'm sure if you dig hard enough you will find someone interesting that needs your help.

Re: Help a fledgling professional programmer makes some important career decisions.

#70

Post by j2d2 »

coglethorpe wrote: post #55
mechanical_fish wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've often wondered why it is that colleges have gotten away with raising tuition 7% to 10% per year for decades on end. This post is, indeed, very honest about the reason: Your college degree is a badge of social class that every other college grad will look for. If you don't have one, many college grads will assume that you are shiftless and lazy and whining and self-pitying and that you potentially have a series o…

I've always thought that it's the loans that end up raising tuition. It's the same way the easy loans raised housing prices. Too much money chasing too few goods.

Hmm... I wonder how often these loans default and if the derivatives markets trade them...
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