Santa, I'll be 55YO in a few days. All I want is a better job. Thanks. • Hacker News Board

Re: Santa, I'll be 55YO in a few days. All I want is a better job. Thanks.

#61

Post by MichaelCrawford » Fri, Dec 19, 2014, 12:47 AM UTC

nostrademons wrote: post #58

MichaelCrawford wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've built quite a lot with what I've learned, however it's not always possible to demonstrate that. Consider that I am not permitted to tell anyone at all what my most-recent project was, other than that it had something to do with OpenGL. This because the product was an in-house tool for a client of my client. The very existence of that tool is a closely guarded trade secret. I read Robert Ward's excellent "Debuggi…

As a side note - I wish more interviewers would ask debugging related questions. I had a couple coworkers at Google who would try them ("Here's some code with some bugs in it. Identify them, or talk me through how you would identify them"), but they were definitely in the minority. Debugging is its own skill, very different from writing green-field code, and yet a large portion of the time we spend as professional so…

I understand that ten times as much time and money go into maintenance work, than in writing the original product.

Now some of that is adding features but much of it is fixing bugs.

I work very very hard to promote myself as a debugging specialist, but it is quite uncommon for potential employers to even care.

The most common requirement for "Debug" - not "Debugging" just "Debug" - is for really low-level embedded work. Not even kernel nor device driver work, stuff like board bring-up.

However I have gotten a few jobs specifically as a debugger. My very first retail coding job got me the title of "Product Development Manager", but in reality I was hired to debug a product that my predecessor made a smoking crater of. I've also been a "Debug Meister" for Apple, and a "Man in Black" for Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, where I worked on what is now the Sony Mobile XPeria Play.

Re: Santa, I'll be 55YO in a few days. All I want is a better job. Thanks.

#62

Post by MichaelCrawford » Fri, Dec 19, 2014, 12:49 AM UTC

__samb wrote: post #57

MichaelCrawford wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many young people simply assume I am not up-to-date because of my age. In reality I invest a great deal of money in technical books, as well as time in reading them, and writing code for the exercises in the books.

young people don't do this ;)

Touche.

"So how could you contribute to our company?"

"I have a goatee and look really good in tight blue jeans. Also I like to ride skateboards, and compose original minimalist piano music."

"You're hired!"

Re: Santa, I'll be 55YO in a few days. All I want is a better job. Thanks.

#63

Post by lingua_franca » Fri, Dec 19, 2014, 12:52 AM UTC

bbcbasic wrote: post #54

lingua_franca wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

wake up, many guys in their 20's make $300k to half million a year at Google/Facebook/Amazon these days...

Bear in mind that "many" is only "tiny fraction" of the "helluva lot" of programmers who don't earn that much.

yeah u r so right but that dude concluded all today's 20 and 30-something...

Re: Santa, I'll be 55YO in a few days. All I want is a better job. Thanks.

#64

Post by MichaelCrawford » Fri, Dec 19, 2014, 12:54 AM UTC

devopsproject wrote: post #48

MichaelCrawford wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can it be my attitude, when the age discrimination is made plainly apparent before I even speak?

How is made plainly apparent?

The interviewer uses what are known, with reference to the topic of discrimination, as "code words".

For example, a close friend who was one of the pioneers of the video game industry, one of Atari's very first game designers, once interviewed to be a Games Evangelist for Apple. At the time, Apple had not done anything to promote Macintosh games, at least not for quite a long time.

My friend was dead certain he'd get an offer, but the hiring manager told my friend that he "looked tired" and so would not be suitable for what in reality is a marketing position.

I myself look tired all the time; there's not a whole lot I can do about that. That doesn't mean that I really _am_ tired.

The other way that it's made plainly apparent, is that I talk just like a surfer dude, so I sound quite young over the phone. The way others respond to me over the phone is quite different from the way they speak to me when they see me in person.

Re: Santa, I'll be 55YO in a few days. All I want is a better job. Thanks.

#65

Post by MichaelCrawford » Fri, Dec 19, 2014, 1:13 AM UTC

steven2012 wrote: post #55

MichaelCrawford wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You claim to disprove a general phenomenon with anecdotal evidence. I'm a Physicist, I know all about this stuff. That Hispanics are not commonly employed as software engineers is very well-established. Go have a look at companies other than your own. I do applaud you for employing them. I think highly of Hispanic people. And yes I really am quite easy to work with. That's why I post like this on the Internet, becaus…

I'm sorry for your mental illness. However, I feel like you would be insulted if I avoided replying to you because of it, so I won't. I think you must be doing really well for someone who is passing as someone without mental illness, so that it probably why you believe people don't notice it. However, my bet is that it leaks through, and there is something off about your behavior that you can't pick up on. Just becau…

I am in general able to get really good jobs.

Yes you are correct that I do rub some people the wrong way. It's rather more subtle than you would think. For example I ordered a really tasty meal in an all-night restaurant once:

"Hey that supper I ordered is really good!"

"Are you going to be able to pay for it?"

"Well of course."

"I want you to pay for it RIGHT NOW!"

"Well OK..." I pulled what was clearly $25.00 in cash out of my wallet.

"Do you have enough money?"

"Wut? This is twenty-five bucks!"

However the waitress who actually served the meal was happy to chat with me the whole time I was there. It was the owner of the restaurant who seemed to think I could not pay, despite my having three times as much cash as what the meal cost.

There are only certain people who act that way towards me. It's uncommon but when they act like that, they are quite irrational.

I am dead certain that most people I meet in real life do not know I am mentally ill. There have been quite a few people who I have known for years, who were quite surprised when I finally told them about it.

Also, I am not the only coder who faces age discrimination. I was first warned about it when I was thirty years old or so. The age discrimination is widespread, it's easy to find others who have similar experiences.

Consider - have you ever seen an old person who works at an Apple Store?

Someone in a wheelchair?