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Beej's Guide to Learning Computer Science

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Re: Beej's Guide to Learning Computer Science

#71

Post by bryanlarsen »

zwnow wrote: post #25
alexchantavy wrote: post #19

> So, while it’s clearly possible to have a career in a lucrative field you dislike, it’s (a) going to be harder for you than for people who like it and (b) maybe you should consider a field that you do like? > You gotta want it. Do you want it enough to go through the tremendous amount of effort it takes to learn it? Maybe you hate programming, but you want the money enough. Maybe you don’t care about the money, but…

There's also a huge difference between liking to program and liking to work as a programmer. I despise the latter as business programming takes the joy out of everything. Trying to educate management about the current boundaries of the product or having to work extra hard because a product manager promised features that dont yet exist is exhausting. Not being allowed to work on fixing tech debt while having to build…

I know dance instructors, cabinet makers and surgeons who all love their work as a hobby but hate it as a job.

Re: Beej's Guide to Learning Computer Science

#72

Post by elbear »

mjburgess wrote: post #57
maciejzj wrote: post #53

On a side note, has anyone noticed the disparity of attitude and level of intensity of dialogue when it comes to AI in different HN posts? Given that there are many threads where 80% act as if AI would cause second coming I suspected that main topic of discussion here would be "is it worth learning CS at all in 2026?". To my (pleasant) surprise the discussion here is much more "normal". Does anyone suspect that some…

HN has become per-thread view-enforced. It's pretty obvious now what the "correct" views are for any given thread, any dissenting comments are downvoted to death. When the next thread comes along, the opposite view might be the "allowed one". There's a particularly egregious amount of veiled partisanship behind a lot of posting too. This could be a group think phenomenon, or it could be botting. Hard to say. I'd say…

I think the title or the author of the posting tends to draw a certain crowd.

For example, I recognised the name because the author also has a famous guide on network programming. Thanks to his reputation, I was curious what he has to say about learning CS.

Re: Beej's Guide to Learning Computer Science

#73

Post by graemep »

pardon_me wrote: post #66
mjburgess wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HN has become per-thread view-enforced. It's pretty obvious now what the "correct" views are for any given thread, any dissenting comments are downvoted to death. When the next thread comes along, the opposite view might be the "allowed one". There's a particularly egregious amount of veiled partisanship behind a lot of posting too. This could be a group think phenomenon, or it could be botting. Hard to say. I'd say…

I agree. Thank you for pointing out a skeptical view. It's unfortunate that considering supposedly only "seasoned" participators of HN can downvote, it runs deeper than a surface issue. You will be downvoted without comments replying with the counterarguments. Scientific viewpoints often make way to hope and cope engineering here. This will only work as long as the people involved are insulated from the direct effect…

Everyone can upvote though. Upvote unfairly downvoted comments even if you disagree with them.

Re: Beej's Guide to Learning Computer Science

#74

Post by nathan_douglas »

modernerd wrote: post #28
pygar wrote: post #5

Most reputable CS courses will have one or two math subjects (often called "Discrete Mathematics" or some variation). Does anyone have any advice on tackling subjects like these for someone who hasn't done any math since high school more than a decade ago (and has forgotten it)?

https://www.mathacademy.com/ is a great combination of structured learning across an incremental skill tree with practise problems to prove to yourself that you understand. It’s a big commitment but helped me go from “hasn’t done any math for a while and probably missed some basics” to much more comfortable. You can do the self-test to pick a starting level and work up from there. As with many things you basically ha…

I third MathAcademy. I graduated high school >25 years ago with almost no math skills and had a major struggle with the math prerequisites for my CS degree ~15 years ago. I've been wanting to get into higher math recently, so a few months back I started hitting MathAcademy heavily. Its structure and modularity is exactly what I needed.

Re: Beej's Guide to Learning Computer Science

#75

Post by cess11 »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #71
zwnow wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also a huge difference between liking to program and liking to work as a programmer. I despise the latter as business programming takes the joy out of everything. Trying to educate management about the current boundaries of the product or having to work extra hard because a product manager promised features that dont yet exist is exhausting. Not being allowed to work on fixing tech debt while having to build…

I know dance instructors, cabinet makers and surgeons who all love their work as a hobby but hate it as a job.

On the face of it recreational surgery seems like a risky hobby.

Re: Beej's Guide to Learning Computer Science

#76

Post by shackleton1894 »

zwnow wrote: post #25
alexchantavy wrote: post #19

> So, while it’s clearly possible to have a career in a lucrative field you dislike, it’s (a) going to be harder for you than for people who like it and (b) maybe you should consider a field that you do like? > You gotta want it. Do you want it enough to go through the tremendous amount of effort it takes to learn it? Maybe you hate programming, but you want the money enough. Maybe you don’t care about the money, but…

There's also a huge difference between liking to program and liking to work as a programmer. I despise the latter as business programming takes the joy out of everything. Trying to educate management about the current boundaries of the product or having to work extra hard because a product manager promised features that dont yet exist is exhausting. Not being allowed to work on fixing tech debt while having to build…

As a solo dev in a start up, man is this true. I have a lot of control over the product, but nobody else understands or cares how features are achieved. I feel your pain.

Re: Beej's Guide to Learning Computer Science

#77

Post by markus_zhang »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #71
zwnow wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also a huge difference between liking to program and liking to work as a programmer. I despise the latter as business programming takes the joy out of everything. Trying to educate management about the current boundaries of the product or having to work extra hard because a product manager promised features that dont yet exist is exhausting. Not being allowed to work on fixing tech debt while having to build…

I know dance instructors, cabinet makers and surgeons who all love their work as a hobby but hate it as a job.

I think it's just they do not have the financial freedom to say No to many of the tasks. Once I have the FU money I'd definitely quit.

But what is a hobbyist surgeon?

Re: Beej's Guide to Learning Computer Science

#78

Post by markus_zhang »

TrackerFF wrote: post #70
almostgotcaught wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it’s (a) going to be harder for you than for people who like it and (b) maybe you should consider a field that you do like? This shit is so infantile. It's like people have never heard of grinding. Do you think big law attorneys "love" their jobs? How about public accountants? How about dentists (famously known for having high suicide rates). > Maybe you hate programming, but you want the money enough. Yes welcome…

I can’t speak for others, but I’ve never met anyone really successful in the industry that hate their job, or were purely driven by the grind. Every single one have been deeply passionate about their craft. Not saying that you can’t grind your way to success - earning enough to retire at FAANG firms is possible, just by grinding. But the vast majority, even those with a grind mindset, will not be able to do that.

Many people love their job in the beginning but hate it towards the end though. The book "Showstoppers" shows some examples.

Re: Beej's Guide to Learning Computer Science

#79

Post by bryanlarsen »

cess11 wrote: post #75
bryanlarsen wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know dance instructors, cabinet makers and surgeons who all love their work as a hobby but hate it as a job.

On the face of it recreational surgery seems like a risky hobby.

I meant it as a shorthand for the standard gripe of "love my job, hate the paper work.". Many surgeons will also admit that they hate clinic work too, it's so much nicer once the patient is sedated and they can drop their bedside manner.

However there are jobs close to "recreational surgery".

One is surgical assisting. The pay is poor compared to being the primary surgeon, but has none of the patient or bureaucratic responsibility. Retired surgeons often do this, and not because they need the money.

Another is volunteering in the third world. Little bureaucracy and no long term patient contact.

Re: Beej's Guide to Learning Computer Science

#80

Post by TrackerFF »

I see people argue “But other people hate their jobs in other industries, just push through and grind, money is money”

Sure, but I want to point out that software development is kind of unique. I can’t think of too many other professional jobs where the line between hobby and work blends, for so many of its workers.

Let us be honest with ourselves, many of the toxic things in this industry are caused by a strong culture and “It’s my hobby, and I’m extremely passionate about it” mentality.

So people are willing to learn new skills in their spare time, unpaid of course. They’re willing to pull OT and weekend work, for the mission.

And those that don’t, are deemed lazy or fakes, not passionate enough.

You don’t see investment bankers / lawyers / management consultants / etc. go on about side projects, leveling up their skills during the weekend, and other things that are considered completely normal in this industry.

My point is - those are the types of people you’re up against. Those are the type of people many employers love.

If you have zero interest for the craft, and just plan on grinding for the money, there are other similarly lucrative ventures, which might align with your own interests, and where it is accepted to be in it for the money.

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