brewerhimself

That's a pretty cool site you've got there. I just took the time to read the descriptions for ~20 different jobs and I'm glad to see that there is a place where people with math and science skills can make money.

It's time for me to get some sleep, so I'll check out oDesk more thoroughly tomorrow. My first thought though is that, like other freelance sites, employers might expect me to work for pennies on the dollar.

I'm actually not that familiar with C. What would be a better resource for someone who knows Python the best?

I've heard that sites like Guru may not be the best approach because so many people are willing to work for next to nothing. Seeing as I'm unwilling to work for $5/hr, this seems troubling.

How would you recommend I approach my professors? Should I send an email or show up to their office?

I'll work on this. :)

I will get CLRS eventually, but I think I want something a bit softer to get started with. The Algorithm Design Manual has a lot of little anecdotes thrown in that I think will be fun to read. :P

I've heard of TopCoder before, but I never bothered to give it much attention. I'll give it a shot though! Cheers.

Don't get me wrong, Jacksonville is a beautiful city, but I'm not interested in what the software scene here has to offer. There seem to be a lot of business/enterprise software companies and that's just not my jazz. Hashrocket looks legit though.

Just started following you! Sorry, my internet connection dropped right after you posted this. Actually .. I lost it when I tried to open your GitHub page. H4x.

Mind sharing what the project was? Just a general idea would be great if you don't want to give out the product's name.

I did mention in the article that I'm working on my health. I didn't put much emphasis on it in the post, but, believe me, it is an important goal. I will have better luck if I slowly ween myself off of the nicotine. Thanks for your concern though. :)

I worked with a computer science professor a swarm robotics project last summer. Aside from that, I have no professional experience. I work in retail sales. :)

I understand what you're saying, and I agree that a computer should be your ally, but that isn't usually how it feels for me. For me it usually feels more like the computer is trying to do everything it can to best me, which I can't allow to happen. Perhaps that speaks to my (in)abilities as a developer. :)

Staying up until 3 am working on something describes me perfectly. I can't sleep until it's done or I just pass out.

I am planning on picking up a copy of The Algorithm Design Manual soon. Unfortunately, my local library doesn't stock it so I'll have to fork over the cash, but it's worth it.

Feel free to give me a shout on Twitter at @BrewerHimself. I'd love to chat.

This actually made me laugh. If it's true then so much the better, but I don't like to put all of my eggs in one basket. Especially if it's the Facebook IPO basket. (/endbadjoke)

I'm taking a break from my Clojure adventures for the night. I'll get some sleep and hop back on for another win tomorrow. :P

My current job is plan B. Like I said in the post, I'm not bad at what I do and I enjoy it. I'm perfectly content where I am until something better comes along.

I came to HN to share this same link! Props to cyberbet of r/technology.

As far as anyone who isn't technically literate is concerned, I'm a programmer. In my domain (the software realm), I prefer to be called referred to as a Software Engineer. dagw pointed out that engineers should have an Engineering degree, but I don't really agree.

As far as I'm concerned, anyone who meets the requirements of the definition of 'Engineer' ('A person who designs, builds, or maintains engines, machines, or public works.', according to Google) is qualified to be called an Engineer. Having an engineering degree doesn't make you a good engineer anymore than not having an engineering degree makes you a bad engineer.

Because the topic would get closed.

Mixpanel's "Jobs" page says they write C, Python, and JavaScript heavily.