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Did you tag this author (Maryam Henien) intentionally?

Related, I’ve long enjoyed longform.org

mkeon Ask HN: How many of you are employed, self-taught SWEs?

As someone self taught, let me cut to the chase and say your number one problem is proving yourself in the professional world the first time. My advise assumes you have a different degree and you have some CS skills. Assuming this, you have to knock on ~100+ doors until one opens. I’m not joking about ~100+ doors. You will be ignored, rejected and laughed at - repeatedly. You need to search exclusively in your local market with a local address on your resume. Don’t use the major bot controlled job sites - check prospective employer sites directly. Check for entry level positions - or even internships - that’s your best path. Manual QA tester. Project analyst. End user phone support. Third shift operations. I’m not joking: you have to prove it. Once a door opens, it may not be the title you want, it may not be the technology you want, it may not be the boss you want, it may not be the benefits you want, and it definitely won’t be the pay you want. It may be unpaid. Don’t negotiate. Your one and only criteria should be: will this role allow me to prove myself. Will this opportunity grant access to greater challenges, future roles, broader networks. If so, take it! Then work twice as hard as the next person and prove it!

My advice surely sounds cynical but remember the hiring pipeline is populated 98% by non-technical folks whose assessment of your skills relies exclusively on a degree. That’s the system.

tl;dr if you are self-taught, learning CS is actually the easy part. Getting your foot in the door is the hardest.

mkeon Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

Which agencies have you used?

mkeon Ask HN: What are some available force multipliers that most people don't know?

This thread is predicated on the value of time, but ICYMI:

https://fs.blog/2017/03/seneca-on-the-shortness-of-time/

mkeon Ask HN: Films that made you see the world differently?

I meant that it can change your world view on the nature of forgiveness, not of prison psychology. Surely I was influenced seeing it at 14 years old. Das Experiment is for a much finer palate!

mkeon Ask HN: Films that made you see the world differently?

Amadeus, definitely changed my world view of what movies could be!

mkeon Ask HN: Films that made you see the world differently?

1) It’s a classic and perhaps a cliche, but The Shawshank Redemption will profoundly change your view of the world.

2) Then, on the nature of competition, obsession and greatness The Prestige and There Will Be Blood

4) And then there are days where I still wonder to myself, what the heck happened in Primer ?

mkeon Direct evidence for T-cell immunity as a factor behind Covid-19 heterogeneity

Why not just test everyone for t-cell reactivity to SARS-CoV-2? The general population already has broad coronavirus exposure. If your test reveals no immune reaction, you are clearly a candidate for extended quarantine. If you have an immune reaction, now what? More study needed. Can you be safely exposed? Something must explain the rampant asymptomatic carrier rate.

mkeon Ozymandias

In the same spirit, Ulysses By Tennyson

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45392/ulysses

mkeon T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T phone calls are failing across the US

The worst part: we have to wait 5 years to hear about this on Darknet Diaries!

mkeon A 125-year-old delivery network that feeds Mumbai

Plus, more rent-seeking profit opportunities! Engineers create a social credit rating system for the spouses making the meals!

mkeon Timeline of the Far Future

thank you for this wonderful rabbit hole into Boltzmann Brains! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boltzmann_brain

mkeon Ask HN: Best sleep trackers?

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.

- Anne Lamott

mkeon Ask HN: Are books worth it?

Try Kurt Vonnegut.

He’s not the GOAT, but his abbreviated style lends easily to folks who prefer short form content.

mkeon Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

Deep Work (Cal Newport) and Strengths Finder (Tom Rath) helped me achieve far more practical returns on work / lifestyle design.

I even found Tim’s later books (4-Hour Body, 4-Hour Chef) to be far better.

mkeon Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

In defense of self-help books; you latch to the one that finds you.

The 4-hour workweek provided me a useful foil to Gladwell’s “10,000” hours. It might take 10k to master, but you sure as hell can move fast if you get to 80% in 10 hours.

mkeon Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

Didn’t expect to find Derek Sivers on HN. h/t for being awesome

Seriously HN, listen to this guy about books, and check out his site.

mkeon Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

The title and intro is unabashedly “get rich quick” fodder. But hidden inside, one can find practical applications of Pareto principles to work and life choices, in ways that made me question how I approach everything. Better books have followed in this zeitgeist. This one found me first.

mkeon Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?

2010 - Outliers, Malcom Gladwell

2011 - In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan

2012 - Born to Run, Christopher McDougall

2013 - Four Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss

2014 - Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon

2015 - Awaken the Giant Within, Tony Robbins

2016 - Black Swan, Nicolas Taleb

2017 - Surely You’re Joking Mr Feynman, Richard Feynman

2018 - The Prophet, Khalil Gibran

2019 - Three Body Problem (series), Liu Cixin

These aren’t publishing years, just the year these books transformed me.