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<braces for downmod> tl; dr The focus seemed : How do I optimise my learning, such that I am capable of actually building a great product the moment I'm out of

by keefe 16y ago

<braces for downmod> tl; dr The focus seemed : How do I optimise my learning, such that I am capable of actually building a great product the moment I'm out of Uni? to which I have to say..... write code. Lots of code. Endless amounts of code, debug it, fix it, test it, write it. There's no reason you can't write a great app right now. Pick a language and get to it.

rcavezza 16y ago
Agreed, keep writing code. My biggest mistake was not starting a company sooner. I started my first company my last semester in college and decided to keep on an entrepreneurial path. It was pretty tough in that situation. I didn't have the same disposable income all my corporate friends had. I wish I started a company three years earlier when I was a freshmen. No need to wait four years to write code and start a company, I would practice by building code you can use to make a profit. These small sites can potentially be building blocks for your future endeavors. You can even use them to attain datasets you'll want to use later on.
yewweitan 16y ago
Great to hear opinions. However, the point isn't if one could produce a great app right now, it's if the time invested in doing so, especially if it's on a narrow implementation space, is worth the opportunity cost of doing the more "heavy" stuff like statistics, algs, etc. I do agree with the sentiment though, and I'm definitely going to be coding whenever I can!
- keefe 16y ago
  imho, an operating software system is kind of an organic entity. It behaves in very different ways, requires different kinds of attention and more personal commitment to keep going. This is distinct from toy examples, prototypes and course projects. So, I'm suggesting that while you're young, start building something. It doesn't have to make you money or be successful or take any more than 5 hours a week of maintenance. The goal is to have something tangible for the experience of maintaining it and to use in discussions with other people. This could be an open source project or a serious commitment of contribution to one, something to deal with mp3s or videos or whatever interests you.

by keefe 16y ago

rcavezza 16y ago

Agreed, keep writing code. My biggest mistake was not starting a company sooner. I started my first company my last semester in college and decided to keep on an entrepreneurial path. It was pretty tough in that situation. I didn't have the same disposable income all my corporate friends had. I wish I started a company three years earlier when I was a freshmen. No need to wait four years to write code and start a company, I would practice by building code you can use to make a profit. These small sites can potentially be building blocks for your future endeavors. You can even use them to attain datasets you'll want to use later on.

yewweitan 16y ago

Great to hear opinions. However, the point isn't if one could produce a great app right now, it's if the time invested in doing so, especially if it's on a narrow implementation space, is worth the opportunity cost of doing the more "heavy" stuff like statistics, algs, etc. I do agree with the sentiment though, and I'm definitely going to be coding whenever I can!

keefe 16y ago
imho, an operating software system is kind of an organic entity. It behaves in very different ways, requires different kinds of attention and more personal commitment to keep going. This is distinct from toy examples, prototypes and course projects. So, I'm suggesting that while you're young, start building something. It doesn't have to make you money or be successful or take any more than 5 hours a week of maintenance. The goal is to have something tangible for the experience of maintaining it and to use in discussions with other people. This could be an open source project or a serious commitment of contribution to one, something to deal with mp3s or videos or whatever interests you.