8 ms·

> I am 18-year-old student at the University of the Republic [Uruguay] interested in computer security Someone could say that he could have gotten even more mo

> I am 18-year-old student at the University of the Republic [Uruguay] interested in computer security Someone could say that he could have gotten even more money by selling his findings in the black market, very difficult but doable. However, as someone who understands how studying computer science in a 3rd-world country is, getting USD +36k in a legal way and from a company that is considered one of the best in the industry, it must have felt very good to get that mail. Congratulations, and keep the good work.

Blackstone4 8y ago
Plus I imagine putting that on your resume/CV will be a big help. An amazing talking point for interviews. Projects a strong sense of integrity. It would help them get a remote job or visa.
foepys 8y ago
That's pretty advanced stuff for an 18y/o, even for most senior developers. No doubt Google will try to recruit him after he finishes university.
- jcims 8y ago
  (Edit: I appear to be a broken record) I spent a spell on a bug bounty program. There are some beasts out there in the 16-20yo age range, it's pretty crazy.
  - toomanybeersies 8y ago
    Their minds probably haven't been numbed by years of fixing shoddy code and writing CRUD apps yet.
- madeofpalk 8y ago
  What I appreciated most about it (or maybe this is just his writeup skills), but how not advanced each of the things were. It was just mostly him Googling things and making random guesses at the rabbit hole until he found something. The skill, I guess, comes in piecing it all together and consistently making good guesses.
  - jcims 8y ago
    The tenacity is as important as the skill. He knew there was a way, he just had to find it.
armanini_io 8y ago
Uruguay is not third world country.
- whb07 8y ago
  Yes it is. I do not want to be that stickler but this is the charts for that term: 1st world: US, UK, West Germany, essentially western countries 2nd world: Soviets, East Germany, communist countries 3rd world: everyone who doesn’t fit the Cold War theater. Either way, a GDP per capita of $15k isn’t considered “first” at whatever category you want to assign it by. Unfortunately there are no “1st world” countries in Latin America.
  - dullgiulio 8y ago
    Soviets, East Germany... in 2018?
    - nso 8y ago
      The terms first, second and third world were coined during the cold war, during which those countries did exist. First world were countries allied with the US. Second world were countries allied with the USSR. Third world were neutral countries. So Switzerland, Ireland, and Sweden are third world countries.
      - gnl 8y ago
        While the terms may have been originally coined during the Cold War, the meaning and common usage has clearly changed. If you use 'third world countries' in a conversation hardly anyone will assume that you're including Switzerland in that. When enough people use a word "wrong" for a long enough time, they kinda stop being wrong.
  - Blackstone4 8y ago
    > I do not want to be that stickler Really?! You do but you don't but you do want to be a stickler? .... PS West Germany and East Germany are not separate countries. :)
cc81 8y ago
Selling and getting paid in the black market is probably not very easy unless you already have quite a lot of contacts.
- bryandollery 8y ago
  That's not necessarily true, there are brokers that are relatively easy to find. It's more risky at a personal level to go into crime though.
madeofpalk 8y ago
I remember crying/laughing/screaming when I won three GameBoy Advance games from some kids magazine. I would say he's pretty happy with himself.
toomanybeersies 8y ago
That's a lot of money, even in a first world country. That could get you a new car, or a deposit on a house (depending on where you are), or pay off a substantial chunk of your student loan (or all of it, if you're not in the USA).
- brann0 8y ago
  OT: Luckily for him, he studies at a public university so much likely he doesn't even need a student loan. Students shouldn't need loans. It's an aberration.
  - toomanybeersies 8y ago
    I'm on the fence about student loans, obviously American student loans are obscene, but smaller ones seem reasonable to me. It's not fair on those who went directly into the workforce or became an apprentice that the university students get free money for living costs for 3 or 4 years. The current system in New Zealand (simplified slightly) is that university is free, there are no fees, and you can get up to $180 per week for living costs as an interest free loan. I think it's a perfectly reasonable system. That amount isn't really enough to cover all your expenses unless you are especially frugal, so students still need to go out and get a job (or work in the summer), which I think is perfectly fair.
    - tinco 8y ago
      Every year spent studying you miss out on working at some entry level job for ~25k/y. After 5 years of study, you (in Europe) have accumulated a debt of ~$25k-$50k depending on whether you've had a side job or help from your parents. That means you've lived for ~$10k/y for 5 years, where someone in the workforce lives on significantly more, and at the end you're in debt as well. Obviously the upside is that you get a job where it is reasonable to expect that you'll be able to repay the loan in about 10 years, but that's something you worked for, and something an ambitious person in the workforce might achieve as well. Anyway, I don't think you can simply say it's unfair to aid students in their living expenses while they're studying. Obviously they're usually having a great time studying, but they also don't own a car, or a house and instead live in tiny apartments sharing privacy with other students. They usually delay their family building for the entire span of their studies, and often even until they've paid of (most of) their debt. But yeah, have them work some extra in the summer while the workforce is driving their caravans to southern France...

Blackstone4 8y ago

Plus I imagine putting that on your resume/CV will be a big help. An amazing talking point for interviews. Projects a strong sense of integrity. It would help them get a remote job or visa.

foepys 8y ago

That's pretty advanced stuff for an 18y/o, even for most senior developers. No doubt Google will try to recruit him after he finishes university.

jcims 8y ago
(Edit: I appear to be a broken record) I spent a spell on a bug bounty program. There are some beasts out there in the 16-20yo age range, it's pretty crazy.
- toomanybeersies 8y ago
  Their minds probably haven't been numbed by years of fixing shoddy code and writing CRUD apps yet.
madeofpalk 8y ago
What I appreciated most about it (or maybe this is just his writeup skills), but how not advanced each of the things were. It was just mostly him Googling things and making random guesses at the rabbit hole until he found something. The skill, I guess, comes in piecing it all together and consistently making good guesses.
- jcims 8y ago
  The tenacity is as important as the skill. He knew there was a way, he just had to find it.

armanini_io 8y ago

Uruguay is not third world country.

whb07 8y ago
Yes it is. I do not want to be that stickler but this is the charts for that term: 1st world: US, UK, West Germany, essentially western countries 2nd world: Soviets, East Germany, communist countries 3rd world: everyone who doesn’t fit the Cold War theater. Either way, a GDP per capita of $15k isn’t considered “first” at whatever category you want to assign it by. Unfortunately there are no “1st world” countries in Latin America.
- dullgiulio 8y ago
  Soviets, East Germany... in 2018?
  - nso 8y ago
    The terms first, second and third world were coined during the cold war, during which those countries did exist. First world were countries allied with the US. Second world were countries allied with the USSR. Third world were neutral countries. So Switzerland, Ireland, and Sweden are third world countries.
    - gnl 8y ago
      While the terms may have been originally coined during the Cold War, the meaning and common usage has clearly changed. If you use 'third world countries' in a conversation hardly anyone will assume that you're including Switzerland in that. When enough people use a word "wrong" for a long enough time, they kinda stop being wrong.
- Blackstone4 8y ago
  > I do not want to be that stickler Really?! You do but you don't but you do want to be a stickler? .... PS West Germany and East Germany are not separate countries. :)

cc81 8y ago

Selling and getting paid in the black market is probably not very easy unless you already have quite a lot of contacts.

bryandollery 8y ago
That's not necessarily true, there are brokers that are relatively easy to find. It's more risky at a personal level to go into crime though.

madeofpalk 8y ago

I remember crying/laughing/screaming when I won three GameBoy Advance games from some kids magazine. I would say he's pretty happy with himself.

toomanybeersies 8y ago

That's a lot of money, even in a first world country. That could get you a new car, or a deposit on a house (depending on where you are), or pay off a substantial chunk of your student loan (or all of it, if you're not in the USA).

brann0 8y ago
OT: Luckily for him, he studies at a public university so much likely he doesn't even need a student loan. Students shouldn't need loans. It's an aberration.
- toomanybeersies 8y ago
  I'm on the fence about student loans, obviously American student loans are obscene, but smaller ones seem reasonable to me. It's not fair on those who went directly into the workforce or became an apprentice that the university students get free money for living costs for 3 or 4 years. The current system in New Zealand (simplified slightly) is that university is free, there are no fees, and you can get up to $180 per week for living costs as an interest free loan. I think it's a perfectly reasonable system. That amount isn't really enough to cover all your expenses unless you are especially frugal, so students still need to go out and get a job (or work in the summer), which I think is perfectly fair.
  - tinco 8y ago
    Every year spent studying you miss out on working at some entry level job for ~25k/y. After 5 years of study, you (in Europe) have accumulated a debt of ~$25k-$50k depending on whether you've had a side job or help from your parents. That means you've lived for ~$10k/y for 5 years, where someone in the workforce lives on significantly more, and at the end you're in debt as well. Obviously the upside is that you get a job where it is reasonable to expect that you'll be able to repay the loan in about 10 years, but that's something you worked for, and something an ambitious person in the workforce might achieve as well. Anyway, I don't think you can simply say it's unfair to aid students in their living expenses while they're studying. Obviously they're usually having a great time studying, but they also don't own a car, or a house and instead live in tiny apartments sharing privacy with other students. They usually delay their family building for the entire span of their studies, and often even until they've paid of (most of) their debt. But yeah, have them work some extra in the summer while the workforce is driving their caravans to southern France...