4 ms·

Where are you at, if you don't mind my asking? I'm in Sitka, and I'm always curious to see people from the far northwest on HN. I did the Klondike relay a few

by japhyr 8y ago

Where are you at, if you don't mind my asking? I'm in Sitka, and I'm always curious to see people from the far northwest on HN. I did the Klondike relay a few times in the mid 2000s, and I really miss getting up that way. I hope to do that race again in the next few years, and to spend more time in the Yukon.

wk_end 8y ago
What do you do in Sitka? I've thought and still think about moving up to northern BC (Prince Rupert/Terrace) or the Yukon, but I can't square it with the lack of tech work up there...
- japhyr 8y ago
  I've been a high school math and science teacher most of my life, but I've also been a programmer on the side all my life. I few years ago I wrote a Python book that's doing well, so I'm slowly transitioning away from classroom teaching and into more technical work. There are definitely not many programmers in small towns up here. But I'm not sure how many people are doing remote work, that's really hard to tell. It would be hard to get established in tech up here, but once you've got enough experience to work remote you can figure something out. Travel isn't cheap though, and it does take a bit longer to get most places. But living next to true wilderness is just amazing. My contact info is in my profile if you've got any more specific questions.
- 52-6F-62 8y ago
  You're speaking my language now. That's the dream right there. However Canada's tech market has me planted in Toronto for now. There are some increasingly northerly-creeping companies, though. While it may not be the preferred field or quite far enough north, the work of Hinterland Games has struck me as well polished and carries a distinctly Canadian flavour: http://www.thelongdark.com/ http://www.thelongdark.com/ And apparently they're hiring... my girlfriend's mom lives out in Comox which is right down the road... now I'm thinking... https://hinterlandgames.com/career-opportunities https://hinterlandgames.com/career-opportunities https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comox,_British_Columbia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comox,_British_Columbia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtenay,_British_Columbia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtenay,_British_Columbia
  - 52-6F-62 8y ago
    I'm too late to edit: but it looks like Hinterland Studio has moved to Vancouver. They were located in Cumberland previously which is located in Comox Valley. Damned shame. Maybe they had a hard time convincing talent to move to that area... but it would have been pretty damned near ideal for me! They have a two year old video extolling the virtues of the area: https://youtu.be/ft_Ar0QDjSc https://youtu.be/ft_Ar0QDjSc I'm kind of disappointed they moved
    - wk_end 8y ago
      Ugh, what a bummer. For me personally, I'm not young or crazy enough to work in games professionally...but I love the island (especially up-island) and would love to see its tech scene develop - and every little bit of momentum helps, so that's a blow. There is a decent amount of stuff going in the south island, even up to Nanaimo. Tech is actually Victoria's largest industry! https://www.viatec.ca/ https://www.viatec.ca/ (by the way - it's probably at least a couple years off and might just be a pipe dream, but nevertheless I've been dreaming of some kind of hardware startup either near Nanaimo or Terrace. I took a peek at your website and saw that that might be up your alley...so if that's something you'd like to chat about feel free to drop me a line at unfactorablepolynomial at gmail)

by japhyr 8y ago

wk_end 8y ago

What do you do in Sitka? I've thought and still think about moving up to northern BC (Prince Rupert/Terrace) or the Yukon, but I can't square it with the lack of tech work up there...

japhyr 8y ago
I've been a high school math and science teacher most of my life, but I've also been a programmer on the side all my life. I few years ago I wrote a Python book that's doing well, so I'm slowly transitioning away from classroom teaching and into more technical work. There are definitely not many programmers in small towns up here. But I'm not sure how many people are doing remote work, that's really hard to tell. It would be hard to get established in tech up here, but once you've got enough experience to work remote you can figure something out. Travel isn't cheap though, and it does take a bit longer to get most places. But living next to true wilderness is just amazing. My contact info is in my profile if you've got any more specific questions.
52-6F-62 8y ago
You're speaking my language now. That's the dream right there. However Canada's tech market has me planted in Toronto for now. There are some increasingly northerly-creeping companies, though. While it may not be the preferred field or quite far enough north, the work of Hinterland Games has struck me as well polished and carries a distinctly Canadian flavour: http://www.thelongdark.com/ http://www.thelongdark.com/ And apparently they're hiring... my girlfriend's mom lives out in Comox which is right down the road... now I'm thinking... https://hinterlandgames.com/career-opportunities https://hinterlandgames.com/career-opportunities https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comox,_British_Columbia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comox,_British_Columbia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtenay,_British_Columbia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtenay,_British_Columbia
- 52-6F-62 8y ago
  I'm too late to edit: but it looks like Hinterland Studio has moved to Vancouver. They were located in Cumberland previously which is located in Comox Valley. Damned shame. Maybe they had a hard time convincing talent to move to that area... but it would have been pretty damned near ideal for me! They have a two year old video extolling the virtues of the area: https://youtu.be/ft_Ar0QDjSc https://youtu.be/ft_Ar0QDjSc I'm kind of disappointed they moved
  - wk_end 8y ago
    Ugh, what a bummer. For me personally, I'm not young or crazy enough to work in games professionally...but I love the island (especially up-island) and would love to see its tech scene develop - and every little bit of momentum helps, so that's a blow. There is a decent amount of stuff going in the south island, even up to Nanaimo. Tech is actually Victoria's largest industry! https://www.viatec.ca/ https://www.viatec.ca/ (by the way - it's probably at least a couple years off and might just be a pipe dream, but nevertheless I've been dreaming of some kind of hardware startup either near Nanaimo or Terrace. I took a peek at your website and saw that that might be up your alley...so if that's something you'd like to chat about feel free to drop me a line at unfactorablepolynomial at gmail)