6 ms·

> I experience PTSD like symptoms from the constant barrage of negative thoughts the difficulty and stress of doing these problems are causing me. A lot of the

by whack 8y ago

> I experience PTSD like symptoms from the constant barrage of negative thoughts the difficulty and stress of doing these problems are causing me. A lot of the other posters have given some great advice from a technical perspective. I'd suggest taking some time to evaluate and improve your mental health as well. If you're putting yourself under so much pressure, that pressure alone will hold you back to a great extent. First off, just relax. Take a little time off to reset your psyche, overcome your burnout, and rediscover your confidence/interest. It's amazing what taking a week off can do. Take up some activities that have been shown to help with stress relief. Meditation. Exercise. Long walks. Digital disconnects. Healthy sleep cycle. Read this book: The Inner Game of Tennis. It's a short read, but it will transform the way you approach high-pressure situations. You mentioned PTSD - do you actually have PTSD, anxiety, or other similar mental health problems? If so, talk to a counselor or find some way to address those underlying issues. You have a long career window ahead of you, so don't burn yourself out at this point. Job prospects are great for CS majors, and you seem like a guy who's very motivated and hard working. Spend a bit of time taking care of yourself, and I'm sure you'll be fine in the long haul.

johnsonjo 8y ago
This is really great advice. Being too stressed during an interview is not good for looking like a good job candidate. I’ll have to check out that book too, because I personally get a little too stressed public speaking, so thanks for the recommendation. That’s one of the great things about questions like these is they can be very relatable and you get such great advice from all walks of life.
- whack 8y ago
  Thanks. Since you mentioned public speaking, I would also strongly recommend Toastmasters as a way to improve your public speaking and overcoming-anxiety skills. I've personally tried it, and it really helped.
  - johnsonjo 8y ago
    Thanks, I’ll have to check that out too. Just bought The Inner Game of Tennis and read up past the introduction. Seems like it will be very insightful.
  - godelmachine 8y ago
    I have been planning to join Toastmasters for the past 2 years but for procrastination!
    - mvp 8y ago
      If you tell yourself (and actually do, if required) that you'll only participate as an audience and not to actually do public speaking, you may get yourself over the 'thing' that may be behind the 'procrastination'.
      - germs12 8y ago
        I had a bunch of friends recommend Calm to me. I started using this morning - here's to paying it forward: https://www.calm.com/ https://www.calm.com/
        godelmachine 8y ago
        Did you like it?
      - godelmachine 8y ago
        I love public speaking. It’s just that I have to get there.
thomasfedb 8y ago
As a medical student who also happens to have a CS degree, might I suggest that a councillor is an excellent idea, and a psychologist or psychiatrist might also be worthwhile.
- chris_wot 8y ago
  As someone with dreadful experiences of the metal health system, I think the very last thing you want to do is see a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are expensive and look at brain chemistry, more than likely you’ll end up on some sort of medication which you likely don’t need. By all means see a counsellor or a psychologist, but unless you have deep psychological issues where you are getting to an unbelievably unbearable point where medication might help you, see a psychologist first and leave the psychiatrist out of it. And, in case anyone thinks I hate psychiatrists - I don’t. I just feel they aren’t that helpful in the sort of situations you describe here.
  - azthec 8y ago
    I don't know where you live, but generally that is applied to people who have all the other things and are still unhappy. Psychiatrists will generally try to steer you towards healthy fulfilling social lifestyles, and only then if you are still unhappy then usually you have some chemical imbalance that can be fixed, why be too proud rather than just fix it.
    - chris_wot 8y ago
      There are great psychiatrists out there, but honestly the two issues are that their main tool is medication which is a very blunt instrument, and they still only know so much about the brain. Unfortunately, for every great psychiatrist, there are just as many truly awful ones and despite their medical degree they can totally botch your diagnosis. That’s my opinion anyway, take it as you will.
    - that_jojo 8y ago
      I don't know where you live, but of the two psychiatrists I've seen both wrote me a prescription on my second appointment. And frankly, my mental health isn't the worst.
jinfiesto 8y ago
This. If you can move in with your parents, or don't need to start making money immediately, I'd prioritize dealing with your mental health issues. See a therapist or do some meditation. Whatever you need to do to get centered again. If things are that bad for you, even if you get a job, you're either going to have trouble keeping it or make yourself miserable doing it.
- ascherj 8y ago
  This is great advice as well and is pretty much exactly the path I took after graduating with a CS degree. I had an internship leading up to my graduation that I really did not enjoy. I ended up leaving earlier than expected because I felt the need to focus on my mental health and address deeper questions about what I wanted out of life. I did not feel ready to start a career. I ended up taking about 2 years to examine and reflect upon my situation. Meditation played a huge part during this time. I traveled, explored new hobbies and ideas, and experienced different ways of life. I eventually ended up moving back home to live with my parents as I continued to sort things out. Currently, I feel much more stable and have a clearer idea of how I want to move forward. I now have a plan to move out and pursue a career utilizing my degree and feel very excited about the future. Taking time off to reflect in this way has been indispensable for me.
giancarlostoro 8y ago
I think I took off about a year after I graduated, I kept working at my job and then when I decided to look for work it all lined up just perfectly. Look for jobs that want new programmers or interns is all I can say. Also: You do not have to ace the interview just show promise. What I mean is, even I've gone through interviews where I didn't know all the answers and they still kept wanting to follow up with me. Don't be too harsh on yourself.
- hermitdev 8y ago
  > where I didn't know all the answers and they still kept wanting to follow up with me. Absolutely this. The primary purpose of the interview is to establish whether or not you are competent enough to do the job. This doesn't necessarily mean having all of the skills out of the box, but whether you are capable of picking them up and have the basis to do so. Best piece of advice I could give is don't lie. If you don't know the answer, say so. But, better to follow up with "...but, this how I think it might work" or "...but, this is how I would go about finding the solution". One of my purposes in interviews was literally to get the candidate to say they didn't know. We can work with people that know their limits; can't work with a bumbling fool that knows no bounds.
  - southphillyman 8y ago
    >One of my purposes in interviews was literally to get the candidate to say they didn't know. This. It's ok to admit you don't know everything in an interview. Some of my most glowing feedback from interviews came from interviews where I answered questions with a flat out "I don't know"
  - timje1 8y ago
    Yep, when I'm interviewing a developer, if they try to bullshit an answer I instantly lose trust in them. How can I trust their work if, when they don't know something, they just try to BS their way through? Far more healthy to admit they don't understand and seek help / guidance from those who might. Humility is an important developer trait.
Tmp1234 8y ago
I added a separate comment to add some information about my situation. It addresses your question and advice too. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17594084 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17594084
lechiffre10 8y ago
+1 on Inner game of Tennis. Life changing book there.

by whack 8y ago

johnsonjo 8y ago

This is really great advice. Being too stressed during an interview is not good for looking like a good job candidate. I’ll have to check out that book too, because I personally get a little too stressed public speaking, so thanks for the recommendation. That’s one of the great things about questions like these is they can be very relatable and you get such great advice from all walks of life.

whack 8y ago
Thanks. Since you mentioned public speaking, I would also strongly recommend Toastmasters as a way to improve your public speaking and overcoming-anxiety skills. I've personally tried it, and it really helped.
- johnsonjo 8y ago
  Thanks, I’ll have to check that out too. Just bought The Inner Game of Tennis and read up past the introduction. Seems like it will be very insightful.
- godelmachine 8y ago
  I have been planning to join Toastmasters for the past 2 years but for procrastination!
  - mvp 8y ago
    If you tell yourself (and actually do, if required) that you'll only participate as an audience and not to actually do public speaking, you may get yourself over the 'thing' that may be behind the 'procrastination'.
    - germs12 8y ago
      I had a bunch of friends recommend Calm to me. I started using this morning - here's to paying it forward: https://www.calm.com/ https://www.calm.com/
      - godelmachine 8y ago
        Did you like it?
    - godelmachine 8y ago
      I love public speaking. It’s just that I have to get there.

thomasfedb 8y ago

As a medical student who also happens to have a CS degree, might I suggest that a councillor is an excellent idea, and a psychologist or psychiatrist might also be worthwhile.

chris_wot 8y ago
As someone with dreadful experiences of the metal health system, I think the very last thing you want to do is see a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are expensive and look at brain chemistry, more than likely you’ll end up on some sort of medication which you likely don’t need. By all means see a counsellor or a psychologist, but unless you have deep psychological issues where you are getting to an unbelievably unbearable point where medication might help you, see a psychologist first and leave the psychiatrist out of it. And, in case anyone thinks I hate psychiatrists - I don’t. I just feel they aren’t that helpful in the sort of situations you describe here.
- azthec 8y ago
  I don't know where you live, but generally that is applied to people who have all the other things and are still unhappy. Psychiatrists will generally try to steer you towards healthy fulfilling social lifestyles, and only then if you are still unhappy then usually you have some chemical imbalance that can be fixed, why be too proud rather than just fix it.
  - chris_wot 8y ago
    There are great psychiatrists out there, but honestly the two issues are that their main tool is medication which is a very blunt instrument, and they still only know so much about the brain. Unfortunately, for every great psychiatrist, there are just as many truly awful ones and despite their medical degree they can totally botch your diagnosis. That’s my opinion anyway, take it as you will.
  - that_jojo 8y ago
    I don't know where you live, but of the two psychiatrists I've seen both wrote me a prescription on my second appointment. And frankly, my mental health isn't the worst.

jinfiesto 8y ago

This. If you can move in with your parents, or don't need to start making money immediately, I'd prioritize dealing with your mental health issues. See a therapist or do some meditation. Whatever you need to do to get centered again. If things are that bad for you, even if you get a job, you're either going to have trouble keeping it or make yourself miserable doing it.

ascherj 8y ago
This is great advice as well and is pretty much exactly the path I took after graduating with a CS degree. I had an internship leading up to my graduation that I really did not enjoy. I ended up leaving earlier than expected because I felt the need to focus on my mental health and address deeper questions about what I wanted out of life. I did not feel ready to start a career. I ended up taking about 2 years to examine and reflect upon my situation. Meditation played a huge part during this time. I traveled, explored new hobbies and ideas, and experienced different ways of life. I eventually ended up moving back home to live with my parents as I continued to sort things out. Currently, I feel much more stable and have a clearer idea of how I want to move forward. I now have a plan to move out and pursue a career utilizing my degree and feel very excited about the future. Taking time off to reflect in this way has been indispensable for me.

giancarlostoro 8y ago

I think I took off about a year after I graduated, I kept working at my job and then when I decided to look for work it all lined up just perfectly. Look for jobs that want new programmers or interns is all I can say. Also: You do not have to ace the interview just show promise. What I mean is, even I've gone through interviews where I didn't know all the answers and they still kept wanting to follow up with me. Don't be too harsh on yourself.

hermitdev 8y ago
> where I didn't know all the answers and they still kept wanting to follow up with me. Absolutely this. The primary purpose of the interview is to establish whether or not you are competent enough to do the job. This doesn't necessarily mean having all of the skills out of the box, but whether you are capable of picking them up and have the basis to do so. Best piece of advice I could give is don't lie. If you don't know the answer, say so. But, better to follow up with "...but, this how I think it might work" or "...but, this is how I would go about finding the solution". One of my purposes in interviews was literally to get the candidate to say they didn't know. We can work with people that know their limits; can't work with a bumbling fool that knows no bounds.
- southphillyman 8y ago
  >One of my purposes in interviews was literally to get the candidate to say they didn't know. This. It's ok to admit you don't know everything in an interview. Some of my most glowing feedback from interviews came from interviews where I answered questions with a flat out "I don't know"
- timje1 8y ago
  Yep, when I'm interviewing a developer, if they try to bullshit an answer I instantly lose trust in them. How can I trust their work if, when they don't know something, they just try to BS their way through? Far more healthy to admit they don't understand and seek help / guidance from those who might. Humility is an important developer trait.

Tmp1234 8y ago

I added a separate comment to add some information about my situation. It addresses your question and advice too. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17594084 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17594084

lechiffre10 8y ago

+1 on Inner game of Tennis. Life changing book there.