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'i have also read TAOCP thrice... i am well versed with algorithms and low level hardware and architecture... i am not a code monkey' Keep telling yourself tha

by devmonk 16y ago

'i have also read TAOCP thrice... i am well versed with algorithms and low level hardware and architecture... i am not a code monkey' Keep telling yourself that, but if you are a developer, you will be a "code monkey" in one way or another until you've worked your way up a bit, no matter how good your background is. I've worked with PhD's and Master's CS students from around the world that have written bad code. We all do, but the less supervision and review, and the less people care, the worse the code. At the same time, it took me several years to realize that what people build up to be the ideal can be just as much of a waste. (Your team spends all that time working with the perfect process, but you've added overhead that never needed to be there, because the customer doesn't care. Think about the early success of Windows. That was a product of the lower end of "good enough" coding/design.) But despite aiming for "good enough", you need to go through the rest first. Good practices and techniques are learned from working with good people. You should be so blessed as to have a great mentor as a junior. And as a mid-senior-principal/architect, you should be so blessed as to have great people working alongside you at least at some point (not big names, but just people you respect quite a bit at least) and in good environments (places were you respect the process as one of the best in the industry as far as you are concerned doing something you love). Anyway, again based on what you said, if you have the opportunity to go into firmware, device drivers, OS development, etc. you might look into that. You might need to go out of the country, though (take a chance!). http://www.indeed.com/ http://www.indeed.com/ You could also (assuming you have the money, which I'm pretty sure you do) continue education and go the engineering route if interested. Chip design, etc. can make a good amount of money, and your skills probably wouldn't go to waste necessarily.

r0h4n 16y ago
great advice man, well my parents do have money, but regarding your chip/hardware design advice, are people really gonna use anything other than x86? i havent seen any ad for ASIC designers, Anyways, i would love to get into firmware,driver development for sure, do i need a masters to do that? i mean i can self taught myself noob level kernel hacking , if i stick to it, i would be able to do it, I am sorry i am asking so many things, i just need a path. :)
- devmonk 16y ago
  Chip design has never stopped. I have a relative doing chip design who makes good money. Moore's law has been validated because of chip work and research that can be applied to it. Someone is doing it, why not you? But there is so much more to engineering than that. If that stuff excites you, look into it. If you are going the firmware, driver, OS etc. route, make your resume, etc. the best in the world as far as you are concerned, after having looked at the online ones of those you respect. Add what they are looking for to your resume (don't just list things, but a sentence about what you did), so the manager and HR see them. Don't fill it with every possible thing you know, or you will get overlooked. Don't try to be something that you aren't either. Don't try to prove everything you know by reciting every detail, unless they are interested in it, but provide enough detail to show you know it. Find all opportunities that you are excited about (and don't let country boundaries affect your decision, if you are young, but don't just move somewhere unless you are fairly sure you can get and keep a job there). Contact those people. Know that you are getting on the ground level and don't worry about salary, etc. yet. Focus on the best environment and finding who you believe will be a great mentor. Understand whether they are excited and serious about their work, and whether the rest of the tech world respects or would respect what they do. Get some interviews. Once you are there, focus on what you can do to help the business without making your manager look bad, but learn everything inside and out. You will succeed.
  - r0h4n 16y ago
    i will try what you say. i have never thought of such details about resume and business. thnx again :)

by devmonk 16y ago

r0h4n 16y ago

great advice man, well my parents do have money, but regarding your chip/hardware design advice, are people really gonna use anything other than x86? i havent seen any ad for ASIC designers, Anyways, i would love to get into firmware,driver development for sure, do i need a masters to do that? i mean i can self taught myself noob level kernel hacking , if i stick to it, i would be able to do it, I am sorry i am asking so many things, i just need a path. :)

devmonk 16y ago
Chip design has never stopped. I have a relative doing chip design who makes good money. Moore's law has been validated because of chip work and research that can be applied to it. Someone is doing it, why not you? But there is so much more to engineering than that. If that stuff excites you, look into it. If you are going the firmware, driver, OS etc. route, make your resume, etc. the best in the world as far as you are concerned, after having looked at the online ones of those you respect. Add what they are looking for to your resume (don't just list things, but a sentence about what you did), so the manager and HR see them. Don't fill it with every possible thing you know, or you will get overlooked. Don't try to be something that you aren't either. Don't try to prove everything you know by reciting every detail, unless they are interested in it, but provide enough detail to show you know it. Find all opportunities that you are excited about (and don't let country boundaries affect your decision, if you are young, but don't just move somewhere unless you are fairly sure you can get and keep a job there). Contact those people. Know that you are getting on the ground level and don't worry about salary, etc. yet. Focus on the best environment and finding who you believe will be a great mentor. Understand whether they are excited and serious about their work, and whether the rest of the tech world respects or would respect what they do. Get some interviews. Once you are there, focus on what you can do to help the business without making your manager look bad, but learn everything inside and out. You will succeed.
- r0h4n 16y ago
  i will try what you say. i have never thought of such details about resume and business. thnx again :)