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I guess I will probably be one of the "weird" ones here. I have never actually applied for any job and began programming very simple video games for myself as
by zbruhnke 16y ago
I guess I will probably be one of the "weird" ones here.
I have never actually applied for any job and began programming very simple video games for myself as a kid (about 12) instead of using flash cards etc because I thought it helped me remember things better.
When I was in college I played division I golf and was on a scholarship with school paid for and no real reason to leave
A guy who was a tour pro from the town I grew up in asked me to come look at the computers at a business he had bought. I went by mapped a few network drives explained file/printer sharing and on my way out made a passing comment about how they should check out a databasing system rather than just making copies (they were a copy company).
Next thing i know I was working 60 hours a week developing custom sharepoint systems for his customers on a contract basis. Eventually I dropped out of school "officially" started my first software related company and have never looked back.
As I said, I have never actually applied for a job, BUT it is VERY fair to say I was (and to some extent still am) very under-qualified for what i was doing, but I can think of no better learning experience than getting in over your head and knowing you have to meet a deadline.
I don't know that I will ever take a "real" job since I am constantly working on projects or creating my own companies, but at this point no matter what they are looking for I feel that i bring a great deal to the table and have an uncharacteristic ability to learn quickly.
Confidence is key in this field. I am more apt to hire someone with a good air about them then a guy who cant look you in the eyes but has a great resume.
- j_baker 16y ago"Confidence is key in this field. I am more apt to hire someone with a good air about them then a guy who cant look you in the eyes but has a great resume." Are you hiring programmers or used car salesmen? I simply don't buy that confidence is more key in programming than in other fields.
- zbruhnke 16y agoI am not talking about hiring people who have no grasp of a concept. I am saying that not unlike many other fields programming has a good bit to do with what you believe you are capable of. If someone has 5 years experience at Microsoft but does not believe in their work and/or are not confident in the product they put out but a guy fresh out of college has a great Github presence and a passion for programming I am certainly more apt to hire the latter.
- arethuza 16y agoDepends on the environment - in a customer facing/consulting role it is probably the key success factor. What clients often want is certainly - even if the reality is usually "it depends". However, for work on an in-house software team that same level of confidence can often lead to disasters as the borderline between confidence and plain pig headed arrogance is paper thin.
- bpourriahi 16y agoWhat's your blog's address?
- zbruhnke 16y agolots of people have asked me that as of late presumably from looking at my profil, so I just added it there