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When I was fresh out of college I semi-obsessively started answering StackOverflow questions about HTML Canvas, which was still new enough to not have a lot of

When I was fresh out of college I semi-obsessively started answering StackOverflow questions about HTML Canvas, which was still new enough to not have a lot of coverage. At one point I answered over 10% of all canvas questions ever asked. I also blogged a few tutorials. This made Pearson email me for a book offer (HTML5 Unleashed, 2013, almost no one read it as I had no fame, but last amazon review: "Still relevant in 2018, best book on canvas I have read") And writing that book lead to lots of recruiters. I humored one, they flew me out to SF, gave me a car for a few days (I had never been to the west coast), dined with me, and made me an offer before I was to fly back home, an offer that was lots more than I was making at the time. I told them I'd think about it. But I was too scared to leave New Hampshire, and perhaps too sentimental, or some more nameless term, so I didn't accept the offer. All from answering some SO questions.

Brajeshwar 3y ago
Once upon a time, answering people's questions on forums was an excellent long-tail payback career strategy. I used to answer many questions, write explainer blog posts based on repeated questions, etc. In the early-to-mid-2000s, Macromedia paid for my trip to San Francisco, a hotel stay at the W, and a chance to meet the programmers and authors I looked up to -- all because I answered and helped people with their questions on online forums.
- travisgriggs 3y ago
  Yes, every forum has its early years phase where this occurs. It’s about like trying to catch a wave, you look for a building wave, invest some participation, and you have a fine ride. Eventually, the “organizers” show up and add too much order to a system that wants to be a balance between loose structure and otherwise chaotic ad hoc interplay. And if the organizers aren’t the ones that over constrain the system, there’s always a PM somewhere looking to “monetize that asset.” I think, sadly, SO has passed that inflection point now. I haven’t intuited where the next waves are breaking at.
  - hackernewds 3y ago
    sounds like the downfall of Quora. Interviewed there and it seemed like they're still on board thinking a flood of ads is the perfect UX
    - sevagh 3y ago
      I still don't understand why the Quora UI shows you unrelated answers, and it's always a weird topic. "Question: Why did PyTorch beat Tensorflow in popularity" "Answer (to a different question): I lost my virginity when I was 11 years old"
  - red-iron-pine 3y ago
    quite similar to "Mop Theory" -- https://meaningness.com/geeks-mops-sociopaths https://meaningness.com/geeks-mops-sociopaths
yieldcrv 3y ago
I got a job from stackoverflow posts too, it was a company whose entire strategy was hiring "Developer Evangelists" which I had never heard of before. I tried to internalize that silly name but really the company's product just wasn't in a place to "evangelize" anyway so it didn't work for very long. I hated that job, I excluded it on my resume.
- 8n4vidtmkvmk 3y ago
  I'm in the top 250 on Stackoverflow and didn't get any job offers through there. I wasn't looking but I think I've only had one person contact me off the platform which involved finding my website and then my contact form. But they just wanted more answers.
  - yieldcrv 3y ago
    it wasn't through there, it made a difference in the recruitment and hiring process and I had my stackoverflow badge on my resume at the time just happenstance that somoene at that particular company was looking for it. actually was a red flag that they were, but it paid a lot more than I had ever been paid before, for those 3 months I worked there
    - erhaetherth 3y ago
      Hah. I have my badge on my website. I'm surprised a recruiter was looking for it.
hackernewds 3y ago
how has your life worked out not having taken that offer?
- simonsarris 3y ago
  Well I'm not certain about life on twin earth where I chose differently, but I'm quite happy. I still live 10 miles from where I was born in New Hampshire. I still work at the company that I interned with when I was in high school. I am now part owner. I probably have a lot less money than if I went to California, but I have a house and family (2 children so far, we want more) and I somewhat think that if I went out west, it would be harder to have that, at least I would have probably delayed it by a decade or more, like people in cities seem to do.
  - octokatt 3y ago
    You did it right. Kudos for making the smart decision -- you can't buy home.
nicholassmith 3y ago
Similar experience for me, I was active answering questions about Qt (and asking plenty as well) and got approached through to go work at a startup building 3D printers with bespoke software. Took it, had a great time, learnt a huge amount outside of my skillset and got to go do the CES experience.
benrutter 3y ago
I love the modesty in this story, from my point of view you: - Became an expert in HTML Canvas - Used that expertise to help a bunch of people - Wrote an entire freaking book on HTML Canvas If I did that I would probably never shut up about it, so hearing you describe it as "answering some SO questions" is genuinely heartwarming.
gaws 3y ago
> But I was too scared to leave New Hampshire, and perhaps too sentimental, or some more nameless term, so I didn't accept the offer. What happened next?

Brajeshwar 3y ago

Once upon a time, answering people's questions on forums was an excellent long-tail payback career strategy. I used to answer many questions, write explainer blog posts based on repeated questions, etc. In the early-to-mid-2000s, Macromedia paid for my trip to San Francisco, a hotel stay at the W, and a chance to meet the programmers and authors I looked up to -- all because I answered and helped people with their questions on online forums.

travisgriggs 3y ago
Yes, every forum has its early years phase where this occurs. It’s about like trying to catch a wave, you look for a building wave, invest some participation, and you have a fine ride. Eventually, the “organizers” show up and add too much order to a system that wants to be a balance between loose structure and otherwise chaotic ad hoc interplay. And if the organizers aren’t the ones that over constrain the system, there’s always a PM somewhere looking to “monetize that asset.” I think, sadly, SO has passed that inflection point now. I haven’t intuited where the next waves are breaking at.
- hackernewds 3y ago
  sounds like the downfall of Quora. Interviewed there and it seemed like they're still on board thinking a flood of ads is the perfect UX
  - sevagh 3y ago
    I still don't understand why the Quora UI shows you unrelated answers, and it's always a weird topic. "Question: Why did PyTorch beat Tensorflow in popularity" "Answer (to a different question): I lost my virginity when I was 11 years old"
- red-iron-pine 3y ago
  quite similar to "Mop Theory" -- https://meaningness.com/geeks-mops-sociopaths https://meaningness.com/geeks-mops-sociopaths

yieldcrv 3y ago

I got a job from stackoverflow posts too, it was a company whose entire strategy was hiring "Developer Evangelists" which I had never heard of before. I tried to internalize that silly name but really the company's product just wasn't in a place to "evangelize" anyway so it didn't work for very long. I hated that job, I excluded it on my resume.

8n4vidtmkvmk 3y ago
I'm in the top 250 on Stackoverflow and didn't get any job offers through there. I wasn't looking but I think I've only had one person contact me off the platform which involved finding my website and then my contact form. But they just wanted more answers.
- yieldcrv 3y ago
  it wasn't through there, it made a difference in the recruitment and hiring process and I had my stackoverflow badge on my resume at the time just happenstance that somoene at that particular company was looking for it. actually was a red flag that they were, but it paid a lot more than I had ever been paid before, for those 3 months I worked there
  - erhaetherth 3y ago
    Hah. I have my badge on my website. I'm surprised a recruiter was looking for it.

hackernewds 3y ago

how has your life worked out not having taken that offer?

simonsarris 3y ago
Well I'm not certain about life on twin earth where I chose differently, but I'm quite happy. I still live 10 miles from where I was born in New Hampshire. I still work at the company that I interned with when I was in high school. I am now part owner. I probably have a lot less money than if I went to California, but I have a house and family (2 children so far, we want more) and I somewhat think that if I went out west, it would be harder to have that, at least I would have probably delayed it by a decade or more, like people in cities seem to do.
- octokatt 3y ago
  You did it right. Kudos for making the smart decision -- you can't buy home.

nicholassmith 3y ago

Similar experience for me, I was active answering questions about Qt (and asking plenty as well) and got approached through to go work at a startup building 3D printers with bespoke software. Took it, had a great time, learnt a huge amount outside of my skillset and got to go do the CES experience.

benrutter 3y ago

I love the modesty in this story, from my point of view you: - Became an expert in HTML Canvas - Used that expertise to help a bunch of people - Wrote an entire freaking book on HTML Canvas If I did that I would probably never shut up about it, so hearing you describe it as "answering some SO questions" is genuinely heartwarming.

gaws 3y ago

> But I was too scared to leave New Hampshire, and perhaps too sentimental, or some more nameless term, so I didn't accept the offer. What happened next?