3 ms·

Ask HN: What did you learn this year?

7 points by amin 3y ago

horeszko 3y ago
Technical: - I started using Linux this year after switching from Windows. I've learnt a lot about system admin and how operating systems work but still have a long away to go - I've started to formalize my programming knowledge by self studying 'Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs'. I try to do most of the exercises. Its a tough book but well worth it and it has really crystallized my knowledge of programming - I've also started learning the basics of networking Non-technical: - I've learnt that my job (as a dev) is not as technical or as interesting as I always hoped, and thats okay. I've learned to channel my technical interests through my side projects and let work be work - I've learnt to relax and to not stress out about learning programming/computer related things. I switched to a career in software development after working as a manufacturing engineer and always thought I had to "catch up". However I realized I'm not actually that far behind as computing is a deep field and imo is best learned hands on, which from what I can tell university's don't do. I thought a CS degree from a university is what I missed out on, but I've proven to myself that I can teach myself better than a university can (I have a degree in industrial engineering and imo the university I went to was low quality and the experience there lowered my opinion of universities). So I do my side projects and self studies and I stay patient knowing that I'm really in the same place as a someone who studied CS. I self study the theoretical knowledge and apply it in my side projects
biglyburrito 3y ago
Technical: - First time working in an Azure cloud environment; I've worked with AWS & GCP at previous jobs. - First time working with async messaging / event-driven architecture (Azure service bus & triggers); previous jobs had been averse to using it & reliant primarily on REST APIs.
NukedOne 3y ago
This was a year of implementing programming languages for me, mostly. I saw up close how a series of layers (or languages, if you will, that are mutually defined by virtual machines at the same level) on top of machine code (which is numeric and hence difficult for humans to use), each one more convenient than its predecessor, leads to bridging the gap between what is convenient for machines and what for humans.
berniedurfee 3y ago
PHP
Jugurtha 3y ago
Mainly "law". Code of civil procedure & code of criminal procedure, and labor law.
nicbou 3y ago
I learned what networking really means, and how valuable it is. There is an insanely complex informal underground economy that you can't see or know about until you are part of it. A lot of good things happen just by being part of that flow of communication and favours.
- bhag2066 3y ago
  So interesting.. can you give some examples of insanely informal underground economies?
  - nicbou 3y ago
    I work in German immigration (see my profile). Most relocation consultants in Berlin know each other, and at one point or another might have worked together or sent each other clients. They know government office employees by name. They know which ones are cooperative and which ones have unusual requirements. They know the odds of an application getting through and the time it will take. They always know someone, whatever the problem. Many of them are in a group chat I created, frequently trading knowledge and saving each other work. They give me unprecedented visibility into an opaque system. They answer questions I couldn’t answer in weeks… in a few minutes. I bring them customers and share data points too. In this group chat, there is a programmer working at the immigration office. He takes feedback from us and lets us submit bug reports. The immigration office is the most unreachable office in Berlin, and we ar eon an ongoing conversation with them. This is one network. You wouldn’t believe how significant it is for my work of documenting German bureaucracy. They are my eyes and half of my brain. Yet we never exchanged money. It’s all informal.

7 points by amin 3y ago

Technical: - I started using Linux this year after switching from Windows. I've learnt a lot about system admin and how operating systems work but still have a long away to go - I've started to formalize my programming knowledge by self studying 'Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs'. I try to do most of the exercises. Its a tough book but well worth it and it has really crystallized my knowledge of programming - I've also started learning the basics of networking Non-technical: - I've learnt that my job (as a dev) is not as technical or as interesting as I always hoped, and thats okay. I've learned to channel my technical interests through my side projects and let work be work - I've learnt to relax and to not stress out about learning programming/computer related things. I switched to a career in software development after working as a manufacturing engineer and always thought I had to "catch up". However I realized I'm not actually that far behind as computing is a deep field and imo is best learned hands on, which from what I can tell university's don't do. I thought a CS degree from a university is what I missed out on, but I've proven to myself that I can teach myself better than a university can (I have a degree in industrial engineering and imo the university I went to was low quality and the experience there lowered my opinion of universities). So I do my side projects and self studies and I stay patient knowing that I'm really in the same place as a someone who studied CS. I self study the theoretical knowledge and apply it in my side projects

biglyburrito 3y ago

Technical: - First time working in an Azure cloud environment; I've worked with AWS & GCP at previous jobs. - First time working with async messaging / event-driven architecture (Azure service bus & triggers); previous jobs had been averse to using it & reliant primarily on REST APIs.

NukedOne 3y ago

This was a year of implementing programming languages for me, mostly. I saw up close how a series of layers (or languages, if you will, that are mutually defined by virtual machines at the same level) on top of machine code (which is numeric and hence difficult for humans to use), each one more convenient than its predecessor, leads to bridging the gap between what is convenient for machines and what for humans.

berniedurfee 3y ago

PHP

Jugurtha 3y ago

Mainly "law". Code of civil procedure & code of criminal procedure, and labor law.

nicbou 3y ago

I learned what networking really means, and how valuable it is. There is an insanely complex informal underground economy that you can't see or know about until you are part of it. A lot of good things happen just by being part of that flow of communication and favours.

bhag2066 3y ago
So interesting.. can you give some examples of insanely informal underground economies?
- nicbou 3y ago
  I work in German immigration (see my profile). Most relocation consultants in Berlin know each other, and at one point or another might have worked together or sent each other clients. They know government office employees by name. They know which ones are cooperative and which ones have unusual requirements. They know the odds of an application getting through and the time it will take. They always know someone, whatever the problem. Many of them are in a group chat I created, frequently trading knowledge and saving each other work. They give me unprecedented visibility into an opaque system. They answer questions I couldn’t answer in weeks… in a few minutes. I bring them customers and share data points too. In this group chat, there is a programmer working at the immigration office. He takes feedback from us and lets us submit bug reports. The immigration office is the most unreachable office in Berlin, and we ar eon an ongoing conversation with them. This is one network. You wouldn’t believe how significant it is for my work of documenting German bureaucracy. They are my eyes and half of my brain. Yet we never exchanged money. It’s all informal.