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> I also fairly regularly get calls from recruiters. Not everyone has a wikipedia article :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Bright http://en.wikipedia.or

> I also fairly regularly get calls from recruiters. Not everyone has a wikipedia article :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Bright http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Bright

WalterBright 13y ago
That brings up a relevant issue. I realized a long time ago that developing an professional online persona is worthwhile. To that end, I recommend regularly to people: 1. create a website from your own name, like walterbright.com, and put your professional work there 2. create a github account under your own name, and contribute to significant projects using it 3. ditto for stackoverflow, hackernews, gamedev.net and other relevant forums 4. write interesting and useful tech articles under your own name I.e. your name is your brand, make use of it. If you use a pseudonym and hide your contact info or otherwise put up barriers to being contacted, you'll lose opportunities. Aside from that, one the best ways to get recruited is to show up at tech conferences and engage with the other participants. A lot of companies use tech conferences as ways to find good engineers. If you're broke and can't afford to go to a tech conference, submit papers to them and try to do a presentation - speakers usually get expenses paid.
- Swizec 13y ago
  > If you use a pseudonym and hide your contact info or otherwise put up barriers to being contacted, you'll lose opportunities. In my experience using a pseudonym consistently works just as well. Most people don't even realized my "real" name isn't Swizec until we start signing contracts. Yes, I also introduce myself as Swizec when meeting people in person. Especially people who might google me.
- WalterBright 13y ago
  Sadly, I often run across technical articles where the author omitted his own name, not even a pseudonym. I don't understand this.
  - vicaya 13y ago
    Quite a few seemingly legit articles from Google results are "stolen" content created by bots and/or cheap copy writers from content SEO companies like Demand Media to generate ad revenue. Internet branding is overrated. Personal network is a lot more important :)
- kamaal 13y ago
  I am willing to bet none of that will help. Not for a common guy. The fact that you are the inventor of the D programming language puts you in a very different league of people.
  - WalterBright 13y ago
    When I first decided to write a C compiler, a friend of mine thought it would be nice to introduce me to the community C guru for some advice. The C guru looked at me and said "Who the fuck do you think you are thinking you can write a C compiler?", and not in a nice way, either. So what's stopping you?
    - kamaal 13y ago
      Nothing. And frankly your post had me thinking this whole afternoon. What is really stopping me. And I have to frankly say, Nothing. Thanks for this valuable advice.

> I also fairly regularly get calls from recruiters. Not everyone has a wikipedia article :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Bright http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Bright

WalterBright 13y ago

That brings up a relevant issue. I realized a long time ago that developing an professional online persona is worthwhile. To that end, I recommend regularly to people: 1. create a website from your own name, like walterbright.com, and put your professional work there 2. create a github account under your own name, and contribute to significant projects using it 3. ditto for stackoverflow, hackernews, gamedev.net and other relevant forums 4. write interesting and useful tech articles under your own name I.e. your name is your brand, make use of it. If you use a pseudonym and hide your contact info or otherwise put up barriers to being contacted, you'll lose opportunities. Aside from that, one the best ways to get recruited is to show up at tech conferences and engage with the other participants. A lot of companies use tech conferences as ways to find good engineers. If you're broke and can't afford to go to a tech conference, submit papers to them and try to do a presentation - speakers usually get expenses paid.

Swizec 13y ago
> If you use a pseudonym and hide your contact info or otherwise put up barriers to being contacted, you'll lose opportunities. In my experience using a pseudonym consistently works just as well. Most people don't even realized my "real" name isn't Swizec until we start signing contracts. Yes, I also introduce myself as Swizec when meeting people in person. Especially people who might google me.
WalterBright 13y ago
Sadly, I often run across technical articles where the author omitted his own name, not even a pseudonym. I don't understand this.
- vicaya 13y ago
  Quite a few seemingly legit articles from Google results are "stolen" content created by bots and/or cheap copy writers from content SEO companies like Demand Media to generate ad revenue. Internet branding is overrated. Personal network is a lot more important :)
kamaal 13y ago
I am willing to bet none of that will help. Not for a common guy. The fact that you are the inventor of the D programming language puts you in a very different league of people.
- WalterBright 13y ago
  When I first decided to write a C compiler, a friend of mine thought it would be nice to introduce me to the community C guru for some advice. The C guru looked at me and said "Who the fuck do you think you are thinking you can write a C compiler?", and not in a nice way, either. So what's stopping you?
  - kamaal 13y ago
    Nothing. And frankly your post had me thinking this whole afternoon. What is really stopping me. And I have to frankly say, Nothing. Thanks for this valuable advice.