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Who cares about what languages HN likes or doesn't like? If you have bills to pay, get a job and let go of the need to "please" some random people on the Intern

Who cares about what languages HN likes or doesn't like? If you have bills to pay, get a job and let go of the need to "please" some random people on the Internet, whatever that means. Imperative, object-oriented languages are all very similar, so just go get a job doing that. All you have to do is make clear to the interviewer that you may not have the precise pedigree in $FOO_LANGUAGE, but are willing to learn.

berrypicker 13y ago
Just want to clarify, I added the HN comment because I was a little surprised (having been in the startup cultural bubble for so long) at the jobs available, not because I'm complaining at the tools these businesses use.
- sn0v 13y ago
  IMO most interviewers don't look for a very specific skillset in a particular language. If you have experience with a wide range of languages and a number of projects, I don't see how that isn't a plus. Good luck!
  - rickyc091 13y ago
    +1 to this, I've had friends with a strong programming background join companies with zero knowledge of the language being used. They just learned it on the job. Fundamentals won't really change, syntax can be picked up.
ansimionescu 13y ago
Since you seem to be based in England, I can recommend Red Gate, a small-ish (200+ people) software shop based in Cambridge. I interned with them this summer and they're simply an amazing place to work for. http://www.red-gate.com/ http://www.red-gate.com/
- brey 13y ago
  they're a windows-only shop, bear in mind - or at least they were when I last checked. not necessarily a problem, but may be an issue for some.
  - modulus0 13y ago
    personally, I'd rather starve.
  - sireb 13y ago
    actually, these days, we're getting into all sorts of things, including a lot of big data and node.js. (I work in the Red Gate Ventures division)
- paf31 13y ago
  Plus Cambridge is a pretty awesome place to live.
wpietri 13y ago
I think "what HN likes" here is throwing you off. I don't think this is about fashion. Good programmers care a lot about good tools. Different tools also have different communities, which means different views, different standards, different approaches. I've done projects with great tools and projects with shitty tools. For me, it makes a giant difference. I can spend my energy on solving real user problems, or I can spend it on beating back the idiocy of bad tools. I can spend it on learning from a community that is serious about pushing the field forward, or I can spend it trying to motivate a bunch of no-hopers who picked programming over dentistry because the Computer Information Systems degree was shorter. I think it's totally reasonable that this person wants to avoid the mire of clock-punchers and half-assed enterprise tech imposed for "business reasons". They're trying for a tactical retreat, not abject surrender. That's the spirit I think HN should support.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- dpritchett 13y ago
  Bravo. As a longtime enterprise reporting guy turned Rails dev, this resonates deeply with me.

berrypicker 13y ago

Just want to clarify, I added the HN comment because I was a little surprised (having been in the startup cultural bubble for so long) at the jobs available, not because I'm complaining at the tools these businesses use.

sn0v 13y ago
IMO most interviewers don't look for a very specific skillset in a particular language. If you have experience with a wide range of languages and a number of projects, I don't see how that isn't a plus. Good luck!
- rickyc091 13y ago
  +1 to this, I've had friends with a strong programming background join companies with zero knowledge of the language being used. They just learned it on the job. Fundamentals won't really change, syntax can be picked up.

ansimionescu 13y ago

Since you seem to be based in England, I can recommend Red Gate, a small-ish (200+ people) software shop based in Cambridge. I interned with them this summer and they're simply an amazing place to work for. http://www.red-gate.com/ http://www.red-gate.com/

brey 13y ago
they're a windows-only shop, bear in mind - or at least they were when I last checked. not necessarily a problem, but may be an issue for some.
- modulus0 13y ago
  personally, I'd rather starve.
- sireb 13y ago
  actually, these days, we're getting into all sorts of things, including a lot of big data and node.js. (I work in the Red Gate Ventures division)
paf31 13y ago
Plus Cambridge is a pretty awesome place to live.

wpietri 13y ago

I think "what HN likes" here is throwing you off. I don't think this is about fashion. Good programmers care a lot about good tools. Different tools also have different communities, which means different views, different standards, different approaches. I've done projects with great tools and projects with shitty tools. For me, it makes a giant difference. I can spend my energy on solving real user problems, or I can spend it on beating back the idiocy of bad tools. I can spend it on learning from a community that is serious about pushing the field forward, or I can spend it trying to motivate a bunch of no-hopers who picked programming over dentistry because the Computer Information Systems degree was shorter. I think it's totally reasonable that this person wants to avoid the mire of clock-punchers and half-assed enterprise tech imposed for "business reasons". They're trying for a tactical retreat, not abject surrender. That's the spirit I think HN should support.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
dpritchett 13y ago
Bravo. As a longtime enterprise reporting guy turned Rails dev, this resonates deeply with me.