My story: from lawyer to ruby hacker | Hacker News Reader

My story: from lawyer to ruby hacker

coffeespoonsofcode.wordpress.com

Awesome story. I graduated with a JD/MPA in 2010, but already started working in a startup the summer prior to graduation. I've been in startups ever since and have recently started to (slowly) teach myself to code. I haven't had the time or guts to volunteer to actually build something for someone, but I've been thinking that I'd like to get involved in an open source project in a couple of months when I'm more comfortable in the code.

When/how did you know that you would actually be able to build something useful?

Edit: P.S. Good move getting out of law! ;-)

> When/how did you know that you would actually be able to build something useful?

When I got the CRUD interface working on the non-profit database. So I didn't know I'd be able to do it until I actually did it ;). The system I built replaced their old system, which was literally pieces of paper in filing cabinets.

> Edit: P.S. Good move getting out of law! ;-)

I wanted to get into tech anyway. My friend (dm8 on HN) introduced me to Hacker News in 2009 and it was a life-changing experience. It was my first peek into the whole scene.

Top story.

I'm a Chartered Accountant down-under working (read: going insane) for a large public utility Co.

Australia is supposedly having a great time on the back of Chinese demand but accountants are being shed left right and centre and I can never recall such a time with so many 'For Lease'/'For Sale' signs around town.

I'm busy getting my hustle, trying to get re-skilled asap with Udacity and the like before China turns it down a notch or two and this story just gets me a bit more amped!

Congratulations. Out of curiosity, did you ever contemplate working with legal technology?

I'm not advocating eDiscovery work in any way. It sounds like you are currently headed in a (IMO) more interesting direction.

However, legal tech would be more in line with your education if you actually have an interest in pursuing / maintaining a legal career.

Yes I did. Even though I'm a big Linux guy, I bought a computer with Windows installed, learned C#, and was starting a legal software company when I got the paid internship. I decided to take the internship, because spending three months programming Ruby/Padrino/MongoDB with good programmers and learning from them would be very educational. I can always start my own startup later. eDiscovery is going to make someone tons of money.

You made the right call. Having that experience under your belt will serve you very well.

It's an interesting field in its own right, and is becoming increasingly competitive and sophisticated (full disclosure : I work in it).

Thanks for sharing your story. I liked the part where you say "In fact, when my boss came into my office to fire me, I was installing python onto my work computer." That was funny, and yet at the same time reflects the difference between those who use idle time to learn something, or just drink coffee and chat. Good luck going forward!

At betahouse (Cambridge coworking loft from 2007-2010) there were at least 3-4 people who were lawyers turned technologists/hackers/programmers/etc. Everyone said they were significantly happier working in software than they were in law. These days, they are probably making more money in software too :)

>These days, they are probably making more money in software too :)

Really? Doesn't biglaw pay 170k starting salaries?

No, only for those with proper creds - top school, top of the class, etc.

Yea, that's like saying Google pays $1M/yr. I'm sure they do to some people, but that's only after a key player has been headhunted by Facebook or something.

At least one of the betahouse guys did a JD/Phd at Harvard and passed the bar in NY and MA, but still by all accounts seems to indicate that he's significantly happier programming than lawyering.

I don't think its about the money, but rather the environment, lifestyle, and culture. Being a freelance software dev in Cambridge isn't a bad gig as long as you've got stable incoming projects.

I agree happier, but you said more money. So that's false. Still, I appreciate you chiming in.

BTW - many law firms pay $170k+ to t14 grads - not just top of the class - so comparing it to Google $1mm/yr salaries is a false analogy.

:) Precise thinking leads to precise writing. Reading wrong information leads to imprecise thinking.

Great story! I actually went in the other direction but as a career changer it's always nice to hear about people uprooted themselves to do something that made them happier.

If I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a thing. It makes life more interesting to be able to read law.com and the Volokh Conspiracy and know what they're talking about, even if I don't practice anymore.

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