TDD is overrated and overused, with no regard for the cost of developing/maintaining the test suite. You should join them -- you will probably learn something about building correct software, such as "automated regression testing is not the only way". Ironically, tonight I have fired up the RT I use for one subsystem because it needs work. ie, RT has its place, but the TDD crowd thinks every place is that place. btw, the idea that you would not join a group you like because they do not use TDD confirms what I have come to suspect from interviewing more than a few Rails folks: TDD is a bit of a cult, a tail now wagging the dog of how its adherents think about programming. TDD can be great, but it has its place, limits, and cost.
As a hirer I can tell you, if you can code in any language just create a cover letter and resume that proves you can code. Do not be intimidated by laundry list of acronyms you find in job listings, but acknowledge them and talk about your confidence in your ability to get up to speed. hth.
Here's the bug, equating size with effectiveness: "a bigger resume package. A package which shows off what kind of person I am."
You have, by the way, deftly identified the fix: shorter yet better. Twas Pascal who said, "I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time."
Take the time. Talk about your accomplishments clearly eschewing all buzzspeak. Make clear what you did. Too often I find myself reading resumes desperately panning for actual contributions.
Kudos for asking, and for your concern over letting a client down. The "varying success" comment suggests a problem, as does no more than "I built my own personal website" as a calling card. I would suggest offering to do things fixed price so you take the hit on the learning curve, but then the client still has the risk of you never delivering. I would say keep extending your own site with more and more amazing things until you do not have to ask this question. When you get there, your integrity manifested here will make you a great free-lancer.
Here's a tip everyone will understand: email rocks but transmits emotional tone like two cans and a string. As soon as you detect an edge, as painful as it is, take out the phone.
Yes, that is great product. I am eager to see what the research says on how it translates to conventional algebra, which I believe they have undertaken. Either way, still a great abstract learning activity.
Is this a message from God? :) I am just now resurrecting a nice interactive Algebra environment I sold as a desktop application back in the nineties. Google does not have "the beef" site (socialalgebra dot com) yet, but that's OK, I am still working on it. The promo site "stuck On Algebra" comes up on the google. (Yes the graphic design EMR team is on the way.)
The reason one does not see interactive software for advanced math is that it would have to, inter alia, (1) offer a WYSIWYG maths editor and (2) check intermediate steps entered by the student. Both a bit of work.
Gotta get back to work, those "work in progress" signs are fer real.
This is scary, an hour ago I tweeted "I love code challenges but sometimes I find myself dithering around on twitter instead of attacking them, like a horse refusing a jump."
Is this about coding? I know that once I hit "run" and something breaks my juices will start to flow, so I figure out some way to hit "run" even if I know the code is not ready. Josh's divide and conquer idea would help with this.
Sorry for the slow response, I just found the Threads index. :) If you have the nice work history, use it. If not, go with your strength. Most good employer devs were themselves doing Great Things when they were just out of the box and when reading resumes we are looking for that younger version of ourselves.
"Why not" rings very true and can be taken as encouragement to soldier on. Yes, it would have been great to have YC's backing, but at this point it's a bit of a lottery, isn't it? And if your project cannot succeed without YC, that is not a good sign. Once more into the breach.
It is a concern. It says to me the applicant is all about accelerating their personal income growth while the company is just a stepping stone. I know they will be looking for a new job the day they start. My feeling is, if I can milk them I will, so they need to be good. But our system takes time to master, so prolly not even gonna be an interview.
My honest reaction is that if all the above were true you would not have to post a Hail Mary inquiry like this on HN. I also find it odd that you simply did not name the biz school. Another problem is being 24. As for "I literally can do anything" -- well, I guess so could I when I was 24.
No offense intended. This is offered just FWIW as how one person read your inquiry. Felix on the Odd Couple quoted Robert Burns: "Oh would some power the gift give us, To see ourselves as others see us."
You are right, a game would be a tonne of code. Massive encouragement on the WebGL, btw, 3D made me feel like a kid again. Here is a project I have always wanted to do: given a wire-frame, simulate the resulting minimum soapfilm surface algorithmicaly. I believe that maximizes the fun/LOC ratio. You might look at Javelin, btw, a ClojureScript lib.
OMG, do not go back to school. As for "I have some things I can point to in my work experience [...] but not that much.", just put your spare time stuff in the cover letter (or under experience as "Personal project") and the employers you want will recognize a True Enthusiast(tm).
(mapcar 'funcall
(loop for x below 3
collecting
(lambda () (print x))))
producing:
3
3
3
(3 3 3 )
OK, it is the loop DSL that chooses to rebind the same variable over which I closed, but loop is in the standard so I'll blame lisp. The syntax really looks like a fresh binding. Shucks, this is almost a bug: the loop implementation was allowed to leak into the loop semantics.
All true, but there is something special about having NYC outside one's door. Astoria is a good option if money is an issue, but I would splurge on the rent and go for Manhattan. West Side was my roost for 30yrs, East Side far from the Lex is also cheaper way to go.