IT/Software career thread: Invert binary trees for dollars.
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Aldarion
Egg Nazi
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Umm, you have to hit the space bar 4 or 5 times to make a useful (visually obvious) indent. You only have to hit the tab once. How is that not an advantage?
This is probably my biggest gripe about python. No coding language should ever interpret whitespace as meaning anything other than "not a character". Fuck Python right in its inflexible ass. (I'm looking at you too, BASH) (Yes, Perl is wonderful)
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You hit tab and the editor inserts 4 space for you. Again, with the right editor, which isn't hard to get, Python's whitespace issues go away. And it's mostly for indentation to replace curly brace functionality in other languages. Are you writing functions or loops in C without indenting them? Well formatted Python will look very similar to other well formatted languages, you'll just have a colon instead of curly braces.
Perl, on the other hand, will always be ugly and a pain in the ass to read.
Perl, on the other hand, will always be ugly and a pain in the ass to read.
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Aldarion
Egg Nazi
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Ahh I didnt understand that detail. Well, in that case I have no objection. (Who gives a shit about compiled file sizes)
Although, not a relevant fix for me b/c you can pry nano out of my cold dead hands
(And youre wrong; Python is ugly and unreadable. Worse, it is always ugly and unreadable because its so inflexible. Perl can be beautiful. My Perl is beautiful, because Perl is the language for people who love freedom and that includes the freedom to make beautiful code. Python enforces one standard of ugly on everyone)
Although, not a relevant fix for me b/c you can pry nano out of my cold dead hands
(And youre wrong; Python is ugly and unreadable. Worse, it is always ugly and unreadable because its so inflexible. Perl can be beautiful. My Perl is beautiful, because Perl is the language for people who love freedom and that includes the freedom to make beautiful code. Python enforces one standard of ugly on everyone)
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Odd, I've always love the verbosity of Python. I love some of things you can accomplish with generators and comprehensions. They're complex but easy to read because the code reads very close to an English sentence left to right.
Coming from someone who never really "understood" bash(I was probably too young) and did my first serious scripting in Perl, using Python was eye opening. My main gripe with Perl is that it relies on too many symbols. Makes it hard to grok the code.
Coming from someone who never really "understood" bash(I was probably too young) and did my first serious scripting in Perl, using Python was eye opening. My main gripe with Perl is that it relies on too many symbols. Makes it hard to grok the code.
LulzSect
Well-Known Memer
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So I'm enjoying the Sys Admin gig I recently acquired and a dream company (albeit a more difficult/challenging role) follows up again to set up an interview for Network Admin.
Guess I'm prematurely venting, but I don't even feel qualified after reading their posting again TBH. I suppose I'm worried (thinking too far ahead maybe) about "what if" I fail there if/after making the jump, etc.
So yeah, I'm feeling intimidated.
Guess I'm prematurely venting, but I don't even feel qualified after reading their posting again TBH. I suppose I'm worried (thinking too far ahead maybe) about "what if" I fail there if/after making the jump, etc.
So yeah, I'm feeling intimidated.
Xarpolis
Life's a Dream
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So... I've never had a job in computers. Yes, they are present in virtually every job, but never "in" them, if that makes sense.
I'm now contemplating a new career, and I have no idea where to even start. What is a strong launch point to focus on? I really enjoy doing everything on computers, so this might be something that is good for me. But maybe it wouldn't. Any suggestions would be helpful so I can read all about it.
Thanks.
I'm now contemplating a new career, and I have no idea where to even start. What is a strong launch point to focus on? I really enjoy doing everything on computers, so this might be something that is good for me. But maybe it wouldn't. Any suggestions would be helpful so I can read all about it.
Thanks.
Noodleface
A Mod Real Quick
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chaos
Buzzfeed Editor
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Sorry I have a shit memory these days, but aren't you the dude who was running a metal shop? Practically screams program/project mgmt or some kind of process related shit like ITSM. If you're dead set on being a nerd and working hands on then find something you like and gravitate towards that, otherwise there is a huge opportunity for you in management, sales, or process shit.
Dr Neir
Trakanon Raider
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I ran into IT, stayed for awhile and then ran out into another loose sector of it (IT). Reminded me too much of retail-ish thing where you deal with the ass end of ppl without having a medical doctorate. I learned I just dont like the service industry, now its a much more limited contact with ppl or almost none at all.
Teamlead asks about once every two weeks how things are going and the rest of the time I do RnD.
Standard IT monkey has its ups and downs, too large a company and your one of many on the ticket treadmill trying to keep up numbers while watching others flake on you without getting in trouble, too small and you're always at the office pulling 50/60 week as salary with the bosses coming to you for their monthly buzzword checklist on why you cant we do X thing and then quickly shut them up when you respond it will cost $$$$ to implement. lol
Gov jobs (CIV/CTR) I think still require Sec+ and Win 10 configuring cert, depends on location/installation for Army/DOD. Not sure on the other services like FBI, Sec Service, Postal, etc. Just have a clean record and be honest.
iase
Private sector small/large companies like hospitals, state jobs, HP, IBM, Mom/Pop, etc. They are random I find. Exp is king. If you can find a small company to get your foot in the door and grunt it out for 1-3 years that will help.
If you can do any internships free or paid that will help with the EXP. HR will look at time served and not hours, meaning you could work at a company 1-2 days a week (6-16hr) for a year and they assume you worked full time (40) for the whole time you were employed by them. Non-for profits are great for this. They generally dont pay their employees much and will take the extra help.
If ya lucky you might get in a gov CTR job at which case Vinen will inform you they are taking your SOUL and you at DOOMED.
You said you werent into coding but here is a neat site to help play around some. It has many free courses.
Codeschool
There is still a small big upswing into the hacking/security world. I almost went in that direction but that is another option. This would be more in the CISSP/CASP cert world. I watch those guys and my impression its all reading policy and very little doing. I see it as boring but others like it.
Teamlead asks about once every two weeks how things are going and the rest of the time I do RnD.
Standard IT monkey has its ups and downs, too large a company and your one of many on the ticket treadmill trying to keep up numbers while watching others flake on you without getting in trouble, too small and you're always at the office pulling 50/60 week as salary with the bosses coming to you for their monthly buzzword checklist on why you cant we do X thing and then quickly shut them up when you respond it will cost $$$$ to implement. lol
Gov jobs (CIV/CTR) I think still require Sec+ and Win 10 configuring cert, depends on location/installation for Army/DOD. Not sure on the other services like FBI, Sec Service, Postal, etc. Just have a clean record and be honest.
iase
Private sector small/large companies like hospitals, state jobs, HP, IBM, Mom/Pop, etc. They are random I find. Exp is king. If you can find a small company to get your foot in the door and grunt it out for 1-3 years that will help.
If you can do any internships free or paid that will help with the EXP. HR will look at time served and not hours, meaning you could work at a company 1-2 days a week (6-16hr) for a year and they assume you worked full time (40) for the whole time you were employed by them. Non-for profits are great for this. They generally dont pay their employees much and will take the extra help.
If ya lucky you might get in a gov CTR job at which case Vinen will inform you they are taking your SOUL and you at DOOMED.
You said you werent into coding but here is a neat site to help play around some. It has many free courses.
Codeschool
There is still a small big upswing into the hacking/security world. I almost went in that direction but that is another option. This would be more in the CISSP/CASP cert world. I watch those guys and my impression its all reading policy and very little doing. I see it as boring but others like it.
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Xarpolis
Life's a Dream
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My biggest issue is family. My wife has a good job, and I actually want to have time for my daughter (and Son who is due in August). Working somewhere 10+ hours a day would greatly impede my ability to be there for the family. Not to mention, I would be unhappy. Hell, maybe I can try something in tourism that relies on tips.
chaos
Buzzfeed Editor
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Personally, I don't work hours I'm not being paid for. Some people pride themselves on doing 60+ hour weeks on salary and shit. Not I. Not that I don't believe in working hard, maybe I've just been in DoD contracting too long, but to me that is the basic agreement. I work, you bill, you pay me.
You say you really enjoy computers, but what exactly? Building them? Troubleshooting problems? Helping others? There are good opportunities in user training as well, and that would be very people-focused.
What immediately comes to mind when I think people focused and breaking into IT is service desk/help desk work. That can be both good and bad. You can learn a lot and generally the more motivated you are the more success you will have, and you can branch from there to any number of other positions, and you get to see them in action as well. On the down side, it is super metrics-based, you're turning tickets like waiters turn tables, and you have to deal with some stupid/shitty people sometimes. Low bar of entry to that kind of position as well.
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Mist
REEEEeyore
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Whatever you do, don't go to work for a company selling 'managed services' to 1000+ large corporate customers without documenting any of their systems. That's my core take-away from this job.
Also, ask what room you're going to work in, and if it smells like moldy pee and rotting takeout, walk the fuck out.
Also, ask what room you're going to work in, and if it smells like moldy pee and rotting takeout, walk the fuck out.
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Noodleface
A Mod Real Quick
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Battered woman syndrome or some shit
I too only work the 40 hours a week. The dudes that worked 80 hours a week and sent out emails at 230 AM are not doing themselves any favors. Although I work a 9/80 schedule so on the higher end of daily hours
I too only work the 40 hours a week. The dudes that worked 80 hours a week and sent out emails at 230 AM are not doing themselves any favors. Although I work a 9/80 schedule so on the higher end of daily hours
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At the same time, people that work specifically 40 hours a week and no more can be annoying. One of the guys I manage works 8 - 4 and never anything else. Can't schedule a meeting outside those hours, which is admittedly rare. If he has an appointment during the day, he takes vacation/sick time(instead of making the hours up later) and then complains about not having any left near the end of the year.
He complains about no one trusts him to do important stuff, so I threw him a couple freebies that should have taken a half a day, tops. It's been weeks and I'm still holding his hand through some very basic programming concepts like opening a process. I was hoping he realized the opportunity and put a few more hours in and banged it out quickly.
I guess what I'm saying is be smart and realize when putting in some extra hours would be worth it even if you aren't being paid. But also don't make it a regular thing, exploiting salaried workers is definitely a problem in this industry.
He complains about no one trusts him to do important stuff, so I threw him a couple freebies that should have taken a half a day, tops. It's been weeks and I'm still holding his hand through some very basic programming concepts like opening a process. I was hoping he realized the opportunity and put a few more hours in and banged it out quickly.
I guess what I'm saying is be smart and realize when putting in some extra hours would be worth it even if you aren't being paid. But also don't make it a regular thing, exploiting salaried workers is definitely a problem in this industry.