AskHN Digest

1. Ask HN: I've realized I'm a bad software engineer and I'm over 30, what's next?

Top comment by epm7384

I'd argue differently. Congrats for having the courage to recognize your problem.

The analogy that comes to mind is I've been playing basketball in my local town, and now I've gotten promoted to play in the big city. I now feel like a small fish in a big pond.

If you enjoy software engineering, I'd say, double down. Now that you're at the medium software company, seek mentorship and coaching from others.

In addition, there might be more homework (hitting the gym sort of), things you also have to do on your own.

It isn't going to feel good being humbled and I've been there myself. But if you think about the goal as "learning to get better" than "prove to others I am better", you'll have a better time walking through this challenge. This all comes from a person who is a PM.

So some tactical thoughts of possible advice: 1. Face the issues head on -> take all the negative feedback on the code and rework the medium complexity task 2. Learn to unlearn bad habits. Yes, it's harder, but it comes with practice. 3. Commit to maybe taking a course work online (maybe seek advice from others on what are good ones to address weaknesses you have)

Hope this helps.

BTW, you don't need to be able to code things the right way to be a PM. Coding is only one specific skill and not always necessary for a PM.

2. Ask HN: Where do you find potential customers to validate your idea / MVP?

Top comment by bbulkow

I have a system for this.

You have two problems, not one. You need to get useful feedback out of 100pct of people, and you might need more people.

To get useful feedback, distill your potential value proposition to one sentence. If you have multiple ways of saying it, make a couple. But one sentence only and write it down.

When you have someone from the correct category (target market) on the phone, yes, you need a phone or video call, emit the potential value proposition sentence exactly as you have written it, not a word different.

Do not do any extra run up other than hi, how much time do you have, pleased to meet you...

Then, shut up. This is called 'the golden silence' in sales. and write down exactly the first thing they say.

The first thing they say is the truth, and you need to listen to it.

after that, you can try to dive in, and they might say they didn't understand at first, but the reality is people like to please people, and all that subsequent talk is secondary. The first reaction is what you bank on.

When you are going to market, you will put ad money, web site visits, whatever, into a single sentence, and it must resonate. Period. And it must resonate with your target market - you did remember to define your target market and potentially do a value proposition for each. There are a lot of target markets who don't buy the product (investors, influencers), but usually you do that only after you believe you have a thesis and resonating message.

3. Ask HN: Best low-/no-code solution for simple web-based database frontends

Top comment by arey_abhishek

I'm a founder of Appsmith that has already been mentioned here. It's an open source project to help you build CRUD UI on top on any database(MySQL, Postgres included) or API. We give UI components to create forms, charts, tables, etc.

GitHub link: https://github.com/appsmithorg/appsmith

4. Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (April 2021)

Top comment by parbhat

SEEKING FREELANCER | Remote Inning | Python/Django Developer | Full Stack Developer (Django + React/Vue) | Remote (India) | Full-time or Part-time | https://www.remoteinning.com

Remote Inning is looking for Django Web Developer. We are looking for developers with qualities like consistency, reliability, working independently and communication skills especially written skills apart from tech skills.

As we are a remote-first company, you can work from a place of your choice. The position is open to candidates based in India only. Full-time salary is 15-25 LPA and hourly rate is $20-$25.

Why work for us?

- International projects

- Great pay

- Write blog posts for the company blog

Job description: Worked on complex Django projects and React/Vue experience is a plus. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o7YRPQAwJIX3mQ92JNzAzdmXdtX...

Email us at hello@remoteinning.com with Resume. Mention your development experience, motivation for applying to us and links to relevant projects.

5. Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?

Top comment by Vinceo

Found out it was psychosomatic. My belief that my pain was caused by structutal damage reinforced the pain. The cause of the pain seemed to rather be a combination of stress, fear, and supressed emotions. When I started working on these areas the pain resolved. It comes back now and then but now I know it's my mind messing with me so I just resolve what's stressing me at the moment and just keep using my hands and then it goes away. I dealt with this shit for years and it severely restricted my life so it's kind of a miracle to be rid of it.

I recommend reading "healing back pain" by Sarno which talks about this phenomena. The book is mainly about back pain but it applies to all kinds of psychosomatic pain. There's also a free forum with free guides and support from others who have dealt with the same: https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/

In particular the success subforum is very inspirational as it contains posts from peoole who have resolved all kinds of pain syndroms that they originally thought were caused by structural injuries (including rsi).

I feel like a shill writing this and I remember I thought people talking about this theory back in the day were paid shills. But I promised myself after I got rid of this huge burden due to the psychosomatic approach I would let people know about it no matter how many downvotes I get.

6. Ask HN: Best Source for Desktop Backgrounds

Top comment by lazyweb

Maybe somewhat nostalgic, but I remember cycling through many artworks by digitalblasphemy [1] during the early-mid 2000s. Honestly surprised to see there's still new content!

[1] https://digitalblasphemy.com/

7. Ask HN: What are the best data science bootcamps?

Top comment by fantod

Obvious bias, but myself and a number of people I know have obtained great value from the Insight Fellows Program [1]. From what I can tell, nothing else really comes close.

For their Data Science program, I believe a PhD is still a requirement, but it seems you have one. The bigger caveat is that it's not really a "bootcamp" per se, in that there are no real lessons or assignments. Applicants to the program are expected to be nearly ready for entry into the job market already. The program is rather for developing soft skills and networking. Although the program centers around a project, the project is really more of a conversation piece for interviews.

Pre-COVID, this program was free, which was one of the best things about it. Now I believe there is an ISA instead.

[1] https://insightfellows.com/

8. Ask HN: How can I stay gainfully employed when I just want to “coast” as a SWE?

Top comment by phendrenad2

I've been noticing this too. Everyone wants to hire an ambitious go-getter who aspires to become Top Hotdog Ultra Tech Lead or CEO someday. I just want to make the websites go until I retire. I'm not looking to become a millionaire or retire early. I look over at my friends who became Mechanical Engineers. They have better lives. They have time for their families. They generally work 9-5 like Mad Men. I wonder what went wrong in our industry where that isn't possible.

I think the solution is to give in and become the monster. Become hyper-ambitious like everyone else and try to become CTO of a midsize startup by the time you're 40 or whatever. Or "drop out" and retrain as a mechanical engineer.

9. Ask HN: Does anyone actually use the Pomodoro technique?

Top comment by Communitivity

I have a friend with ADD worse than mine. The technique is a godsend to them and they credit it with getting many projects done. I think this is in part due to needing to think through the problem and break it into smaller pomodoro sized chunks. I suspect the exercise of breaking the problem into smaller chunks also helps them understand the problem better.

I only use the technique some of the time. I find the same results as above when I do. When I use the technique I don't use a sound alarm as I find it breaks my flow. Instead I tend try to break work into 20m bites, giving myself a 5-10 minute grace period/break. I try to get up and stretch at the 25m mark, then get back to work. It helps my focus on long slogs, and my health has also improved since I am no longer doing the 4-6h without moving from my chair anymore.

10. Ask HN: Which book/essay changed your life?

Top comment by zeroego

C.S. Lewis - A Grief Observed

"Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything."

I lost someone very close to me in my early 20s. Reading through the grief C.S. Lewis went through after he lost his wife was very cathartic. There will be setbacks (death, sickness, divorce, etc.) in life that will violently shake your core and make you feel as though you cannot go on. What I learned was communing with the grief, staring it straight in the face no matter how painful, is an absolute necessity. You will always carry the loss with you, but that does not mean your life has to be dominated by it.

I think his book really help me put "life" into perspective. Setbacks big or small can be overcome, and exploring the grief caused by them really helps with the process of moving past them, despite how painful it may be.