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antninja commented on Ask HN: which jobs are accessible to very introverted devs?    · Posted by u/antninja
mathattack · 12 years ago
Why focus on agencies which put a premium on extroversion?

Most technical companies worth their salt are happy to have introverted developers doing the hard coding behind the scenes. In general you'll be better off at a software firm that markets to consumers, since there is less direct client interaction. (It's not that you won't be good at client interaction, it's that you have to convince someone)

Because of this, a place like Google or Facebook would be better than SAP or Oracle.

antninja · 12 years ago
Most of the job offers in Paris seem to come from agencies (for junior developers). I used to avoid sending resumes to agencies but now I'm trying to be less selective.
antninja commented on Ask HN: which jobs are accessible to very introverted devs?    · Posted by u/antninja
antitrust · 12 years ago
> I am told that my technical competence is undeniable but I'm way too introverted to be hired

My sympathy, because I can imagine this must be puzzling.

From experience, my analysis tree would go like this:

1. Is this a euphemism or excuse? Euphemisms can be used to cover up other meanings like "you look like a serial killer" or "bathe more." You might want to pursue those angles. Excuses can cover things like you wanting too much money, or being too strong in your opinions or knowledge. (Remember, the machine wants cogs, not governors.)

2. If you think it's actually what they mean, I'd look at the word as they're going to use it, which means "socially withdrawn" and not its actual meaning. Then I'd check these:

(a) Does my appearance scream "socialization difficulty"? Did I wear a monk's habit to the job interview, or talk about 1980s classic videogames too much?

(b) Does my behavior scream "socialization difficulty"? If so, I'd approach this as you would any other technical problem. Find some "normals" to observe and pretend you're James Bond, super spy, and imitate them. You must infiltrate the hive and shut off the reactor.

3. If none of the above are checked: something else is making them nervous. Talk to a recruiter, psychologist or other and have them observe you. Also, make sure no parts of your life or resume scream "serial killer" or "probably molests goats."

4. If that's not the case, think about where you're applying. The machine loves cogs -- I said that already -- but sometimes, silly people in charge of silly companies want cheerful happy cheerleader types who will socialize a lot, get really excited over foosball, etc. They like these because they're tractable and easily manipulated. These silly companies tend to be tech sweatshops that assess you based on the amount of code you grind, not how good it is. Do you want to work there anyway? If you do, you're going to have to play Halloween dress-up and imitate what they want.

I will never support bias against introverted people just so that there can be the illusion (sorry, I mean "appearance") of a happy enthusiastic go-get-'em workplace. That's just silly. But if your appearance or behavior makes other people nervous, and they're not nitwits, you might consider adopting a little bit of a charade so you can work with these people.

antninja · 12 years ago
I look good but I speak too softly and I don't know how to improvise in conversations. So for a one-to-one technical conversation I have no problem but for casual chats within a group, I just listen and get nervous if the attention is on me. It's due to a lack of experience in talking (and being talked to) combined to perfectionism. The problem is that I need a job soon, not after several years of trying to gain this experience.

I chose to learn programming thinking the job would just be me and a computer, referring to one boss, but there seems to be more meetings and customer interactions than I hoped. Other commenters said that more quiet programming jobs exist so I'll keep sending my resume to companies who build their own softwares instead of agencies. I'm just a bit despaired that no one wants to let me work.

In a more long-term way, I'm trying to create my own business (disrupt Facebook!). If I can't be the employee, I must become the employer.

antninja commented on Feds tell web firms to turn over user passwords   m.cnet.com/news/feds-tell... · Posted by u/antman
adamnemecek · 12 years ago
> don't want to have to ask access to companies

I mean, isn't the article about the gov't asking the companies for user passwords? How is asking for direct db access any different than this?

antninja · 12 years ago
Say they ask Amazon for your password, if you reuse the same password elsewhere like 99% of people, then they can access all your other accounts without any permission to ask. In this scheme, only one 'traitor' company compromises all others. People should really use unique passwords.
antninja commented on Google+ spamming people every 2 weeks to put up a profile photo   levels.io/google-plus-spa... · Posted by u/pieterhg
znowi · 12 years ago
What if you upload a blank image? Will they recognize it's not a person and keep bugging you anyway? :)
antninja · 12 years ago
Nope. I have a monochrome image. I don't receive any notification.
antninja commented on David Cameron cracks down on online pornography   guardian.co.uk/technology... · Posted by u/mariorz
conroy · 12 years ago
> Every household in Britain connected to the internet will be obliged to declare whether they want to maintain access to online pornography

These declarations will only be used to shame public figures once the list is leaked.

> The possession of "extreme pornography", which includes scenes of simulated rape, is to be outlawed.

Video footage of two consenting adults, acting out a scene, will be illegal to own. With this on the books, it seems a short hop to outlaw videos of simulated murder.

> The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) is to draw up a blacklist of "abhorrent" internet search terms to identify and prevent paedophiles searching for illegal material.

A single search can now land you on a government list of accused pedophiles.

Yikes.

antninja · 12 years ago
> These declarations will only be used to shame public figures once the list is leaked.

LOL. On my Twitter account I have a public list for porn. It used to be a private list but most of those girls are pretty cool so there's no reason to be ashamed.

I'm not a public figure of course but I think this shame toward sexuality is a generational thing. It's only taboo for older people.

antninja commented on Apple Acquires Nigerian Tech Entrepreneur's Startup HopStop   cp-africa.com/2013/07/20/... · Posted by u/jkuria
OoTheNigerian · 12 years ago
This is a very news worthy story irrespective of the founder's origin. The founder being Nigerian makes it much more newsworthy. We all know what Nigeria's reputation is like on this thread.

Irrespective of what people would want to agree with, there is pattern matching going on. It is not exclusive to this thread or HN. See other blogs and the absence of comments. If it was a randon former Stanford grad and ex-Facebook employeee, he would have been a toast of the US tech world and definitely the HN thread. If it were a post about deciphering the motivation or techniques of scammers, everyone will have an opinion.

This is not the first time I am seeing this here and on the tech circuit. When a Nigeria company BASED in Nigeria raised $8 million, the tech newswire and HN was quiet. Do any of you remember this story? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3810466

It is nobody's fault or responsibility so I cannot or will not apportion blame. It is just how things are. It is only a reminder.

I am proud of Chinedu not only because he we attended the same High School with me, but that he surmounted the odds and has had a massive successful and useful exit. Hopefully, he will serve as an inspiration and motivate more Nigerians/ Africans to tackle problems on a gbobal scale.

PS: I actually mentioned him 3 years ago when I wrote about the dearth of black founders of globally renowned startups. http://oonwoye.com/2010/04/05/black-founders/

antninja · 12 years ago
We don't hear a lot about non-American startups in general. Or even those outside SF and maybe NY. It's the ecosystem effect.
antninja commented on Hyperloop: riding sound’s density peak to exploit the drag equation?   charlesalexander2013.word... · Posted by u/cma
antninja · 12 years ago
Someone should build a prototype of such a tube and see if it's efficient. The mystery around Hyperloop generates a lot of ideas that should be tested. Railroad infrastructures are ageing, maybe some tuberoads can replace them.
antninja commented on SkyDrive in Windows 8.1: Cloud storage the way it’s meant to be   arstechnica.com/informati... · Posted by u/boduh
antninja · 12 years ago
They will delete your account if you upload pornographic images. Since your data is private, the only possble reason for this policy is to make the job of spies more comfortable. The way it's meant to be.
antninja commented on Revising MailChimp's logo   jessicahische.is/monkeyin... · Posted by u/darkchyld
antninja · 12 years ago
Instagram had a similar redesign recently.

http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/hand_bea...

I recommend subscribing to the Brand New blog if you're interested in logo redesigns. (They got the news about MailChimp weeks ago.)

u/antninja

KarmaCake day219November 25, 2011View Original