cwdegidio (u/cwdegidio)

cwdegidio commented on U.S. Executive Order Establishing a National Design Studio whitehouse.gov/presidenti... · Posted by u/nevir

duxup · 3 months ago

As far as websites go, aren't there already standards for that?

cwdegidio · 3 months ago

There was 18F which was a group within US Digital Services. But as mentioned they got DOGEd. They managed the USWDS (US Web Design System), which was making great efforts to create a unified design and accessibility framework for government websites. I was working pretty closely on a contract project until, well, shakes hands wildly all this. They were great people, great designers and really cared about what they were doing.

As for enforcement of adhering to 508 and a11y compliance, US digital projects were guided by executive order M-23-22, "Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience", but from what I can tell that is kind of up in the air at this point... we are following it until someone tells us otherwise, but I don't think it is being enforced anymore with any passion because of the current confusion.

cwdegidio commented on Most Budget-Friendly Big City in America Is an Underrated Midwest Spot islands.com/1893594/cleve... · Posted by u/Bluestein

cwdegidio · 6 months ago

Just moved back to Cleveland after being in Houston for 20 years, grew up here and left for college. Don't regret the choice at all. For what I paid for my house, which is one of the nicest communities just out side of downtown, I got 2-3x the house I would have gotten in Houston. Enough room that my aging parent that I take care of pretty much has a massive apartment with their own entrance. I'm 15 minutes from downtown, but in Houston, the same house would have been about an hour outside of town.

Now I have multiple friends in Houston who have taken an interest in the area and keep visiting to check things out. Even with the winters, they are just over the 120 w/ 100% humidity summers.

Even the access to the outdoors is within 20 minutes of downtown.

Cleveland has always taken a lot of sh#t over the years... but it really is a great place to live affordably.

cwdegidio commented on David Johansen, Who Fronted the New York Dolls and More, Dies at 75 nytimes.com/2025/03/01/ar... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

cwdegidio · 10 months ago

Sad to hear. Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain, and Johnny Thunders just oozed "cool" in the most New York way, I think only the Velvet Underground and Ramones are on the same level, but I'm probably super biased. Crossed paths with Sylvain many times opening for him when he would be out on the road and always loved sitting around in the green room listening to his stories about the Dolls. Definitely feeling my age today... but I guess we all do when we start seeing the artists we grew up with pass away.

cwdegidio commented on GSA Eliminates 18F nextgov.com/people/2025/0... · Posted by u/patcon

cwdegidio · 10 months ago

I've worked closely with 18F staff. They are/were some of the most dedicated folks I've ever had the pleasure to work beside. Based on my interactions, they were very dedicated to web standards that made the web open and easy for all people to use. Some of the best a11y researchers & advisors who had real empathy and compassion. Anyone who picks these folks up for their org is going to be the real winner here.

cwdegidio commented on The EdTech Revolution Has Failed afterbabel.com/p/the-edte... · Posted by u/obscurette

el_benhameen · a year ago

Also tangential, but do you feel like you’ve gotten your money’s worth out of the WGU program? I have also been employed as degree-less an engineer for a long time (I have a BA in an unrelated subject), and I’ve occasionally thought about going back to get a BS or a masters in comp sci. Partially for the signaling aspect, and partially to fill in any knowledge gaps that I’m unaware of. WGU’s pacing and pricing sound great. I’ve also heard that it can sometimes be a questionable resume signal. Any thoughts?

cwdegidio · a year ago

Not OP, but I think it was worth it. Within a year of getting my BSCS, I added almost 25% to my salary. It gave me the leverage I needed to push for more. For someone coming into it with no experience I can’t say how well it will play out, but for a degreeless developer, I think it just checks that one box and helps.

cwdegidio commented on The EdTech Revolution Has Failed afterbabel.com/p/the-edte... · Posted by u/obscurette

tombert · a year ago

A bit tangential but related.

I dropped out of college in 2012 and was one of the very lucky few who managed to find software engineering work almost immediately [1].

I had a bit of a complex about not having a degree, and a few times I tried going back only to drop out again because I would get bored; by the time I had gone back, I already knew enough stuff to be qualified as an engineer, and as such I didn't feel like I was getting a lot out of school and I would paradoxically do pretty poorly because I was half-assing everything.

It wasn't until I found out about WGU in 2021 where I actually decided to finish my degree, primarily because WGU lets me work at my pace. Since I already knew a lot about computer science, I was able to speed through the classes that would have been very boring to me, and I finished my degree really quickly as a result. I don't feel like my education is appreciably worse than people who did things in a traditional brick and mortar school, but I'm not 100% sure if I'm a test for this.

It made me realize that, at least for people like me, EdTech can be extremely powerful stuff. School can be a lot more engaging when it's personalized, instead of the frustrating "one size fits all" of traditional lecturing.

[1] I say "lucky" because I think it was exactly that: luck. Yeah I learned this stuff on my own for fun but finding an employer who was willing to hire someone without credentials was never guaranteed and I feel extremely fortunate to have accidentally timed my dropout about perfectly.

EDIT: For those confused, WGU means "Western Governors University" in this case.

cwdegidio · a year ago

WGU BSCS grad here as well. Regular brick & mortar schools never worked for me, but WGU clicked and let me finally get my degree. Now I’m working on my MSCS with CU Boulder, which although being managed via Coursera has the same feel overall as WGU. In some ways I can see how some think EdTech failed… but I do think there are players in the space that are doing good things

cwdegidio commented on Ask HN: What do you think are the fundamental skills for software engineers? · Posted by u/rspivak

cwdegidio · a year ago

Soft skills should be much higher on the list. Software engineers, depending on the org, will be asked to interact with a lot of non-engineering, non-technical types that are in a position to make decisions. If you can't explain a problem or proposed solution in a way that they can understand, things are going to be harder than they need to be. Sometimes you'll need to extract requirements from these individuals for a feature because BAs and PMs are coming up short in getting the right details. Learning how to talk with people through their idea and not make them feel stupid but instead make them feel like they are a partner goes a long way.

cwdegidio commented on Ask HN: Is am online Master's equal to a regular one? · Posted by u/NYUTandonScam

alan-hn · a year ago

Why does it bother you? If its the same content and the same evaluation as in person why does it matter

cwdegidio · a year ago

Gatekeeping... some folks just need a gate to feel superior.

cwdegidio commented on Ask HN: Is am online Master's equal to a regular one? · Posted by u/NYUTandonScam

cwdegidio · a year ago

Didn't you post almost this exact same gripe the other day? News flash... the world is online right now. I got my BSCS online, doing my MSCS online... neither say they are "online" and the sun still rises every morning. If others getting their online Masters is ruining your day, you may want to recalibrate.

cwdegidio commented on Finding New Pastures: Big Nerd Ranch's Next Chapter bignerdranch.com/blog/fin... · Posted by u/zdw

soferio · 2 years ago

Sad to see them gone. Are there any Swift/Swift UI 1–5 day Bootcamps anywhere in the world that can be recommended?

cwdegidio · 2 years ago

I don't know anyone doing good 1-5 day bootcamps, but I did recently do the multi-week live Kodeco (formerly Ray Wenderlich) iOS / SwiftUI bootcamp and really enjoyed it. I believe they also now offer an at-your-own-pace version as well.