komponisto comments on Advice On Getting A Software Job - Less Wrong

22 Post author: alyssavance 09 July 2012 06:52PM

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Comment author: komponisto 12 July 2012 04:50:44AM *  2 points [-]

Thanks for the info. So it seems to be mostly a case of (c).

While it's unfortunate that your own specific situation doesn't seem to allow for much free time, it doesn't seem to undermine the general hypothesis that programming is about the best sort of "day job" a prospective independent researcher could hope to get. (Such a person would of course have to be careful about maximizing the use of their non-job hours, but that would be true in any case; the worry would be about jobs that had too many hours, or soaked up all of one's cognitive energy for the day.)

Comment author: maia 12 July 2012 01:20:19PM 1 point [-]

Maybe. There is the time when your code is compiling, for one. But then, my job isn't the most cognitively demanding software job- or even, I would guess, the average- so it might not be the most useful sample.

I have heard, however, that programmers can be quite successful working as part-time consultants. That might be a good avenue for you to look into.

Comment author: incariol 12 July 2012 08:45:44PM 1 point [-]

What about some kind of online employment like the one offered by e.g. oDesk? Some time ago I stumbled upon this recommendation that also gave a few tips on how to approach this kind of work.

I haven't yet found the time to try it out, but since I'm also in a similar situation (finishing a CS degree then planning to find a job that'll pay the bills and use my free time for personal projects) I treat it as one of the most promising alternatives...

Comment author: maia 12 July 2012 08:59:08PM 1 point [-]

Interesting tip, seems like it might work out well. That also looks like an interesting thread in general.