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Ask HN: Advice on settling down as web dev or grow to get hired by Facebook

2 points by swiftydev ↗ HN
I'm college junior who is really good as as web dev and mobile dev, I can have fun in these last two semester and get well paying job as web dev in enterprise or startups. Should I do that or master data structures, algorithms (I'm weak at those), github building and oss contribution and try to get job at Facebook?

10 comments

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wallflower
Unless you are truly an exception, it is unlikely you are as really good at web dev or mobile dev as you claim. It is hard to be good at something unless you truly love the frustrations and joy of it. The only way to calibrate your true level of knowledge is easy: have you participated in the community and given technical talks that have been received with some level of success? If not, it is possible you have a naive sense of your abilities.
swiftydev
What I mean by really good web dev is that I can program stuffs assigned to me faster and better than senior developers in this big IT company and can work at being better at it. I am asking on directions on whether I should keep focus at web dev or branch out to data structures and algorithms.
pestaa
I'm sure as hell as a manager at a big IT company I would not want the fastest delivery but a rock solid one with deep understanding from the developers behind it.

Your tone is very agressive; you need a serious record of work and credibility to make statements like yours.

There are data structures and algorithms in web development too, so it wouldn't really be branching out anyway.

swiftydev
What I meant was that, in general all the stuff being done in big IT company for web dev is making UI to get data into database through multiple layers and presentation that data back in many form exposing through services, APIs and consuming it and I'm really good at it. Data structures and algorithms used are fairly basic or implemented itself in the mature frameworks used.
wallflower
Ok, thanks for the clarification. Take this advice with some healthy skepticism: the one action that will benefit you most in life is to become part of a community, to be part of something bigger than yourself. I was once quite like you - a real efficient developer who could "outcode" and "outlast" the weaker coders. Ultimately, however it felt empty. Developing relationships and friendships with people who care not what you do but share something is important. You are still young - travel the world outside University, endeavor to learn a skill that takes time to become better at. Do not make the mistake of assigning emotional value to how hard you work unless it is for something you own.

Good luck!

hakanderyal
You sound like a smart person, and using it to your advantage will benefit your career.

There is a cognitive bias in psychology called Dunning-Kruger effect[1], stating that individuals tend to rate their skills higher than their actual level, without realising they are doing so.

You may have the skills you claim you have, or you may not. The only objective way of showing that is to build stuff, and let other see your skills through your work, not try to tell them with your words. "Show, don't tell" is a very effective way to get others see your level.

And, with the technology continues to advance at a higher speed everyday, constant learning is pretty much a requirement to stay competitive for software developers.

Nobody can choose your path better than you, every individual is different, and your life is yours to live as you see fit.

A general advice would be to continue learning. Knowing the areas that you are weak, and admitting it is a great virtue. Study, learn, and use your newly acquired knowledge to build better stuff.

And build projects. Contribute to open source. Write a blog. Do some contract work to have a portfolio to show that you are good, and earn money along the way.

When you are applying for a job, having these under your belt to show to your prospective employer will get you far ahead of your peers.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

swiftydev
Whoah! I didn't realize this, may be it is so. I need to start building my portfolio. Is writing a blog recommended, even if I kinda of person who is not into sharing my feelings?
hakanderyal
Blogging is not for everyone, and certainly not a requirement. On the other hand, writing is a good medium to share knowledge, to get your name out there, to have a connection with other people.

You don't have to share your feelings either. Just open a Medium account, or self-host Ghost/Wordpress etc., and document things you've learned, problems you've encountered, interesting discoveries you made etc. In my experience, this contributes to the learning experience.

Good luck in your journey!

general_failure
Constant learning is bs. Its been really the same thing last 10 years. Nothing you cannot learn in a month.