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A comment on Ask HN: What non-technical skills make a senior dev and how to develop them?. Parent comment

Re:Ask HN: What non-technical skills make a senior dev and h... by CiPHPerCoder on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @09:51AM (#11909304)
> The point is to bring up something that can get you excited and animated.

Well, the only time you'll get that out of me is when I'm angry.

Most of my weekends involve:

* Reading research papers

* Reviewing other peoples' source code

* Reporting security vulnerabilities to open source projects (usually with a patch)

* Improving these projects: https://github.com/paragonie

I never have any time to watch movies, play video games, or engage in creative hobbies.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: What non-technical skills make a senior dev and h... by mercer on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @10:47AM (#11909642)
If I'd asked you that question, and this was your answer, I'd probably have asked you all about the papers you'd been reading, what kinds of issues you ran into reviewing other people's source code, and the what and why of the projects you were improving. I'm sure I'm not alone in that.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: What non-technical skills make a senior dev and h... by ScaryRacoon on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @10:22AM (#11909492)
That is fine. Talk about that. The point isn't to tell someone what is exciting, it is about making connections. Perhaps you read a research paper on a topic the other person has an interest in. Perhaps you contributed to a project they use in their spare time, or could use on a side project.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: What non-technical skills make a senior dev and h... by sotojuan on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @01:28PM (#11910687)
I'd argue a lot of people would find that a good answer. The worst they'll say is "cool, sounds interesting".

You've probably had some bad experiences, but you'd be surprised to know many people are not out there to get you for being different.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: What non-technical skills make a senior dev and h... by OliverJones on Friday June 17, 2016 @08:48AM (#11922283)
> I never have any time to ... engage in creative hobbies.

Hmmm. Sounds to me like your profession, your hobby, and your passion are all aligned. I hope you know how rare and wonderful that is!

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: What non-technical skills make a senior dev and h... by Feld0 on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @01:11PM (#11910564)
I empathize and find your weekend activities relatable. Answer a question about your weekends with that and you might just find someone else who spends their free time "being productive". :-)
[ Parent | on HN ]