[racket] Math Guidance

On Sat, Nov 6, 2010 at 11:22 PM, wooks . <wookiz at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Of course there are exceptions but as an HTDP grad you are in a minority,
> most of your peers do not code nor think like you. Unless you are fortunate
> to work in an organisation where they do your best chance of being allowed
> to be a good programmer is either by working for yourself or working outside
> an IT department.

I think one can be a bit more nuanced. I've learned that not everyone
wants to excel at what they do. Some, probably most, are happy working
without being constantly challenged, and these people are essential
for any large organisation that just wants to get mgmt's ideas
implemented without any fuss. If you do want constant challenge and
variety I agree -- don't work in an IT dept. My best experiences have
been working in small companies. I would suggest looking at startups
that are hiring. In my experience they prioritize passion and
knowledge over qualifications.

It is also worth remembering that one can't know everything. If you
can find a way to contribute your skills to the group, while accepting
their deficiencies *and* abilities, you're probably going to do well.
In particular, domain knowledge is worth a lot, and this is usually
possessed by the people who have been in the org. the longest and
possibly have not updated their skills.

Finally, functional patterns are everywhere these days. For example,
MapReduce / Hadoop is all about functional programming, and this is a
big deal for just about any company with a sizable online presence.

N.