simplify's recent activity
-
Comment on Python in Excel: Combining the power of Python and the flexibility of Excel in ~comp
-
Comment on Python in Excel: Combining the power of Python and the flexibility of Excel in ~comp
simplify Link ParentThis isn’t really what I meant. I absolutely never meant that Excel should go away and home users and bookkeepers should switch to Pandas. I don’t think that assumption gives me any benefit of the...I would never recommend someone keep track of their budget in pandas
This isn’t really what I meant. I absolutely never meant that Excel should go away and home users and bookkeepers should switch to Pandas. I don’t think that assumption gives me any benefit of the doubt. I mean, c’mon.
-
Comment on Python in Excel: Combining the power of Python and the flexibility of Excel in ~comp
simplify Link ParentI guess my glib point was sort of the opposite of yours. I would just cut out Excel entirely and use Python and Pandas. It’s far more powerful. When I’m working with a dataframe in Pandas, I feel...I guess my glib point was sort of the opposite of yours. I would just cut out Excel entirely and use Python and Pandas. It’s far more powerful. When I’m working with a dataframe in Pandas, I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do. Excel, like Windows in general, makes me feel like there are constant unnecessary roadblocks in front of me to accomplish my goals, and I’m a former sysadmin. The GUI in Excel is a mess. In Pandas, often enough, complex functions are an easy one-liner. I do understand Excel’s place in the business environment, but any forward-thinking company who leans heavily on Excel should hire some developers and data people and really embrace Python and Pandas. It might initially be painful, but in the long run it’ll give them way more control.
-
Comment on Python in Excel: Combining the power of Python and the flexibility of Excel in ~comp
-
Comment on Wagner boss Prigozhin killed in plane crash in Russia in ~news
simplify LinkI can’t imagine Prigozhin was naive, so why did he stop the march on Moscow? He had to have known it would be the death of him. If he had made a run at Putin and failed, he was dead. But if he...I can’t imagine Prigozhin was naive, so why did he stop the march on Moscow? He had to have known it would be the death of him. If he had made a run at Putin and failed, he was dead. But if he succeeded, then he could take power. Quitting was always death.
-
Comment on In the United States, there is now only one new car model with an actual purchase price below $20,000 in ~transport
simplify Link ParentI’m sure your son’s cost is partially attributed to being young, but $800 a month is crazy. What does he drive? I pay $486/6 Months ($81 per month) on a brand new Subaru Forester, with a lot of...My son's new car full insurance: $800/month. Me with cheapo insurance: $50/month.
I’m sure your son’s cost is partially attributed to being young, but $800 a month is crazy. What does he drive? I pay $486/6 Months ($81 per month) on a brand new Subaru Forester, with a lot of upgraded insurance options and coverages maxed out. So really not terrible on a new car.
-
Comment on Career advice: Getting into data engineering or similar in ~life
simplify Link ParentThanks so much for the advice! All of what you mentioned is totally actionable and a nice roadmap to help me fill in gaps in my knowledge. Lately I've felt the pangs of imposter syndrome when...Thanks so much for the advice! All of what you mentioned is totally actionable and a nice roadmap to help me fill in gaps in my knowledge. Lately I've felt the pangs of imposter syndrome when thinking about applying for jobs, and even sometimes at my current job (though I can easily admit "I don't know, let's figure it out"). But the reality is, all my coworkers are constantly asking me questions and I'm consistently helpful, which is nice. When I think of my strengths, they all point to DevOps and Data Engineering. I like helping, I like orchestrating, I like keeping things in order. Hopefully I can find the right place to let my skills shine.
-
Comment on Career advice: Getting into data engineering or similar in ~life
simplify Link ParentJust wanted to say thanks again for the info and pep talk. I know I've got a lot of skills that would translate well to Data Engineering. I think it's a place I could really thrive. Everything's...Just wanted to say thanks again for the info and pep talk. I know I've got a lot of skills that would translate well to Data Engineering. I think it's a place I could really thrive.
Was more time to chill mate. Burnout is rife in technology at the moment. Everything ok?
Everything's great. I just have a demanding work life and a full social life, so... man, it really adds up! Right now I just need to find the time and headspace to actually start applying for jobs. It's tough!
-
Comment on Career advice: Getting into data engineering or similar in ~life
simplify Link ParentThanks for all of this! Is it required to have some level of knowledge in Terraform or CloudFormation before landing the job? I pick up on things quickly and those seem like systems that would be...Thanks for all of this!
Is it required to have some level of knowledge in Terraform or CloudFormation before landing the job? I pick up on things quickly and those seem like systems that would be much easier to learn when you have an actual use case. I suppose I could do a Udemy crash course just to put it on my resume. But if I’ve never worked professionally in it, the experience just seems a bit superficial.
What kind of positions should I be looking for with my skill set and level? As I said initially, often times when I search Data Engineering I get jobs with monster requirements. Not just academic, but 15 years in the field like you. People often say job postings are a wishlist, but this isn’t the difference between asking 5 years and having 3. Surely there’s a spot for someone like me who’s not entry level but not senior either.
Taking time off to search is not in the cards. But it’s also hard to find the time to self-study and do courses right now. I just have to work with what my life is. And that’s keeping this job while working on getting the next one.
With the current project I head up at work, there’s no real opportunity to take it further with reporting (beyond my current email logs and logging in the database) and modeling. We have other software that does that. This project is just ingesting client sales data, parsing and scrubbing it, and then sending it off to a third party for more action. I also grab response data from that third party, process and log that, to make sure the data we sent them processed correctly on their end. It’s a lot of fun and I wish I could do more with it. This is on my resume and it’s a project I would be leaning on heavily for getting a job in Data.
-
Career advice: Getting into data engineering or similar
Hey all. I'm looking for a little career advice. For the past 1.5 years I've been working as a full-stack web developer for a proprietary eCom framework. It's LAMP and pretty antiquated and not...
Hey all. I'm looking for a little career advice. For the past 1.5 years I've been working as a full-stack web developer for a proprietary eCom framework. It's LAMP and pretty antiquated and not very interesting. However, I have been able to work on a fun (for me) project parsing sales data with Python and Pandas. Before this job, I worked for myself for a good amount of time doing something creative outside of tech, and before that I was a Senior IT Consultant in a big market.
I'd really like to get out of web development. I don't really enjoy frontend work, and I don't really care about the web or eCom that much. I've been considering moving toward DevOps as I've got a lot of skills in that department, but I've also recently started thinking about Data Engineering. But when I look into jobs in that world, a lot of them require higher degrees in mathematics or science that I don't have. I've got a bevy of tech skills, I'm very into Linux, and I really enjoy working with data. I have some personal experience with Prometheus and Grafana, though nothing professional.
Ultimately, I'm not sure how I should be breaking into Data, or breaking out of web development. Maybe there's a career path I'm neglecting to look at, but would be perfect for. I would be looking for remote only jobs, as I live in a very small market that has very few tech jobs. I'd really love to work in Python. I'd like to learn Rust. I've read on here comments from users saying there are a ton of opportunities in this world, but I'm not quite sure how to frame myself on a resume to make me look like a good candidate. My education isn't in tech, but much of my work experience is. Maybe I'm just overthinking it all. Admittedly, I've been so exhausted from work and life recently that I haven't had the time to really start applying for anything.
Anyhow, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
14 votes -
Comment on What is a good website to buy legitimate MP3s? in ~music
simplify Link ParentIf I can recommend an artist for you and everyone else to checkout on Bandcamp, I’m absolutely in love with the latest album from Bayonne called Temporary Time. I listen to it daily. His previous...If I can recommend an artist for you and everyone else to checkout on Bandcamp, I’m absolutely in love with the latest album from Bayonne called Temporary Time. I listen to it daily. His previous record Drastic Measures is great, too.
-
Comment on What is a good website to buy legitimate MP3s? in ~music
simplify LinkYou can support many indie artists directly by buying through Bandcamp.You can support many indie artists directly by buying through Bandcamp.
-
Comment on I desperately want to enjoy turn-based games, but can never get into them. What can I do to change this? in ~games
simplify Link ParentI get what you’re saying and that makes total sense. I think your complaint with JRPG turn-based combat is a common one. For me, though, that turn-based grind can be almost meditative. When I’m...I get what you’re saying and that makes total sense. I think your complaint with JRPG turn-based combat is a common one. For me, though, that turn-based grind can be almost meditative. When I’m trying to level a character up so they can unlock some skill so I can go fight the next boss, there’s something calming about walking circles in a specific area to try to hit on the hardest enemies I’m capable of beating at that point in the game. That loop of animations and music you’re talking about is comfortable and relaxing. It’s part of the charm for me.
-
Comment on I desperately want to enjoy turn-based games, but can never get into them. What can I do to change this? in ~games
simplify LinkI love turn-based RPGs, especially games like Octopath Traveler because it reminds me of the RPGs I played in my youth like Chrono Trigger. What I specifically like about the turn-based combat...I love turn-based RPGs, especially games like Octopath Traveler because it reminds me of the RPGs I played in my youth like Chrono Trigger. What I specifically like about the turn-based combat aspect is that it allows you time to strategize. These kind of games can be absolutely punishing if you don’t think multiple steps ahead. When you’re fighting a boss for the first time, you need to learn the order of their attacks, see what they’re capable of doing, react accordingly, and win in the process. With Octopath, for example, when you get to the real final boss (trying not to spoil here) you need to assign all eight of your team members the best jobs to work together in two groups of four. This is the only time in the game you ever do this, and you probably have stronger and weaker leveled characters, so there’s immense strategy is putting your two teams together.
Some of the lesser battles can get a little tedious, especially late game when normal enemy encounters are a breeze. But it’s the strategy of figuring out the hard bosses that makes the combat style fun. I think if you’re playing a game like this and find yourself bored trying to strategize, maybe you need to turn up the difficulty. Or maybe the style just isn’t for you. But for me, it’s super fun. It’s like a game of chess. You’ve got to think before you move, or else you’re going to get stomped.
-
Comment on Request: Ideas and tips for creating a portfolio to get a web developer job in ~comp
simplify LinkLearn JavaScript and some of the adjacent frameworks like React. As for the CSS side of things, also learn SASS or some of the other hot frameworks like Tailwind. Make sure you’re familiar with...Learn JavaScript and some of the adjacent frameworks like React. As for the CSS side of things, also learn SASS or some of the other hot frameworks like Tailwind. Make sure you’re familiar with Git and know how to work with versioning in a team. Docker is great to know for development environments, though with Node and the various JavaScript frameworks it’s pretty easy to spin up dev environments. A lot of smaller companies may not care about your portfolio necessarily, it’s more about talking about what you know authoritatively, being somebody they want to work with, and knowing how to learn and adapt. You’ll be able to get in with a smaller company to get experience, so aim for something like that before shooting for the moon. Always keep learning, stay interested, be able to talk about the tech. Don’t get discouraged. You got this!
-
Comment on What US recession? It's a summer of splurging, profits and girl power in ~finance
simplify Link ParentSure, but it won’t be fun to be a business that has gotten used to those couple hundred disposable dollars every month. Just because someone is college-educated and not poor does not mean they...Sure, but it won’t be fun to be a business that has gotten used to those couple hundred disposable dollars every month. Just because someone is college-educated and not poor does not mean they aren’t spending all their monthly income. I’d be interested to know how many billions of dollars per month this will pull out of the economy. The downward pressure on inflation is great if you can keep your income and your home. While I agree that student loans should start back up, we’ve got some other problems here that could very well snowball when they resume.
-
Comment on I'm looking for some career advice in ~life
simplify LinkI just want to say don’t worry about your age as long as you’ve got skills. My career has taken twists and turns and I landed my first professional web development job post-40. I did have other...I just want to say don’t worry about your age as long as you’ve got skills. My career has taken twists and turns and I landed my first professional web development job post-40. I did have other “career” jobs in tech before that, but I took a hiatus from all that for seven years to work for myself completely unrelated. All along, though, I had the tech skills and I could back it up. While I never worked as a developer before, I did learn to program 25 years ago and I brushed up on it all before I sought the job. Skills and the ability to demonstrate and talk about those skills is paramount.
You are still so young and you have so much of your working life ahead of you. Figure out what you really want to do (hard) and then go for it (surprisingly less hard). You’ve got a lot of time and it sounds like you’ve got good social skills. Leverage what you’re good at to do what you want to do. Lean on your network. You may know somebody who could help you into the perfect job for you. Just keep trying, keep working on your skills, keep doing what you’re good at. You’ll get there.
-
Comment on What US recession? It's a summer of splurging, profits and girl power in ~finance
simplify LinkI think we’ll really see the state of things once student payments resume. Those have been on pause for so long, I’m sure most borrowers have forgotten the feeling of paying them. Some borrowers...I think we’ll really see the state of things once student payments resume. Those have been on pause for so long, I’m sure most borrowers have forgotten the feeling of paying them. Some borrowers have never had to pay. It’s going to be tough for many people/families to allocate more money for these bills when they’re already being squeezed so much elsewhere. Then again the Biden Administration has made some changes to repayment plans that should ease the burden for some. Regardless, the money going to student loan repayment will be money that won’t be going into the local economy and that can cause ripples throughout the larger economy as well.
-
Comment on What makes a person alluring to you? in ~talk
simplify Link ParentCan you be more specific? If you see a woman in a social situation that you want to chat up, what specifically about her makes you feel that way? Her hair is a certain style? The way she laughs...Can you be more specific? If you see a woman in a social situation that you want to chat up, what specifically about her makes you feel that way? Her hair is a certain style? The way she laughs with her friends? You won't know her interests before you talk to her, so is there something specific about her being that draws you toward her?
-
What makes a person alluring to you?
What makes a person alluring or attractive to you? I don't necessarily mean the things you look for in a life partner. Rather, what qualities and attributes make someone seem interesting,...
What makes a person alluring or attractive to you? I don't necessarily mean the things you look for in a life partner. Rather, what qualities and attributes make someone seem interesting, charming, charismatic in a social situation and make you want to engage with them? Or maybe not even engage with them (because many have social anxieties, of course) but make you feel like you wish you could engage with them. This can mean simply talking to them, wanting to befriend them or join them in conversation, or it could even mean feeling the primal desire to be romantic with them. Not necessarily "what turns you on" in a preference sort of way, but more base and reactionary. Are there qualities that some people possess that you just can't ignore? What makes a person someone you can't help but gravitate toward?
I just want to clarify that I don't necessarily mean this is a romantic sense. I'd love to hear what makes you feel attracted to others in a romantic way, but I also mean in a purely platonic way too. Is there something about a person that makes you feel like you want to know them better?
24 votes
Thank you for this comment. It reminds me why I stopped commenting on Reddit years ago and it makes me viscerally feel my addiction to forums in that way when an addict experiences clarity and shame for what they’ve done to themselves. I’m going to channel this feeling into something productive and kick this bad habit for good.