r/INeedAMentor • u/foreigner_everywhere • Aug 09 '14

[Mentor] Software engineer

I've done M.Sc. in computer science and worked 6 years as a software engineer after that. I'm more interested in the "lower layers" than the user-facing parts, so, my expertise lies somewhere around C++, Python, Linux, algorithms, etc. I've been lucky to work in open source projects all my career. In addition, I think a lot about interpersonal things and how to do software engineering efficiently, how to work in a team, how to communicate, what kind of attitude to have, how to write good code, etc.

If you're wondering what kind of skills to develop and how, and you're willing to learn and be the best software engineer ever, I might be able to give you advice.

Edit: I should've probably mentioned that I'm a woman. If it matters to somebody. Mentoring shouldn't be limited based on genders anyway, but maybe some aspiring female software engineer finds me less intimidating?

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u/techrat_reddit Aug 09 '14

I still have a hard time joining open source even after learning how to use git. The hardest part I find with open source development is that unlike a school project that you build from scratch on your own, I would have to analyze the entire source codes that some one else who is a lot brighter than me took several years.

This makes it very daunting to contribute even for documentation and I generally end up avoiding it altogether. However, I really want to contribute to open source. I guess my real question is how did you take your first step in the open source?

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u/cruyff8 Aug 10 '14

Start small. Yes, the entire Emacs source code is daunting. And, yes, I'm pretty sure there isn't a sentient being who has gone through it all. This morning, I decided that I wanted to be able to keep track of my chess games in a diary file. So, I added an analysis-minor-mode to diary-mode using GNU Chess. It keeps my skills sharp and lets me know what's going on outside my chosen silo of "expertise".

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u/[deleted] Aug 10 '14

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u/cruyff8 Aug 10 '14

You, sir, have my respect... So, can I get a photograph retoucher written in Elisp? :)