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by diwank 5185 days ago
It's great to hear that you've gotten better and want to pursue programming. A vital piece of advice I'd like to share is to Live Curious. Never stop learning. Keep trying new things. Connect with as many people as you can. Learn to cook. Get a bike. Visit random places. But most importantly, don't forget to have fun and make friends.

> I've been going through a very long period of anxiety and depression... I can’t help but feel guilty.

Life is arduous. It can really get lonesome pretty quickly. But take my word for it, you have no reason to feel guilty. The time you think was "wasted" was actually spent morphing you into a better human being. Be proud of the fact that you were able to get over your depression. We are all here for you.

On a different note, I'd love to help you learn programming. Shoot me an email if you feel inclined to.

singh@diwank.name

You could also look around for people looking for freelancers here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3783658
1 comments
read_wharf 5185 days ago
Everything you say is good, including the last line about freelancers. But I wonder if the alternative of a steady job might also be worth considering, just to remove the stress of finding the next gig for a couple of years.
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diwank 5185 days ago
A steady job is a very good idea (depending on who you ask). I just didn't want to make the assumption that he has a large enough skill set for a regular programming job.
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read_wharf 5185 days ago
The cool thing is, he could back into a programming job. Intern, QA, semi-technical gopher, job got through a friend, whatever. He seems to have some chops. If he's there for M months, and moves himself into a programming job for N months, he gets to say on his resume:

    JobCo
    M to N
    Role: Programmer, etc, etc
It's an option among options.
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diwank 5185 days ago
Indeed. That'd be incredible if he can manage that. Plus, he'll gain a lot experience.
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c250d07 5185 days ago
I may very well have enough experience for a steady coding job, as I have had an entry level coding job before. But, there were never a lot of coding jobs in my area, and even less so since the recession came in.
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