[worklogin]

This analogy is as absurd and oversimplified as comparing grand theft auto to a download of Taylor Swift albums.

There is no such thing as "freelance amateur dentistry". You can't start tinkering with teeth and get a job the way you can tinker with programs as a hobby before getting a junior position at a programming gig. To compare the two professions and suggest the path to engagement and skill are the same is obtuse.

This article resonated with me more than most HN pieces, because it describes my path as well. I've not had professional guidance, and with the absolute flood of options, of data, of debates and educational material, it's REALLY difficult to know where to start. I don't understand how you find it acceptable to mock someone's interest and lack of guidance.

[ta19191823]

I don't think he's mocking a lack of guidance, as much as the implicit indignation at not understanding a sprawling and complex field in an afternoon.