career advice

Bilingual

Undergraduation
2 months ago
- To become a good hacker, focus on programming a lot on hard problems and work on engaging projects, not necessarily class assignments.
- Learn from other skilled programmers and professors by volunteering as a research assistant, but avoid those working on uninteresting topics.
- Math is not strictly necessary for most hacking but is valuable for metaphors; study math for its own sake beyond high school level.
- Worthwhile fields to study include math, hard sciences, engineering, history, architecture, and classics; avoid social sciences, philosophy, and politically motivated departments.
- For jobs, learn practical skills: for big companies, hack Blub on Windows; for startups, learn Ruby on Linux; to start your own company, master powerful tools.
- Classes differ from real-world programming: they are small, start from scratch, and have predetermined problems; contribute to open-source or start your own projects to gain real skills.
- Grad school is mixed: it involves a painful dissertation but offers smart peers and a baseline confidence; admissions rely heavily on recommendations from professors who know you.
- The key to success in college is to figure out what you truly love and pursue it genuinely, as faking stops working after college.
What Doesn't Seem Like Work?
2 months ago
- The author's father, a mathematician, knew from age 12 that he wanted to work in maths, showing early clarity of purpose.
- The father enjoyed solving math problems as a reward, not work, and would complete textbooks immediately, unlike typical students.
- A key heuristic: if something seems like work to others but not to you, you are likely well-suited for it.
- Many programmers enjoy debugging, a task others see as tedious, illustrating this principle.
- Unusual personal tastes can be strong indicators of the right career path, as seen from the author's college experience of enjoying writing papers for friends.
- Deciding what to work on can be difficult and may require recognizing subtle clues about what feels enjoyable versus burdensome.
Say the Thing You Want
2 months ago
- People often stay silent in 1:1s due to fear of seeming presumptuous, risky, or exposed.
- Keeping desires hidden prevents managers from offering help or opportunities.
- An engineer who explicitly asks for a role is more likely to get it than one who assumes the manager knows.
- Even attentive managers have incomplete information; voicing goals provides a map or constructive feedback.
- Saying a goal out loud turns it from a daydream into a real commitment, making it harder to ignore.
- The risk of backlash is low; it's better to find out early if a manager is unsupportive.
- Simple phrases like 'I'm interested in leading a project' can start the conversation.
Why I don't like the "staff engineer archetypes"
2 months ago
- Staff engineer archetypes (team lead, architect, solver, right hand) are descriptive of existing roles, not prescriptive goals to aim for.
- Attempting to directly target an archetype often fails due to lack of trust, top-down project assignments, and poor decision-making.
- The core attribute of a staff engineer is being useful to the company and delivering value regardless of circumstances.
- The staff engineer role is inherently unfair, holding engineers responsible for outcomes they don't fully control.
- Success comes from building trust over time, focusing on manager's priorities, and asking 'is this useful to the company?'
- Archetypes emerge naturally once deep trust with leadership is established; engineers should fill whatever archetype the company needs.
What does "playing politics" mean for software engineers?
2 months ago
- Be aware of who is powerful and who is not, typically senior management like VPs and directors.
- Avoid making powerful enemies at all costs; if you have one, consider quitting.
- Help powerful people by being responsive, leaning into important projects, and supporting their narratives.
- Make sure your contributions are visible by publicly communicating your work and keeping a brag document.
- Leverage technical ability as a source of power to influence decisions on implementation details.
- Understand that playing politics is about aligning with company values and knowing how the organization operates.
What to learn to be a graphics programmer
3 months ago
- Graphics programming involves two main areas: CPU-side learning (modern explicit APIs like DirectX12/Vulkan/Metal and engine programming) and GPU-side learning (math of lighting/shading, rendering techniques, and performance optimization).
- Start with simpler APIs (e.g., OpenGL, WebGL) for GPU focus or basic triangle rendering for CPU focus. Path tracing (via 'Ray Tracing in One Weekend') and Physically Based Rendering (PBR) are key for realistic rendering and asset consistency across lighting conditions.
- Build a portfolio with: an engine-like renderer in C++ using modern APIs with PBR lighting and effects, a path tracer for photorealistic images, and bonus integration for verification.
- Essential math includes linear algebra, trigonometry, and some calculus. Algorithm basics (data structures, sorting) are needed, with C++ as the primary language for CPU-side and HLSL/GLSL for shaders.
- ML has limited practical use in programming now but may be useful for learning math/algorithms. The future may bring advanced AI, but current LLMs are like a rehearsal.

career advice

Undergraduation

What Doesn't Seem Like Work?

Say the Thing You Want

Why I don't like the "staff engineer archetypes"

What does "playing politics" mean for software engineers?

What to learn to be a graphics programmer