Ted Dziuba Says, "I Don't Code In My Free Time" 619
theodp writes "When he gets some free time away from his gigs at startup Milo and The Register, you won't catch Ted Dziuba doing any recreational programming. And he wouldn't want to work for a company that doesn't hire those who don't code in their spare time. 'You know what's more awesome than spending my Saturday afternoon learning Haskell by hacking away at a few Project Euler problems?' asks Dziuba. 'F***, ANYTHING.'"
Re:Ted Dziuba (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.linkedin.com/in/teddziuba [linkedin.com]
As far as I can tell, he's a 26 year old programmer/blogger who doesn't much like to program in his free time.
I'm not sure why I'm supposed to care, but whatever.
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Yeah (Score:3, Informative)
Yeah and the whole world should be just like him!
You're misreading what he said, which is understandable with the number of negatives he used. He was making exactly the opposite point, which was that it was your business whether or not you programmed in your free time.
Re:No worries (Score:2, Informative)
He writes a blog and founded a startup that tanked miserably. There's not really much to say because he's never done anything noteworthy.
Re:Ted Dziuba (Score:5, Informative)
A big shot YetAnotherDotCom who has a very confusing self identity.
It looks like he graduated in 2006... which is when I graduated and I'm 23. But then he posts this:
"I love it when twenty-something engineers take such a hard-line position on something they have so little experience with, like hiring. Saying that you wouldn't hire somebody for a programming job because they don't program in their spare time is blissfully naive. Yeah, I remember the days when my greatest responsibility to another human being was making rent on the first of the month."
Wait what? "Remember the days?" Wasn't that like... last year?
Re:Coding in your spare time shows an interest.. (Score:2, Informative)
When your kids are 0-3 they better consume most of your time when they're awake. At that age they need the constant supervision and interaction. Sure, with 1 you can switch off with your spouse/partner but once it's 1:1 or higher ratio, you're free time is shot until they get to the 4+ age range.
Re:Please help me parse the triple negative (Score:1, Informative)
And he wouldn't want to work for a company that doesn't hire those who don't code in their spare time.
This roughly translates to:
And he would want to work for a company that does hire those who don't code in their spare time.
Most horrible use of negatives I've ever seen.
Re:Coding in your spare time shows an interest.. (Score:3, Informative)
Or YOU are a bad parent. Ok, maybe not bad, but spending all time with your kids is just silly. I mean, ok if they are 2 or 3, but when they get older they WANT to do their own thing, and you should let them. If they are teenagers, you are just sick.
Re:Ted Dziuba (Score:4, Informative)
Seriously? How do you have a coding experience as a 3 year old?
He was hit with a radioactive basic manual, and developed super powers.
Re:English not a native language... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Coding in your spare time shows an interest.. (Score:4, Informative)
After I put in my time at work, which is never just 40 hours a week, I come home and have about 2 hours to spend with my young daughter before she goes to bed. Those two hours includes dinner and bath time. If I don't spend that time with her, then her mother comes after me. After she's in bed, I'm at the very end of my day. My brain is mush. I have another 2 hours before I need to sleep. Even if I were capable of programming more, I have zero interest in actually doing so. That is my time to watch tv, veg out, recharge, and catch up with my wife.
Weekends are family time. Either there's a family birthday, or one of my daughter's friends birthdays, or we're going out of town, or there's something else my wife scheduled, or whatever. Programming for fun is about the last thing on my mind. Why? I've already gotten my programming fix from working during the week. Further, my family takes up what little free time I possess. Finally, even if I were able to find the time to sit and code, there is no quiet space in my house where I would be uninterrupted for any length of time by either my daughter or my wife.
If you think I should be spending all my free time coding after putting in more than 40 hours of coding at work, then you have no understanding of work-life balance. People can not live a life of constant work or attention to a single task. You do that and you're all but asking to burn out. Me? I'd like to still be in this industry in 20 years, thank you very much. I don't want to be diabetic at 35 from a complete lack of physical inactivity. I don't want to be single at 40 from ignoring my wife. I don't want a heart attack at 45 from all the stress of work and no free time. I'm in this for a long-haul.
And if you want to be in this industry 20 years from now, I suggest you chill out, even if just a little.