It seems pretty unnecessary to call such people liars. Surely they know their own minds better than you.
Anyhow, it is not too difficult to understand the “write for yourself” aesthetic, if you are willing to make the effort. I think Jane Espenson describes it best: http://www.janeespenson.com/archives/00000619.php
This is very hard for non-nerds. Imagine simply not knowing what Github is, or why you would look there, or having no concept that "Java EE backed by Oracle" is a different beast than "Ruby/Rails in front of PostGres". Imagine if one of your golf buddies knows a guy who knows a guy who is really "good at computers" -- whatever that means -- after all, that guy completely turned around their dot-net application and the seven VB developers in his department.
You've heard of Oracle, right? Microsoft? They're big. You own their stock. You know Linux is hot! Should you take the chance? Ask your nerd friends, like that guy you know who is an MCSE at a "Certified Solutions Provider." He'll know.
Simply knowing who to ask is a matter of chance, I think.
I simply cannot understand how Google can be so short sighted about this. The simple questions: what about an in-the-closet gay teen? or what about a domestic violence survivor? should make their whole stack of cards fall down.
They should have thought these things themselves. In fact, they should have been so obvious that this conversation would be unimaginable.
Mention one time to your boss that you believe you're very underpaid. Then, don't say it again. If a raise doesn't come, start looking for a better paying job. When you find one, put in your notice, be professional, but don't take the counter offer. It seldom works out.
I dunno. I was out of work for a year once and then settled for a few years of staggering underemployment. I even came to believe that I would never again be hired as a developer, that no company would look at me, that my resume was too weak and I'd never get past human resources. It got really depressing.
Then I met a guy who knew a guy, and they got me back on track. Now I have a very nice job with a very nice company where I do amazing work (if I may say so). So anyhow, there are eight million stories in the naked city. This guy's story sounds like my story. I wish him luck.
Agreed! I took one look at your mystery meat navigation (after turning of noscript) and hit the close button. If you want to attract talented developers, get a better site.
OK, a bunch of others recommended it, but I'll add my voice and recommend SICP. There are lots of good books on programming, but it is the best single source. After that, decide what parts of programming you like, and come back asking for more specific books.
Good luck.
Oh, and the stuff Mahmud said about your professors and industry types being phonies is largely true. Not always, of course, but often enough. That you're even on this site suggests that you're prepared to think deeper than them.
It is sort of useless advice, though. If you're the sort of person whose inclined to "do it wrong", you already are. If your not, simplistic advice isn't going to help you find the one correct way to do it wrong. You'll just end up wrong.
His point that Clojure will prove almost as difficult as Java because you have to figure out what to make REFs of seems wrong to me. He is missing the point that the remaining stuff in Clojure is purely functional, and therefore really nothing like Java.
Anyhow, it is not too difficult to understand the “write for yourself” aesthetic, if you are willing to make the effort. I think Jane Espenson describes it best: http://www.janeespenson.com/archives/00000619.php