Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with experience

CompEngr EXP

Rubbstone — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:49:45 -0800

What was the best experience you've had as a Computer Engineer or Computer Scientist? Bonus: experiences owning you own shop and working as a consultant. I'm researching working as a computer engineer. Any other resources you have about the profession and what it entails would also be helpful.

Gramps, what d'ya think?

litleozy — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:22:49 -0800

What are your 20s like? (Premise stolen shamelessly (okay maybe some shame) from here)
Starting up in my 20s and I would like someone to sit me down and tell me some of the things to expect during this long, winding decade. I am all ears and I will listen. I may smirk occasionally.

What I am looking for is advice or wisdom that you wish the 40 30 year old you could tell the 30 20 year old you. What sort of challenges to expect, what sort of changes to anticipate, etc.

What to do with a CISSP and little tech experience?

zombieflanders — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:45:34 -0800

I have a CISSP and 6 years experience in the IT Security field. Problem is, most of my experience is with policy, not technology. Where can I go from here? I've been working in IT Security as a government contractor since 2003, and got my CISSP earlier this year. Most of my work has been on the policy side of things such as audit response/remediation, contingency planning, and certification & accreditation. Unfortunately, I've neglected to keep up with or even study a lot of the underlying technology supporting all of it. In other words, I could quote NIST or OMB regs all day long, but put me in front of a monitor with a bunch of logic statements or log extracts on the screen, and I probably couldn't say what I'm looking at. Even worse, my only degree is a bachelor's completely unrelated to any work I've done (thanks, liberal arts education!), and I had no prior experience in the field before this job. In terms of my career path, I'm kind of spinning my wheels, and despite the itch to move on to something and somewhere else, an informal browsing of job openings tells me many employers seem to place a high value on several year's worth of experience with the tech side of things, such as VPNs and firewalls or database management. This would seem to put a kibosh in my hopes of finding something within the next 9-12 months.

So, having belatedly realized that I've been an idiot and painted myself into a corner in the short term, education- and experience-wise, am I SOL in the job search given the timeframe above? Would moving into the auditor side of things be a viable alternative? And regardless of the job search itself it's clear I need to add a lot to my skill set, so where's a good place to start?

Help me give my husband a 40th birthday he'll never forget

geekgirl397 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 11:05:02 -0800

Good "experience" gift for my geek husband's 40th birthday? My husband turns 40 in a few days. We already have too much "stuff" and he's not very materialistic in any case. We're both geeky techies, and he loves music. Last year I bought him a great guitar, and he's already taking guitar and voice classes.

I want to buy him a great "experience" that he wouldn't treat himself to and that will be special and memorable.

We don't have any kids and we do go out fairly often - although I'm not a night owl so it tends to be quiet restaurant meals etc. We already have a 3 week trip planned over the holidays, but that is to visit my family in England.

I'm thinking something involving vehicles and speed - he likes to drive, but we live in Chicago and don't travel much by car (and have a small city car in any case). He did some flying in his youth - in another life, if he had had better vision he would like to have been a fighter pilot. He's a slightly reformed risk-taker, and I'd like to give him a taste of his reckless youth in relative safety.

One thing I thought of was maybe a session in a race car at a track .. I've done some searching on this and found some packages sold at the Chicago Speedway but I don't know how good they really are and it quickly gets very expensive.

My budget's a bit flexible but ideally I'd spend less than $1000 - but if I were to go more than $200 or $300 I'd want to be sure it was really worth it.

His birthday's coming up in just a few days, but as long as I have the gift planned I don't think it's important that he "redeem" it before then or before our UK trip.

All thoughts and ideas welcome!

Re-enter PhD program after many years -- recommendations?

lakshmi_mefi — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:31:39 -0800

Applying to enter a math PhD program after working in industry. Question about recommendations. I am thinking of applying to re-enter a math PhD program, maybe in applied math.

My brief background: a masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from U. of Toledo and another in Math from Auburn U. 16 years ago. Was briefly in the math PhD program at Purdue immediately afterward, but regrettably left it after 2 years - I squandered it.

Forward to now. I plan to take my GRE general soon and the math test in April.

I am stuck with getting recommendations however. Being a web developer, my current work is not too relevant to math, but still I can ask my boss for references. For another reference I could try asking my former boss from the previous company I worked for, but I can't think of whom to ask for a 3rd letter.

Any suggestions for what I can do for references? Do I have a chance of being accepted with 2 letters attesting to my web development skills? My GPAs from the MS degrees: 3.4 and 3.7, and I scored full on the math GRE in '93, and I was a good student at Auburn and considered potential for a PhD.

Thanks.

Tell me your memorable, exciting learning experiences!

Cygnet — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:10:31 -0800

What are the most fun, memorable, interesting, exciting, and long-lasting learning experiences you have had? I'm talking about academic-type learning here, not "life learning", though I realize that sometimes the two are intertwined. I'm interested in things you did that made a subject, era in history, scientific principle, work of literature, or whatever come alive. The opposite of dry, textbook learning and cramming for tests. Engaging, open-ended, low-pressure, and, most of all, deeply memorable - the kind of learning that really gives you a lasting fondness for the subject.

Examples of the kind of thing I mean:
1. When I was 13 I toured the Castle of Edinburgh, and they had a fantastic audio tour that made me fall in love with the dark and mysterious history of the castle - and the whole region.
2. In high school, I took a European History class that put on a Greek Olympics (complete with Greek drama and hand-made masks, home-made Greek food, sporting events, traditional offerings to the Gods), a Welsh Eisteddfod (poetry, daffodils, Welsh music), and a Sienese Palio (with teams, bribing of the judges, sonnets for each mascot, traditional food, Italian art and architecture), and a Victorian Tea (with Oscar Wilde skits, appropriate outfits and food, Gilbert and Sullivan, and appropriate social and political discussions for the era). Totally memorable.
3. As a kid, I had the magnificent Classical Kids tapes, which introduced music history and the greatest works in story-form, with amazingly good quality acting and musicianship.
4. Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" videos, and Lawrence Blair's "Ring of Fire" videos - informative, beautiful, and memorable.

What other things, places, and experiences would you suggest? I'm interested in pretty much anything, but bonus points for things that are possible for me, a not-so-wealthy female graduate student (in the sciences) in Boston, to do without heroic measures. Even more bonus points if friends could participate in said learning.

Late to the dating game?

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:25:07 -0800

Late to the dating game? So, I'm in my early 20s, graduated from college and now working. I have absolutely NO experience with guys, and I'm not sure how to gain some. I'm friendly and talkative, have a lot of interests, and take care of myself (in good shape, no makeup or dressy clothes, but clean and w/form-fitting tees and jeans). I was kind of a tomboy in middle school and H.S., so I missed out on the whole dating/hooking up thing. College was a large commuter school, so I didn't interact w/people long enough to build long-term relationships. Now that I'm working (very-youth oriented place at that), I find that any guy I'm attracted to is in a relationship - and I refuse to be the "homewrecker", so...

I'm not sure what to do. At this point I don't need a long-term relationship or anything-just a date would be nice (maybe even a first kiss!). I have issues w/the whole "club" scene, since I don't drink, and I don't feel insanely comfortable dancing around, etc. in public; besides, I have a pretty busy schedule. I used to have issues talking to guys I was attracted to (all other guys, no problems-I had a ton of friends), but I feel I've gotten past that. Funnily enough, I apparently come off as otherwise mature; people have tended to guess I'm in my late 20s (if not older) apparently because of the way I talk/my personality(?)

Ideally, I'd like my first date to be the result of someone asking me out, if only because my confidence in this arena is low (thanks to my lack of experience). Truthfully, I've been tempted to even hire an escort, just so I can practice and gain some skills, but...something about that just seems off, so I've been holding back.

Anyway, sorry this is so long, but thanks for whatever help you guys can offer!

Definition: Experience you must experience?

mcarthey — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:20:09 -0800

What is the word for an experience that you have to live through in order to fully understand or appreciate, such as having a child or parenting? My Google-Fu is failing me. Thanks!

How do I feel more confident among more accomplished people?

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:36:48 -0800

How do I keep myself from feeling inadequate in certain professional settings? I am currently an intern at a very reputable organization. I have a Bachelor's and almost completed a general (not Finance major, but quite a bit) MBA. I'll be moving to Canada soon, where I plan on doing the CSC and CPH for starters and then start the CFA. I have a lot of plans. I'm 26, and I do not have a lot of working experience, made worse by the fact that I changed fields.

Quite often I attend seminars/forums as a part of my job, which deals a lot with the private sector. These things are usually pretty expensive to attend, and are attended by many high ranking Government and finance professionals.

Today, I attended another one, and left feeling pretty small and intimidated by everyone else. I felt very inexperienced, and nowhere near as qualified as everyone else, and like I shouldn't be there. It made me feel pretty inadequate, unaccomplished, and like I was a high school student sneaking into a grad school class (not because I didn't understand anything, but just that I shouldn't be with the grown-ups). Usually the other attendees are older than I am, 10 years and up.

Usually I am pretty confident, ambitious, and none of these people have ever been mean to me. I work very hard, and know that 10 years from now I'll be doing very well professionally.

Do any of you have any advice on how I can overcome this?

Experience/job Catch-22

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:50:16 -0800

How does a recent college grad gain job experience when everyone requires it? This past June, I graduated with a B.A. in English from a small prestigious liberal arts college that you've most likely heard of and may be single-sex. I then moved back home (NJ, near NYC). Since then, my life has taken a familiar turn: applied for tons of jobs, and have been on 8 interviews--not counting those with temp agencies. I look on tons of job sites--including Monster and CareerBuilders--and apply every day. My search is really limited to NYC, since I can't drive and NJTransit has many shortcomings, but recently I've been applying to places in towns nearby as well.

In my life, I've only had two real jobs, both of them work-study. Both were admin assistant type jobs, and I've been applying for those, as well as publishing/media positions (despite the fact that I was unable to get an internship in those fields in college, and I can't get one now for financial reasons). I've also been applying for entry-level paralegal jobs since I've kind of been considering going to law school or some kind of grad school (probably for film/cinema studies) after working for a couple of years. The thing is, I've never made it to the second round of interviews, let alone gotten a job offer, and I think it may be obvious why. This past week, I interviewed for a paralegal position at a law firm, and after I wrote the interviewer a thank-you e-mail, she then responded by saying that she had looked over my qualifications and wanted someone with more secretarial experience. This confused me because it's not like I told them anything--in terms of experience, anyway--that wasn't on my resume, so she therefore knew going in that I didn't have enough secretarial experience, in which case why the hell did she even call me in for an interview? And it's not like that has been the only job--I have gotten responses from HR people after applying saying that I didn't have sufficient experience.

(A word about temp agencies, since I know that will come up: I haven't had much luck there either. The ones I've been to--and I'm on the books at close to 20--have said that they aren't getting many positions, and the ones that they do get are either super-specific or call for lots of experience or I am suitable for them, but they pass on my resume or they fill the position internally.)

Partly because of financial family troubles and partly to keep from going insane, over a month ago I did get a part-time job calling people for this sales recruiting company. So in a way, I am getting experience now, but it's not like I can show it--I was advised against putting it on my resume by a recruiter. However, they recently cut my hours, so today I applied for a job at Starbucks in the hopes of getting a better part-time job while I look. But how does one get experience when they are inexperienced? Starbucks is nice, but it's a far cry from an office job--and how can I get that when I haven't had any office experience?

How do I get over this hump and start getting some experience? I feel like my life is at a standstill--I can't get ahead. Is it just me, or is that the way things are now--especially now--and no one talks about them? How is it that other people I went to school with who have just as much or less experience than I do have jobs and I don't? Aside from reading job search books, what can I do to make this more successful?

Reject?

hnnrs — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:56:25 -0800

I applied for a job that I had absolutely the right criteria for, but I've been rejected before the interview stage. Is it worth following it up, and trying to get an interview, or should I just let it go? The response I got was:

Many thanks,
We've received a large number of applications for the role, many from people who already have substantial experience in similar roles. I can't, because of the volume, invite you to interview at this stage, I'm afraid. But I'm very grateful for your interest in working here. Best wishes

I'm in love with a girl 3000 miles away, what do I do?

weh546 — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:39:42 -0800

I'm in love with a girl 3000 miles away, what do I do? Hi there,

I think I am in love with a girl that lives 3000 miles away. We have had no past relationship; just close friends. This is a girl I've known for 7 years and have had feelings on her before. I have had a relationship during that time period but even then, I still had feelings for her. I saw her at Thanksgiving and came to the realization that I loved her. By the time I went home in March and saw her again, my feelings for her were stronger. We went on a date and had a great time. After moving to California, I sent her a message confessing my love to her.

She gave me a response that was pretty much expected; it was something she hadn't thought about and had always considered us as friends.

Now I probably won't see her again until Thanksgiving, which will be nice. We talk on the phone about every month, usually myself initiating the phone call, leaving a message sometimes and her calling me back.

This situation may seem ridiculous, but having spoken to others about this, their solution to their relationship was to be persistent and not overbearing. I have the feeling that she loves me, but does not know it yet. As much as I hope for something to happen in the future, maybe she doesn't consider it.

I guess I am hopelessly optimistic of marrying this girl because I know deep down it would be incredible.

I am having trouble deciding if this is something that is healthy for my emotional status and should be gone through even though nothing is for certain.

I am looking for insight, comfort, and shared experiences. It would also be great to hear some good idea's to keep it interesting and exciting.

Thank you all for reading my post and for your idea's and insights.

Wille

If you had 2-3 days and a plane ticket, what would you do to jump-start your creativity or inspire your mind?

Occams Hammer — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:43:53 -0800

If you had 2-3 days and a plane ticket, what would you do to jump-start your creativity or inspire your mind? I am in desperate need of a mind-shifting creative experience. I'm getting ready to take some time off from our startup and I want to jump out of my life for a couple of days. I'm looking for suggestions of cool/creative/stimulating things to do for a couple of days.

Parameters: US & canada, experiential vs drug induced.

Any suggestions?

Teaching tips or advice.

Memo — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 12:48:54 -0800

If you have been a teacher for some time, what tips or advice would you give your younger self about the reality of teaching? i.e. things that are only discovered after being in a classroom for a few months/years. ESL-related things preferred but not essential.

[USA] Best chances to become a foriegn service worker?

Nighthawk3729 — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:29:36 -0800

[USA] Best chances to become a foriegn service worker? I want to apply, I've alreadly gotten the study guide, but beyond studying and being open minded of the people I'd be dealing with, I don't really know how to prepare. I'm 21 and don't have much experience in anything foreign service related, a class I took last semester turned me onto it though. I'm pretty much flying solo on this and know the chances of getting it are pretty slim. I do know that the next test date is somewhere in the next 2 months. I was wondering if there was anyone out there who could give me some advice as to how to prepare for the field, [besides reading, although a few recommendations aren't minded short of a newspaper, the economist or a textbook] and anything that will polish me up nice for the test. Also, would you recommend it? The highs, the lows, boring job, excessive work, everything is great, even down to the pay and experience required.

Cheap Mountain Biking experience in greater Sydney?

gttommy — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:36:43 -0800

Cheap Mountain Biking experience in greater Sydney? I'd like to organise a mountain biking excursion for my mates. But from what I see the offerings in the Blue Mountains are all pretty expensive (AUD $120+ per person).

Any ideas? Some place cheap (say under $60), has easy-medium grade route and with an instructor would be ideal.

Life of a user experience consultant

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:01:55 -0800

What's it like to be a user experience consultant?
I have been pondering leaving my company as a user experience manager and consultancy is an option. I have been working with a large company for over 5 years so I have a fair idea of what it's like as part of an in house team. I want to get an idea of what the world of consultancy, or a consultant for an agency, is like. What are the general pros and cons? Are you a user experience consultant now and love it? I'd like to hear about it. Did you used to be one and would never go back? Why?

It would be additionally great if you can give advice specifically about the London area. Even more specifically, I would need to apply for the highly skilled worker programme (currently under a sponsored permit) before making such a move but I'm assuming that's all I need?

How Do I Get Good At What I Do?

gadha — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:56:08 -0800

How can I gain in-depth knowledge and experience in technical fields? My question is specifically related to computer science but could broadly be applied to just about any field, so I welcome input from all.

I've been in academia all my life, and my primary method for obtaining information is reading from technical manuals, papers, etc. However, this is often very slow; there is a lot of written work and some of it is pretty dense. I have often found when working in fields that I don't really gain a proper feel for the problems, tradeoffs, etc until I do some actual work on them -- it's all a little abstract till I'm writing code, or hacking on it etc.

My interaction with industry shows me that there are a lot of engineers who have very very deep knowledge of aspects of computer science and/or engineering; how do they (you!) achieve this? Do you just learn more as problems come up that need solving or do you go away and read about the theory or as much as you can of the subject? How do you develop yourself and push yourself further? Is it a case of interaction with people or just doing more and more?

I ask this question because I literally am at a point where I find myself living, breathing and eating my work. I spend all day and all evening on it but I can't seem to make good, proper progress. Life isn't meant to be like this and I certainly don't see the same thing with other people I interact. So either I can't hack it/am not good at it, or I'm doing something wrong. I'd like to find out which so that I can take forward steps to fix this.

How do I get my foot in the door?

entropicamericana — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:48:24 -0800

The old conundrum: How do you get experience without a job, how do you get job without experience? (Public sector variant.) I'm trying to get into the public sector. I graduated from a state university with a bachelor's degree in Public Administration. I graduated near the top of my class, a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, have excellent references. Unfortunately, I was not able to work an internship. Most of the entry level positions I'm coming across are still asking for a year of relevant experience. I'm about at the end of my rope; how the hell do I get my foot in the door?

Are there any alternatives to the (Boy|Girl) Scouts that are secular in nature?

mboszko — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:54:41 -0800

I have a son, almost 12, and a daughter, 9, and have been thinking about getting them involved in more outdoor activities. They're home-schooled, so they do get the opportunity to get out and play in the yard and with a few other kids in the neighborhood, but I'd like them to be introduced to a wider range of activities that outdoors-type groups like the scouts might provide (and not being an outdoorsy-type myself, might be able to better instruct in), but I'm put off by both the nationalistic and religious overtones that seem to pervade the Scout oaths. I'd prefer something with more of a global/wildlife focus. So, are there any alternatives to the (Boy|Girl) Scouts that are secular in nature? My wife is a little more open than I am, but I'm an atheist, and I'd prefer that if there's any group that they join, that it not be one where they're going to be taught to be "reverent", and do their "duty to God", when we don't believe that that is necessarily a virtue.

Free tuition? Nah...

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:59:38 -0800

How do I best explain to my employer, a prestigious & expensive American Ivy League school, that I won't be taking advantage of the incomparable tuition discount and will instead finish my masters with a small-but-well-regarded British polytechnic? I love my job! I raise money for a living and have done so for about three years. This job is perfect for the kind of stewardship training I need to back up the direct mail and internet giving experience I already have.

One of the reasons I decided to do my MA with a British school is that I can't transfer the credits I already have to a program where I work. A university there offered to let me finish my dissertation with them so long as I come for one week of discussion and then come when it is reviewed to make a defense. This is reasonable, the school has a sterling reputation in the field I was in when I learned fundraising, and I have already done all of the coursework leading up to the dissertation - so the process will be vetted all the way through for irregularities and I will be in constant contact with an adviser.

My boss has been hounding me not to start a degree yet. She thinks classes and work will be a strain. I heartily agree and want to tell her I have found other options. But I worry she will misconstrue it to mean I am looking another job or will soon go back into my previous industry. This isn't the case.

Please help me make that crystal clear to her and this university.

What do you wish you had known or learned in school?

adamrobinson — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:39:27 -0800

What skills or subjects or topics or experiences -- not just academic but professional, social, and even personal -- do you wish you had learned or acquired in college? I realize this question was asked regarding arts education back in July, but the topic intrigues me on a personal level, but I also think it would be of interest to all metafilter members.

I'm trying to get at whether the knoweldge and skills we find essential as adults, in whatever our life paths, were acquired in or out of school.

Was college indispensable for you, or could you have gotten where you are without the degree?

Any links or resources much appreciated if others have explored these questions.

"If you can just get your mind together..."

TheSecretDecoderRing — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:29:56 -0800

With all the talk surrounding Sarah Palin's apparent relative lack of foreign policy knowledge and experience, just how important have those factors been historically when it comes to governors serving as president or VP? I'll trust that MeFi can provide some details of past administrations without things getting into a partisan squabble over the current race:

Even just going back to recent history, four of the last five presidents had only served as governors prior to winning election (while all of their VPs had served in Washington). What were their respective backgrounds when it came to foreign policy, and how did it end up playing out during their terms?

All I've heard on the matter during panel discussions on the news lately was a brief mention of (Bill) Clinton serving as chair of the National Governors Association, along with the fact that governors generally oversee their respective National Guard units.

How much are non-Washington candidates typically versed in world affairs prior to the start of their campaigns? Is it just expected that they'd do some heavy-duty "cramming" on such matters during the campaign and the early part of their term, while relying on the backgrounds of their running mates in the meantime?

Interesting Non-Academic Fellowships

divabat — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:27:38 -0800

What are some interesting non-academic fellowships out there? Some examples of what I mean:

Sauve Scholars
Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellows
Ashoka
Echoing Green
TED Conference Fellows
YouthActionNet Global Fellowship
YSEI Fellows

So essentially they give you money and support for your projects, or for attending an event of theirs, but the focus isn't on academia and is generally open to a wider selection of people (compared to traditional fellowships that are geared towards academics). What other terms do they use to describe themselves?

(the examples I used up there are largely youth-oriented, but other focus areas are more than welcome.)

Coming out of your shell

sixcolors — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:59:52 -0800

How do I get people to try new things? I have a huge hunger for novelty. The most important thing (besides family and friends) in life is seeking experiences. The more offbeat and wild, the better. It is more important than money, security, etc. I also like learning a lot of new stuff.

The problem is that I have trouble finding people who share this hunger. I have friends/family who always want to eat at the same restaurants, travel to the same places, do the same activities and hang out with same people over and over. If I had my way, I would go out 3-5 nights a week, try a new restaurant each week, and take new trips once a month.

How can I persuade people to try new things? For those who don't like to try new things, what are your objections? What would convince to try something new?