Ask HN: Would you hire me for an internship?
I'm 23, and received my degree in finance this May. While trading forex I came across something called a Java API, started the online Stanford Java course, and from that point is was over, I fell love with programming.
I have been coding for a little less than a year, going through a few Python books and coding every exercise, but it didn't really “click” till about 4 or 5 months ago. Since then I taught myself C and recently Ruby.
I've made a few usable programs this past summer in addition to reading stacks of books; K&R, half-way through The Linux Programming Interface, Eloquent Ruby, Debugging with gdb, Web Application Hackers Handbook, and others.
Small, safe, secure Ruby server. Work in progress. https://github.com/Ghostface-jr/Rube
C workout application that I used to print out a daily workout regimen. https://github.com/Ghostface-jr/Workout-Generator
C app that uses the Leafly.com api to retrieve information. https://github.com/Ghostface-jr/Leafly-app
I found that I really like networking, unix, and security. I am learning how to use Metasploit, nmap, ect and am working my way through exploiting some machines; Metasploitable, Windows XP, stuff like that. I am also have considerable knowledge of web application security, especially relating to Ruby-on-Rails. I know I still have a lot to learn but am excited, motivated, and ready to contribute starting on day one.
So anyway, I'm looking to move to the Bay Area or Seattle asap, if you were a tech company would you hire me for an internship with a full time evaluation after 5 or 6 months? I ask because I feel like I'm at the very beginning of the learning curve and when I see posts of amazing projects by people younger than me on HN I question my abilities. I see that you are a Texas libertarian. Me too! CPAP.com is based on out of Houston, TX. We sell CPAP equipment for the treatment of Sleep Apnea. We are a LAMP shop. If you'd like a one hour skills test over etherpad clone and skype, please email me at johnny.goodman@cpap.com. Other tips: 1. Put your email in your HN profile. It'll help people interested contact you more easily. 2. How are your relational db chops? A basic understanding of SELECTs/JOINs along with a basic familiarity with any language (php, python, javascript, ruby, c, java, etc) are the raw materials to make a "should we train him" company decision go in your favor. Welcome to HN and coding. :) Very cool! Thanks for the info, that was exactly the type of advice I was looking for. I've only used postgres as a backend for metasploit so my background is limited. I'll definitely do some research and learn more about databases.