I sometimes spend time answering questions at the Firefox support forum.
It is one of the easiest ways of contributing to the open source browser without having to dig into its code.
Being a regular user of the browser, I am already familiar with most of its features and options. So, the learning curve is pretty easy.
Even answering fairly "low-hanging fruits" like this one can be a pretty rewarding feeling.
On top of that, you get to closely observe the diverse ways in which real end-users interact with a software application. IMO, this is an invaluable experience and insight for any programmer developing any kind of application.
Actually, that is not really the case. I sometimes hang out at the Firefox support forum to answer questions from end users. When Firefox dropped support for PPC, there was a flood of users asking about the alternatives. The simple reason is that to use your favorite browser, you should not be forced to get a newer computer. (I wouldn't even comment on your suggestion of compiling Firefox yourself since that is out of question for the average John Smith).
Pickup the pattern of other randomly chosen serial killers and see if they also fit the same mathematical model. Only then this paper would be worth looking at. Frankly, I am surprised how they developed and published this model with just a single data point !
I completely empathize with you. There was a phase in my career when I would go to office everyday hoping that I would be able to spend a decent amount of time on actual coding work. But at the end of each day, I would realize that all my bandwidth has been consumed by managerial activities like people handling, metrics, excel reports and all that jazz. It was the most frustrating period of my 8 year long career.
But it all ended about 2 years ago when I made a fresh start by switching to a new project within the same organization. While joining, I categorically demanded that I should not be expected to perform managerial duties and should be solely responsible for design/architecture/coding related work. It was not easy to convince them at first. After a couple of months, they again tried to shove people management responsibilities down my throat. But I stood my ground and eventually that stubborness paid off. Today, my peers envy me for the amount of technical work that I get to do while they are still stuck in the rut trying to get rid of managerial responsibilities.
The long hiatus is definitely a negative point on your resume. As others have mentioned, use some tricks to at least get yourself noticed (use your network, omit age from the resume etc). Apart from that, use your personal projects to balance things out and provide impressive examples of your skills as a developer. Impressive, extraordinary, amazing, and not just run of the mill projects. The projects(solutions) should demonstrate the level of maturity that one would expect from a seasoned developer. Show them that you still have that spark. I would surely consider such a resume.
Slashdot Mirror
I sometimes spend time answering questions at the Firefox support forum.
It is one of the easiest ways of contributing to the open source browser without having to dig into its code.
Being a regular user of the browser, I am already familiar with most of its features and options. So, the learning curve is pretty easy.
Even answering fairly "low-hanging fruits" like this one can be a pretty rewarding feeling.
On top of that, you get to closely observe the diverse ways in which real end-users interact with a software application. IMO, this is an invaluable experience and insight for any programmer developing any kind of application.
Actually, that is not really the case.
I sometimes hang out at the Firefox support forum to answer questions from end users.
When Firefox dropped support for PPC, there was a flood of users asking about the alternatives.
The simple reason is that to use your favorite browser, you should not be forced to get a newer computer.
(I wouldn't even comment on your suggestion of compiling Firefox yourself since that is out of question for the average John Smith).
...what if someone *secretly* videotapes a police officer arresting somebody illegally?
Can it be used as evidence in a court?
Pickup the pattern of other randomly chosen serial killers and see if they also fit the same mathematical model.
Only then this paper would be worth looking at.
Frankly, I am surprised how they developed and published this model with just a single data point !
I completely empathize with you. There was a phase in my career when I would go to office everyday hoping that I would be able to spend a decent amount of time on actual coding work. But at the end of each day, I would realize that all my bandwidth has been consumed by managerial activities like people handling, metrics, excel reports and all that jazz. It was the most frustrating period of my 8 year long career.
But it all ended about 2 years ago when I made a fresh start by switching to a new project within the same organization. While joining, I categorically demanded that I should not be expected to perform managerial duties and should be solely responsible for design/architecture/coding related work. It was not easy to convince them at first. After a couple of months, they again tried to shove people management responsibilities down my throat. But I stood my ground and eventually that stubborness paid off. Today, my peers envy me for the amount of technical work that I get to do while they are still stuck in the rut trying to get rid of managerial responsibilities.
The long hiatus is definitely a negative point on your resume. As others have mentioned, use some tricks to at least get yourself noticed (use your network, omit age from the resume etc). Apart from that, use your personal projects to balance things out and provide impressive examples of your skills as a developer. Impressive, extraordinary, amazing, and not just run of the mill projects. The projects(solutions) should demonstrate the level of maturity that one would expect from a seasoned developer. Show them that you still have that spark. I would surely consider such a resume.