Deketh posted:

This was super interesting, thanks. I'm 33 and desperate to change careers at the mo, but paralysed by fear and indecision. Gonna seriously consider this route

jabby posted:

Depends how accurate a dose you need. You're absolutely right that splitting them by hand is likely to be a rough guess at best, using a pill cutter is better but still won't be 100% accurate. Having said that, 95% of drugs don't require totally accurate dosing to have the required effect and we use pill cutters all the time in hospital. The question to ask is, will it make a clinical difference if my dosing of this drug varies by 10% or so?

goddamnedtwisto posted:

What I'm hearing is that the literature doesn't show that ants *didn't* build the pyramids, so now I want an entire History Channel series.

Gonzo McFee posted:

https://twitter.com/BBCChrisD/status/1194536184820748288?s=19

Lib Dems are going to absolutely gently caress it.

Ms Adequate posted:

Suspect you're right, at least to some extent. Lib Dems have always had a reputation quite a bit left of the actual party leadership, and I'm not sure how many people took the coalition's lesson to be "LDs are right wing", especially now that it's a few years ago and they've managed to make Remain such a central issue.

Jedit posted:

The Lib Dems are presently in the same rough political location as Thatcher in 1979, except a notch or two less authoritarian.

Jedit posted:

The Lib Dems are presently in the same rough political location as Thatcher in 1979

Grey Hunter posted:

The party, yes, but the voters? Most people I know who vote lib dem still seem to think of them a the pre-collation "lets scrap tuition fees" style lib dems with cancel brexit sprinkled on top, they seem to be disconnected to the current yellow Tories.

Surprise T Rex posted:

Bobby Deluxe posted:

Just for reference this was not the point I was making. The mainstream porn industry in Cali is garbage, certainly. But by cracking down on 'the porn industry' without being specific, you risk damaging the more honest and expressive good porn (and I include consensual BDSM and kink in that).

My point was that there are many different 'porn industries' and not all of them are good, not all of them are bad. If you read that list and thought that all of it was bad... Oof.

What I do object to are the Max Powers of the porn industry, the ones taking actresses, spitting on them, slapping them, belittling them offscreen into going to see plastic surgeons.

Misogyny is rife in the cali scene, both on and off camera. Now that's fine if that's your kink and it's labelled as such and everyone consents, but when that is the so called mainstream and it gives more naive viewers the impression that it's normal, something needs to change.

This is a little bit misogynistic though, assuming that women don't have sex drives or exhibitionist tendencies, or that they had to have been forced into it to be doing it. Aella (link is sfw image wise but obviously the text is about sex work) is one ex performer who is fairly passionate about this slightly misogynistic removal of agency.

When I see someone making money from sex work, the only reason I would feel sorry for them is how much poo poo they must put up with from stalkers. For example did you know that in both the US and UK, performers have to make their real names and addresses publicly accessible? There are ways around it, but the intent of the law is to absolutely make their real identity open to everyone.

Then again, female youtubers and cosplayers get similar poo poo for much lower pay, so maybe men are just dirt.

But really, the issue there is the danger inherent to an unregulated and unprotected industry. In the same way we fight for the rights of a mcdonalds worker who is doing it for the money, we should also fight for the rights of sex workers.

So with that in mind, why not regulate the industry to make it safe for them, rather than banning it so that they have one less way to survive?

coffeetable posted:

Great job for putting this together, but I think it falls into the trap that most every career advice does: giving the advice that did well by you personally.

Surprise T Rex posted:

Yeah, I felt this a lot when I was writing it but couldn't really put my finger on what was wrong. I mostly avoided talking about things like bootcamps and apprenticeships because I have no experience of either and honestly couldn't tell you the good ones from the scams.

Boot camps tend to focus on getting you up to speed in Javascript from nothing to "I can make a website" though, so can be good. Some of them even have guarantees of work placements after they're done.

As for apprenticeships, a friend of mine started as an apprentice and recommends it massively. I'd say to only do a single 'level' of an apprenticeship though if that's still a thing, another friend started as an apprentice and kept getting convinced by the company to do the 'next level up' or whatever, which meant they could basically just keep paying him less. Three years into both our careers he was earning a good £10k less than I was for basically the same work.

Zalakwe posted:

A lot of guff being spoken about the Lib Dems in this thread.

To my shame I probably know more about how they function than anyone here so in the interests of understanding our enemies and knowing our “Skills Wallet” from our “Fruit Face” I have written this handy guide in the form of a true or false quiz:

1. Lib Dem local parties are all lefties really.

False – Lib Dem local parties are usually a mix of inoffensive people that care deeply about one issue or another the Lib Dems have attached themselves to over the years. Trident, Iraq, the environment, the gay rights movement, saving a local post office, get offensive Government out etc. There might be the occasional old timey genuine big L Liberal but ideologically they are usually very loose knit, locally rather than nationally focused, defined by what they are against, and small c conservative in that they’re comfortable financially and don’t really like change. The latest stripe of these is the Remainer. Occasionally in an affluent area they can sort of be a Labour light, socially acceptable leftish party but it’s mainly a façade or a story members tell themselves.

2. The Lib Dems are nationally run.

False – They were locally driven long before Labour’s recent local renaissance. The standard model is to target one Council ward regarding a local issue then build from there, capturing further wards until you have a shot at the seat. This, rather than any left wing credentials, is why they are stronger at council level. The vast majority of the time any candidate with a hope of winning was a local councilor for years. This is also another reason they are so disparate, saving posts offices and filling in pot holes are far easier asks than overhauling the tax system for your average Tory or Labour voter in an affluent area.

3. Lib Dem voters are either evil or actually want a pact with Labour/Corbyn

False – Or at least not in the main. Most are deeply suspicious of Corbyn (as are many Labour voters) but it’s not because they hate the poor, they’re just caught in a middle class bubble with no experience of poverty. Labour are currently seen as extreme because they are forcing affluent voters to confront the genuine issues in society rather than just tut about them while occasionally donating clothes to Oxfam. Lib Dems have busy lives dominated by school runs, work and aspiration. They don’t see why they need to go through any upheaval to solve problems that seem far away - charities, Government etc are on it already aren’t they? Conversely revoking is not seen as extreme as it is a return to the status quo.

4. Lib Dems are strategically inept.

False – They are hardly Sun Tzu either, but what many in this thread don’t realise is that the messages they are laughing at aren’t meant for them. All of the Lib Dems marginals have them up against the Tories, that means they need to capture Labour remainers suspicious of Corbyn and Tory remainers wary of a Labour Government. Attacking Labour and Corbyn makes perfect tactical sense as long as you remember that the election is many local battles not a national one. In a similar way pretending they can win nationally is designed to gee up activists in the marginals where there are Lib Dems everywhere, to them it looks plausible. Re. standing down candidates they won’t unless Labour do, they are trying to force concessions which doesn’t make sense in terms of Brexit unless you remember…

5. There is nothing true about the Lib Dems.

True – Wait what? Sadly for them they don’t seem to have used their wilderness years to consider what they actually stand for. Charlie Kennedy (who I joined under) seems a very long time ago. Brexit is purely a vehicle for a tactical machine playing a long game with no clear objectives I can fathom. Currently the only objective is to get as many MPs as possible, enacting policy is secondary. Voting for them is voting for a shell and Skills Wallet and :lies: It all leaves them vulnerable, like in Cantebury right now where they are finding out that tactics and convictions don't necessarily mix and floating issues based voters will keep floating.

6. Bonus question – wtf is Fruit Face?

A much overused crappy campaign idea form the Scottish Lib Dems about 10 years ago no-one will remember. It was the Skills Wallet of 2007.

Bobby Deluxe posted:

This is a little bit misogynistic though, assuming that women don't have sex drives or exhibitionist tendencies, or that they had to have been forced into it to be doing it. Aella (link is sfw image wise but obviously the text is about sex work) is one ex performer who is fairly passionate about this slightly misogynistic removal of agency.

When I see someone making money from sex work, the only reason I would feel sorry for them is how much poo poo they must put up with from stalkers. For example did you know that in both the US and UK, performers have to make their real names and addresses publicly accessible? There are ways around it, but the intent of the law is to absolutely make their real identity open to everyone.

Then again, female youtubers and cosplayers get similar poo poo for much lower pay, so maybe men are just dirt.

But really, the issue there is the danger inherent to an unregulated and unprotected industry. In the same way we fight for the rights of a mcdonalds worker who is doing it for the money, we should also fight for the rights of sex workers.

So with that in mind, why not regulate the industry to make it safe for them, rather than banning it so that they have one less way to survive?

Sanitary Naptime posted:

The DiS forums accused us of being Lib Dem’s the other day, you’re not helping

Are you still involved with the party at all? I’d be keen to hear your take on Swinson and the direction she’s taken the party in either way.

Gonzo McFee posted:

https://twitter.com/BBCChrisD/status/1194536184820748288?s=19

Lib Dems are going to absolutely gently caress it.

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

Who gives a gently caress about petit-bourgeois women's agency to enjoy sex on camera when they're providing the plausible deniability that allows the vast majority of adults to live with themselves enjoying the fruits of sexual slavery and survival sex work though?

Cerv posted:

One question. Who are any of these people you’re talking about?

Cerv posted:

One question. Who are any of these people you’re talking about?

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

Who gives a gently caress about petit-bourgeois women's agency to enjoy sex on camera when they're providing the plausible deniability that allows the vast majority of adults to live with themselves enjoying the fruits of sexual slavery and survival sex work though?

Deketh posted:

Is there much/any freelance work for coders? Do you get many people working remotely? What's the office culture like? Sorry if these are dumb questions, just trying to get a sense of the field compared to my current.

Deketh posted:

Is there much/any freelance work for coders? Do you get many people working remotely? What's the office culture like? Sorry if these are dumb questions, just trying to get a sense of the field compared to my current.

Cerv posted:

One question. Who are any of these people you’re talking about?

Pesmerga posted:

Don’t know if you’ve all seen this, but it’s glorious.
https://twitter.com/peoplesmomentum/status/1194221297603088386?s=21

Sanitary Naptime posted:

The DiS forums accused us of being Lib Dem’s the other day, you’re not helping

Are you still involved with the party at all? I’d be keen to hear your take on Swinson and the direction she’s taken the party in either way.

coffeetable posted:

• Is there much/any freelance work for coders? Yes, though like most freelance work it's less steady than a salaried job and a good portfolio helps a lot. I'd say it's more common in software than most fields.
  
• Do you get many people working remotely? Yes, though like most remote work it's an ask beyond a normal job. I'd say it's more common in software than most fields.
  
• What's the office culture like? Depends entirely on the company and the office. Would hazard that it's a little quieter and a little less social/little more awkward than most professions. The work itself requires fewer meetings and interactions with other people than most fields.
  

For more general 'what's it like as a software dev', Google and Youtube around - there's a million different answers and they're all equally true.

RockyB posted:

THAT'S WHAT A SOCIALIST WOULD SAY!

RE: Coding chat - Programming as a skill is something that is great to have in your toolbelt. There's no end of fields where it's useful, from biology to data analysis. But in TYOOL 2019 development as a job is still being sold as one of the last high paying white collar jobs, much in the way that becoming a lawyer was 10 years ago. And much like being a lawyer there are still areas where yes if you're good and experienced you can earn a shitload. But the industry as a whole grinds through a massive amount of low level people, it's always uncertain whether your job is going to be automated out from under your feet or sent offshore, and you really have to run in place to keep skill relevant.

There can also be a massive psychological toll that people outside the field don't always realise. You have to have the right mindset to deal with corporate bullshit, requirement ambiguity and ridiculous complexity. Burnout is a massive problem, estimates put it at 40-50% of all IT employees. And there's a reason that IT guys are stereotypically alcoholics - just see the 'my boss says I don't scream enough' thread: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3571852. Hence the need for a constant stream of new people in the first place, really.

Actually thinking about it being an author might be a decent analogy. You get some 'rockstar' authors who earn millions. Those would be techbros. Some guys who make a decent corporate living doing technical writing. A fair few who scrape by writing amazon erotica and desperately hoping an algorithm change doesn't gently caress them over. And the heaving masses who try to write the next great novel and sink without a trace.

Not trying to discourage anyone necessarily, just don't see the 'learn to code!' stuff as a panacea. I've managed to carve out an extremely comfortable niche for myself and even I'm teetering on the nihilist 'oh god why I am sitting in the loving office again I should go start a farm' precipice.

E: And that's why I on company time.

RockyB posted:

burnout
grind
alcoholism

Guavanaut posted:

Anyone who cares about women's agency in general?

quote:

I really doubt even a plurality of these people are petit-bourgeois though, unless you consider them making side money outside of the wage labor system to be petit-bourgeois in and of itself, but either way the solution to survival sex work is a decent social floor, not bringing back the Contagious Diseases Acts or the Magdalene Laundries.

namesake posted:

Tbf they did offer that as a solution but then also weirdly execution for those that pay for their services.

I dunno how people think struggles for liberation are won by using a capitalist states legal codes and force against participants rather than empowering the workers to liberate themselves but I guess that's what's happening.

Guavanaut posted:

Anyone who cares about women's agency in general? I really doubt even a plurality of these people are petit-bourgeois though, unless you consider them making side money outside of the wage labor system to be petit-bourgeois in and of itself, but either way the solution to survival sex work is a decent social floor, not bringing back the Contagious Diseases Acts or the Magdalene Laundries.

Jose posted:

Hell of a post you last got probated for

https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3839774&pagenumber=342&perpage=40#post497675698

Zalakwe posted:

3. Lib Dem voters are either evil or actually want a pact with Labour/Corbyn

False – Or at least not in the main. Most are deeply suspicious of Corbyn (as are many Labour voters) but it’s not because they hate the poor, they’re just caught in a middle class bubble with no experience of poverty. Labour are currently seen as extreme because they are forcing affluent voters to confront the genuine issues in society rather than just tut about them while occasionally donating clothes to Oxfam. Lib Dems have busy lives dominated by school runs, work and aspiration. They don’t see why they need to go through any upheaval to solve problems that seem far away - charities, Government etc are on it already aren’t they? Conversely revoking is not seen as extreme as it is a return to the status quo.

5. There is nothing true about the Lib Dems.

True – Wait what? Sadly for them they don’t seem to have used their wilderness years to consider what they actually stand for. Charlie Kennedy (who I joined under) seems a very long time ago. Brexit is purely a vehicle for a tactical machine playing a long game with no clear objectives I can fathom. Currently the only objective is to get as many MPs as possible, enacting policy is secondary. Voting for them is voting for a shell and Skills Wallet and :lies: It all leaves them vulnerable, like in Cantebury right now where they are finding out that tactics and convictions don't necessarily mix and floating issues based voters will keep floating.

gh0stpinballa posted:

that might have been me, sorry it's just how i feel

Surprise T Rex posted:

Coding job effort post incoming