25th August 2009
Chris Wanstrath (defunkt) Interview
GitHub Firefighter.
Hello. I have 9 questions to you about working process and programming. So, when you’ll be able – please answer them. Or just some of them. I want become Ruby Pro and earning money with fun.
Great!
I was doing PHP consulting and convinced some of my clients to try out
Ruby on Rails. They agreed, I gave them a bit of a discount, and
everyone was happy.
Where, and how, do you search for work now? Can you give me some advice on the best ways to find Ruby related work?
I work full time at GitHub. Start your own company – that’s a great
way to find work 
What advice would you give a Ruby beginner without any projects ready to show?
Open source! Write and release projects, fix bugs in other peoples’
projects, be active in the community. The best way to improve is by
writing and reading code.
What have you learned in the past about working with Ruby, clients, how to find good clients, etc.? Many people dream about changing the past for a better present moment … anything you want to share?
Don’t give up and don’t worry. Work hard and stay focused, but don’t
work too hard. Be patient. Working hard is definitely the secret to
success.
What books, or sites, or recipes, or whatever else you can recommend (they may be about productivity, or negotiation, or thinking – anything you think will help me live a better life as a programmer)?
I love rubyinside.com for staying on top of the latest Ruby news.
I also follow many popular Rubyists like technoweenie and nzkoz on
Twitter to stay in the loop.
I think the secret to being a better programmer is to stop caring what
other people think of you, stop worrying about appearances and
judgement, and instead just start programming. It’s not easy but it’s
always the best tactic.
How much time per week do you work? How do you keep yourself productive and focused?
I’m not sure. I start work between 8:30 and 10 most days, then work
until 6 or 7 if I’m going out that night. If I’m not going out I’ll
work until 1 or 2am. I don’t really worry about how many hours I work
- instead I focus on what I need to get done.
I find planning what you will do tomorrow is the best way to stay
productive. That way it’s easy to get up and immediately start working
- no need to spend time figuring out what to do or where to start.
Think about what you’ll do tomorrow tonight.
I don’t really have a workspace. I work from home and constantly move
between laying in bed, working on my couch, working at my office desk,
and working at the dinner table. I like to move around.
Emacs and Git are the most important tools in my toolbox.
How do recommend becoming a successful and profitable programmer?
Like I said – work hard and write a lot of code. Don’t get hung up on
appearances or what other people think. Don’t worry about reading
about design patterns or methodologies – learn by doing.
What should every programmer know?
Take breaks throughout the day. I like playing guitar and Rock Band.
Thanks
Chris, thank you a lot for your attention and your advices.