Well, years back I released an unstable sort called pdqsort in C++. Then stjepang ported it to the Rust standard library. So at first... nothing. Someone else did it.
A couple years later I was doing my PhD and I spent a lot of time optimizing a stable sort called glidesort. Around the same time Lukas Bergdoll started work on their own and started providing candidate PRs to improve the standard library sort. I reached out to him and we agreed to collaborate instead of compete, and it ended up working out nicely I'd say.
Ultimately I like tinkering with things and making them fast. I actually really like reinventing the wheel, find out why it has the shape that it does, and see if there's anything left to improve.
But it feels a bit sad to do all that work only for it to disappear into the void. It makes me the happiest if people actually use the things I build, and there's no broader path to getting things in people's hands than if it powers the standard library.
Greetings! I am looking for my break to get into the contemporary software development scene, after having previously developed software (primarily Windows utilities) on my own and having dabbled in various technologies. This break will most likely take the form of a tech support, documentation, or QA role for a software development team. An entry-level developer position would be even better, from a company that will have a bit of patience as I rapidly level up to their contemporary technology of choice.
I like both the aesthetic, UI, and social challenges of frontend development as well as the complex, very technical puzzles involved in backend development. It is very easy for me to be fascinated by cool technologies, both old and new.
Another appealing option for me would be to be involved with AI model training and evaluation.
I've had several years experience working remotely with international teams, though in primarily non-technical roles.
I look forward to making first contact with your world!
Correct. Above all else, passion and continued perseverance are the hallmarks of anyone truly successful at their trade. There is an excellent quote from Saint Francis of Assisi that, quite honestly, explains the software engineering field about as well as it did masonry in the 13th century (or writing in the 18th century).
He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.
