Kiting in Cabarete while learning coding

[bayareakiteboarder]

Hey guys..

We've started a new "kite and code camp" in Cabarete (Dominican Republic) for traveling kiters!
This is a great opportunity to both enjoy Cabarete's strong consistent winds, as well as learning Web development as a skill for working remotely.
If you don't know how to kite, we can set you up with a local school to teach you that as well.
All the income goes to a non-profit organization that helps local kids in Cabarete!

As kiteboarders we're always looking for ways to keep us compensated while traveling with the wind.. so here's our chance, if you're not already a coder

Check it out, it's fun: http://kitecode.inspiredr.org

Feel free to post your ideas here!

Eli

[dylan*]

Very cool idea. I work remotely as a web developer myself and this is definitely the industry to be in if you're smart and want time to kite

[deniska]

Another developer here, with 20 years in the field.
I hate to rain on your parade, but prospects for getting a real coding job w/o a degree these days are pretty slim, imho.
About 17 years ago, they were hiring retarded people, during Y2K bubble.. If you could finish "java for dummies" or "java in 21 days" books - you'd get a job.. But those people got filtered out by the recession and most of them are back to their low tech jobs or welfare. Then there was a mobile development bubble.. Some made money, most - not really a living wage.. but this field is saturated now and so is web development.
So if you are really brilliant - sure thing, you can make it! If not, you would need to compete with army of college grads from India, China, ex-USSR and local developers with tons of experience.

[Mike101]

I tell people coding is like art. Yes you can go to art school but a portfolio says so much more than a diploma. If your serious about getting a coding job host a website and show the world what you've created.

Pure coding jobs are difficult to come by as experience is a must. It's a chicken and egg thing. You can't get experience without a job and you can't get a job without experience. Junior coders are taken on from uni where we know they have at least 10-20k hours practice. These guys aren't on great salaries and will need to wait for a few years to get the big(ger) bucks.

I used to work for a large scientific instrument manufacturer. Most of us had degrees in physics, engineering or chemistry and practically all of us code C, python or vba. To get your foot though the door you need something more than just 'programming'. It's a tough world but saying that any extra string to your bow is better than a limp piece of wood. Good luck everyone;

[tautologies]

Very cool idea. I work remotely as a web developer myself and this is definitely the industry to be in if you're smart and want time to kite

Do you think 4 hr a day for a week can teach you critical skills?

[deniska]

I tried working remotely from Cabarete for a month for my current job.
To be honest the internet speed & consistency there sucks (for VPN/remote desktop and stuff...).
Constant power outages, reset routers. I don't think I had a single day without any issues.
I had to break in to a couple of nearby wifi networks (backtrack, baby) just so that I could jungle between 3 WIFIs and phone's data plan to get some consistency..
never considered doing that again..

[TracyS]

I tried working remotely from Cabarete for a month for my current job.
To be honest the internet speed & consistency there sucks (for VPN/remote desktop and stuff...).
Constant power outages, reset routers. I don't think I had a single day without any issues.
I had to break in to a couple of nearby wifi networks (backtrack, baby) just so that I could jungle between 3 WIFIs and phone's data plan to get some consistency..
never considered doing that again..

I've been here 6 years and work online every day. Right now I have a 10mb plan at my restaurant that works fast and reliably. Before we bought the restaurant, we always had 2mb of speed in our house (in, fact we still do in the house) and that's enough to run a fairly large e-com store with custoner service calls via Google voice, Skype calls to staff, Netflix streaming, etc. To cure the problem with the power outages (in the instance you are at a place without a generator, which most places do have) we have a small back up power box with the modem plugged in to that. I'm not going to pretend we don't have occasional problems, but it's surely not been an every day problem for me. More like a once a month problem. I imagine it depends on where you stay. I own a condo on kite beach. I am sure if you are in a hostel or cheap hotel, there might be issues. You can always go to Cable Del Norte and rent your own modem with your passport and without a contract for 1500 -2500 DOP per month.

I am actually curious as to where you stayed.

[deniska]

I am actually curious as to where you stayed.

Seawinds, Ultravioletta - both appeared to have crappy wifi, for my needs..

[dylan*]

Very cool idea. I work remotely as a web developer myself and this is definitely the industry to be in if you're smart and want time to kite

Do you think 4 hr a day for a week can teach you critical skills?

No, absolutely not. But it's a place to start, which is all some people need. There's so much going on in the software world that it helps a lot to have some guidance to learn some absolute basics and be shown where to go next.

[tautologies]

Very cool idea. I work remotely as a web developer myself and this is definitely the industry to be in if you're smart and want time to kite

Do you think 4 hr a day for a week can teach you critical skills?

No, absolutely not. But it's a place to start, which is all some people need. There's so much going on in the software world that it helps a lot to have some guidance to learn some absolute basics and be shown where to go next.

Yeah I guess that's a good point.