Meet the Writer: HackerNoon's Contributor: Correspondent One, Engineer

So let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.

My name is….. not important. I plan to remain anonymous. Why? you might ask. Well it's because I saw that you could use a pen name on Hackernoon so I decided to go with it (I do wish I had chosen a different pseudonym though).

Unfortunately, it's not because I'm hiding my great wealth and fame 🙁 . I’m a big fan of futurism and interested in everything from driverless cars to crypto, and I really love nature. I guess from this you might have learned something about me, I value privacy.

I have dumped Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Something else you might have learned about me too is that it’s not isolation I seek, as I like to write!

Interesting! What was your latest HackerNoon Top story about?

My latest Hackernoon story was about a time I interviewed for a software company. It was my first, and only time doing so and it was a bit of an experience. Go read the story via my profile if you haven't already! Or here is a direct link: The Story of How I Almost Became a Developer

…… is what I would have said if I didn’t take sooo long to submit this article after I started it, that I had another top story after the first one. My latest top story is about growth marketing. Full of to-dos and to-not-dos. Check it out here: How to Find X When Your Product + X = Success

Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?

I don't usually write on personal topics (as I did on my second story). I didn't expect it to be so well received! I was happy it was. I usually write articles that require a fair amount of research and reading on my part.

I have only just written a third article so I am not sure if I have a ‘type' yet, but we'll see!

Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)

I do have a writing routine that I always follow. My routine involves creating a planning document where I write an overview of all the points I want to cover in the article. Then I plan out the structure, including the word count, which I seem to always exceed.

I may expand the planning document after I have done some research and read some material. I then take the points one by one from the planning document and expand on them in the article.

Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?

I spend more time worrying about writing well than writing, which is sad. Plus I think I need to learn how to write shorter articles! I try to think that though I may not be able to write many articles, I write high-quality ones.

Challenges, especially of these sorts, are the ones that lead to personal improvement, so I’m not complaining much :)

What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?

I'm trying to really get back into programming, I started years, more than a decade, ago and just stopped. Apart from some sporadic coding once every few months. Why? See the next question for answers.

I plan to start taking courses on AI/ML and Data Analysis. Currently, I want to improve my mathematics prior to those courses. Game dev is something I am considering too. I’m also trying to learn a lot about the physics/hardware side of engineering.

Are you getting Oliver Twist vibes from this answer? I plan to put all of these into my upcoming tech startup. A full plate I guess. There is so much you could do with tech these days.

Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?

Being addicted to the internet. I hope that pleasure dies a quick and horrible death, soon.

Do you have a non-tech-related hobby? If yes, what is it?

Hmn, I like to read and enjoy taking walks in nature. I don’t do much of either right now but hopefully soon and I highly recommend both. I also really enjoy audiobooks. Definitely try audiobooks.

What can the HackerNoon community expect to read from you next?

They can expect some investigative articles into cryptocurrency and finance. I'll be thinking of other types to write too. Hopefully with some regularity! I may start a newsletter if I have useful content that is worth sharing on a regular basis.

What’s your opinion on HackerNoon as a platform for writers?

I think it's great. It's been a very welcoming experience from the editors. There aren't many places that offer the mix of an easy publishing process, contests, and a free-to-read site. Plus they have been quick to answer emails when I had questions about the website.

HackerNoon seems to combine the good sides from blogging/social media with those from an online news website. Places that would take an article from a new writer without a portfolio and put it on their websites’ front-page for free are rare.

Thanks for taking time to join our “Meet the writer” series. It was a pleasure. Do you have any closing words?

It's been great being on HackerNoon, I'm planning to write more stories in the future. Thank you for being my audience.