I wanted to see if someone on HN is willing to mentor me through learning Python and Django. Below are some details on my current skill level, what I’m looking for, and what I can offer. I’m located in San Francisco.
I know what I'm offering is limited in value relative to what you are offering me, so I am open to give you anything else I could reasonably offer for this mentorship.
Current Skill Level:
I know the basics of Python and have gone through “How to Think Like a Computer Scientist” and written some small scripts. I understand how Django works and have been through some simple tutorials.
What I’m Looking For:
I’m looking for someone who could efficiently guide me through learning, i.e. what tutorials/projects/resources I should go through. More a mentor than a tutor. Maybe we’d meet once a week to code small samples. I would email you for help if I got stuck.
I do already spend time self-teaching, but I think I could learn much more efficiently through someone else’s guidance. I think this, because I have self-learned a lot of things and have found with a little guidance, things go substantially quicker.
What I can offer:
I can teach/guide you through learning:
- Account Fundamentals (understanding the 3 financial statements and how they flow together; balance sheet, cash flows and income statement)
- Interest theory, fixed income/debt/bond valuation
- M&A analysis and Valuation (Discounted cash flow, comparables/multiples, accretion/dilution)
- Options/Futures fundamentals (I think there is potentially an opportunity for adept programmers here to apply their skills).
- Bankruptcy/distressed corporate situations
- Crash course on how to dig through and interpret SEC filings (the only reliable free primary data source if you want to invest in public markets)
Why would you need these skills? I think they are crucial if you are:
1) An entrepreneur who will ever raise capital or sell your company
2) Someone interested in learning how to invest in the public or private markets – this knowledge will serve as a solid foundation/prerequisite
3) Someone in optimizing the financial efficiency of their business
I’d like to think I am at least acceptably good at teaching. I used to tutor economics, accounting, SAT prep, etc. and have received good feedback.
Credentials:
I’ve worked as an M&A/restructuring analyst at a reputable investment bank and have had offers from well-known financial institutions/hedge funds. I’ve also had the fortune to have some excellent mentors in my past. I can provide more details if you want over email.
My email is in my profile, I look forward to hearing from you.
ADDITION: email added to profile.
If you don't, finish the django book http://www.djangobook.com/en/2.0/ and start fiddling with Practical Django Projects http://www.apress.com/9781590599969. It's a decent book and gives you a feel of some real applications.
There always is stackoverflow and mailing lists if you get stuck.
You can also hop in #django on irc.freenode.net. Sometimes people on IRC can be a bit hostile but if you do your homework before asking questions, they are generally answered.
You also need to know if you are taking up on a real world project, you would need to learn other technologies - Javascript for client side interaction, html/css for UI. Django/Python are just one piece of the puzzle.