Congratulations, Ben! That's an awesome story!
I am by no means at the level of competence that Ben (or Ryan May, another matplotlib contributor and meteorology PhD student at OU) but have been able to turn what I've learned from lurking on the MPL listserv (as well as the Numpy/Scipy listservs) into an improved lot in life. By no means is it a permanent job, but based on what I've learned from everyone here, I was able to land what amounts to a Post-Doc position with the National Severe Storms Laboratory, while I work toward finishing my PhD. It's so much so that I spend more of my time actually helping solve other's MPL/Numpy/Scipy problems than I do working on my own stuff! I'll admit there are times where I think to myself I should be more selfish and focus on finishing my degree, but I believe that I owe it to the community to give back, even if it is off-list. My knowledge is a product of your knowledge and thus I believe I'm obligated to share it with those around me who lack it, but desperately need it. I have to admit, when I first came to the world of Python (from Java and C), I was amazed at the tools readily available --- the matplotlib, numpy, and scipys of the community. Specific to MPL, I thought it was the greatest thing ever. I did all of my plotting with it. However, as I got into more advanced Python programming and needed more complex examples, I became frustrated and discouraged that I couldn't do exactly what I wanted. So much so, that I temporarily switched to R and the use of the ggplot2 package. However, as I continued to advance I learned the beauty of matplotlib and realized just how powerful it actually was. I began to see how to do all the things I couldn't do before. It's powerful enough that I'm forcing those around me to switch to Python and MPL, not because I'm telling them they have to, but because they see what I'm doing with it and realize that in order to keep up, they need to make the switch. As I continue to mature as a Python person, I want to give back explicitly to the community that's given so much to me. The problem is, I don't know how. I'm intimidated by the awesomeness of what I see being done around me that I don't even know where to begin. How does one even begin to learn how to understand the deep intricacies of MPL, Numpy, and Scipy so that I'd begin to develop a comfort level that would allow me to begin to actively contribute? I know pretty much everyone on these listservs, including myself, is busy. (I'm in the midst of a 30-day PhD General Exam, and probably shouldn't even be reading the listservs and/or typing this email! *wink*) But if there are those out there that are willing to take a little time and invest in me, and I'm sure there are others like me, I'd gladly become an active contributor instead of a lurker. Anyways, I know this email is a tad on the long side, and a little off the original topic, so if you're still reading, thanks! This is something that's been weighing on me for a few months now, and I thought Ben's exultation of the benefits of the community might be a good time to open up. Cheers, Patrick --- Patrick Marsh Ph.D. Student / Liaison to the HWT School of Meteorology / University of Oklahoma Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies National Severe Storms Laboratory http://www.patricktmarsh.com On Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 11:19 AM, Fernando Perez <fperez....@gmail.com> wrote: > On Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 9:02 AM, Ethan Gutmann <ethan.gutm...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Also, congrats Ben, both on finishing the PhD and on the job. If you ever >> find yourself in Boulder, CO (I'm at NCAR), let me know and I'll buy you a >> drink. > > Indeed, congrats to Ben! And I'm very glad to see your many > contributions to the project finding acknowledgment and long-term > benefits for you. > > BTW Ethan, it's been a few years since the last time that John Hunter > and I lectured at NCAR (Dec. 2007), but in early April Min > Ragan-Kelley and I will be teaching at a workshop at CU, focusing on > data analysis with the 'scipy stack' and ipython's parallel machinery. > This will be in the context of a genomics workshop on campus, but if > you are interested we might be able to meet up with some of the python > crowd at NCAR... > > Just let me know if you are interested; best to write to > fernando.pe...@berkeley.edu, as I sometimes stop monitoring mailing > lists if I get swamped. > > Cheers, > > f > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Keep Your Developer Skills Current with LearnDevNow! > The most comprehensive online learning library for Microsoft developers > is just $99.99! 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