Once you have a SINGLE full-time remote employee your team should operate as a fully-remote team. That means online meetings, online communications, documentation, etc.
I started learning Python web-development with Django, but it really didn't click until I learned with Flask and other "minimalist" frameworks first. It could have been the available material at the time, but understanding step by step what I got for "free" with Django was really helpful for me.
I think it also helped me understand web frameworks (or at least the specific paradigm) in general. At times with learning Django I felt like I was _learning Django_. I have this same issue with ORMs.
That said I still really like Django and use it now that I have a somewhat better understanding of what it's actually doing.
I'd suggest Elixir if you're starting from scratch and _don't_ have to deal with too many third-parties. It honestly feels like the holy grail ecosystem if you're comfortable dealing with the gritty stuff once in a while and can live without types.
> And users DO see the difference from poorly written web apps.
While I agree and personally do get frustrated with poor performance web apps... there are few companies that let you focus on performance over features. Throughout my (admittedly short) career all I've heard is "we can optimize later", "product is more important", etc.
Which I'm prepared to admit may be true. It's just boring as fuck.
Especially in the US, teachers often have to assume a parental role and take care of children beyond the scope of their "job". The alternative is to watch children you see every day spiral down a bad path.
Sure, and then the already privileged people on HackerNews end up continuing to blindly exploit the under-privileged in developing nation. That sounds like a horrible solution.
There is nothing wrong with that, but careers under capitalism are about _signaling value_. I hope you find a place (or have found a place) where you're appreciated. :)