To Become A Programmer
Every now and then someone asks me to teach them how to program. I'm happy to oblige most times, but many times I'll find the person getting frustrated a ways into the lessons for various reasons. One point that I probably don't make often enough (in the hopes of not discouraging people from trying to learn to program) is that there is a difference in becoming a programmer, and becoming a good programmer.
What's the difference you ask? Simply put, the difference between a programmer and a good programmer, is a state of mind. Some people consider me a good programmer, mostly from what I can tell due to the fact that I have a good working knowledge of quite a few programming languages. Though this is flattering, and I have worked hard to earn that knowledge, those people often overlook the more important reasons I strive towards which would make me a truly good programmer. Knowledge is only half of the battle with programming, the rest of the battle is using your intuition and logical thought processes to apply that knowledge.
Saying someone is a good programmer because they have the knowledge, is like saying a person is a good driver because they attend driver's education in school and got a good grade. For those of you blessed enough to not have had to deal with driver's education, it doesn't take much to do well in the class. You read a bit in some books provided by the state, you take some visual, audio, and written tests, and then you pass. I know that almost every driver around me that was born in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania has taken driver's education, and I also know that about 8 out of 10 of them are some of the worst drivers I've ever had the misfortune of being near while in my car.
I can teach you the knowledge for programming, but if you aren't able to think like a programmer, you won't be a good programmer, just as you more than likely would be a horrible driver if the only experience you ever got was a driver's education class. It takes time and energy to master the art, just as with driving. Buckle in and dedicate yourself to the task, you can be sure you have a good chance of becoming a great programmer.
Oh, and for those of you wondering, I consider myself to be going through about the 40th installment of the programming equivalent of driver's education, so I'll keep at it with you. ;)
- Andy
What's the difference you ask? Simply put, the difference between a programmer and a good programmer, is a state of mind. Some people consider me a good programmer, mostly from what I can tell due to the fact that I have a good working knowledge of quite a few programming languages. Though this is flattering, and I have worked hard to earn that knowledge, those people often overlook the more important reasons I strive towards which would make me a truly good programmer. Knowledge is only half of the battle with programming, the rest of the battle is using your intuition and logical thought processes to apply that knowledge.
Saying someone is a good programmer because they have the knowledge, is like saying a person is a good driver because they attend driver's education in school and got a good grade. For those of you blessed enough to not have had to deal with driver's education, it doesn't take much to do well in the class. You read a bit in some books provided by the state, you take some visual, audio, and written tests, and then you pass. I know that almost every driver around me that was born in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania has taken driver's education, and I also know that about 8 out of 10 of them are some of the worst drivers I've ever had the misfortune of being near while in my car.
I can teach you the knowledge for programming, but if you aren't able to think like a programmer, you won't be a good programmer, just as you more than likely would be a horrible driver if the only experience you ever got was a driver's education class. It takes time and energy to master the art, just as with driving. Buckle in and dedicate yourself to the task, you can be sure you have a good chance of becoming a great programmer.
Oh, and for those of you wondering, I consider myself to be going through about the 40th installment of the programming equivalent of driver's education, so I'll keep at it with you. ;)
- Andy
Labels: Development
posted by z|Andrew at
1:52 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home