Why was this thread deleted?
Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
41–46 of 46 posts
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#42Why was this thread deleted?
I assume your post got killed for the more explicit words you used. There were some of them. Anyway, I enjoy your writings. :)
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#43Well, that depends.
Can you visualize the storage of an array?
Can you look at this basic construct and build its state in your mind?
for (i = 0; i Can you walk through it in your head, and understand what it will print, when, and why? Not because you were told what it would do at some point, or because you ran it - but because because you can 'see' it? Do you take some amount of pleasure in doing the above?
If the honest answer is "no" then you'll never be more than a mediocre programmer. There is a lot of work for such programmers out there, and I'm sure you'll find employment - but I suspect the only thing you'll be happy with is the paycheck. You'll also never progress beyond mid-level at best, unless at a large corporation where seniority counts more than ability.
If the answer is "yes", then I think changing over has a very good chance of leading you to an enjoyable, lucrative career path. And you're starting off far ahead of most of the 'coders' entering the work force since the late 90s and early 00s.
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#44Hey, I'm 27, some time ago graduaded in cultural anthropology and 2 months ago started studying CS :) It's never too late to get involved into someting you feel passionate about. Good luck!
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#45If you don't have an idea for a project (I totally didn't), find an open source project that you like, start contributing to it and get to the point where you can get accepted as a core developer / maintainer. It can be a great way to show that you have chops (and you end up doing many things that are important dev skills, like code reviews, API design, handling a legacy codebase, etc.). Plus, it's fun and can be a good way to meet people.
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#46Talk to a professor.