I hate the hype about coding. It's not for everybody. I only code when i need to solve complex problems or design a product for money or my use.
Learn to Code, It's Harder Than You Think
61–70 of 197 posts
Re: Learn to Code, It's Harder Than You Think
#62I feel like the discussion around this post will suffer from a lack of specificity over what a 'software developer' is. Someone who works primarily on small javascript web applications has a really different job from someone who works on a large application built on a LAMP stack, or someone who writes complex iOS applications, or someone designs self-driving car software for Google, or someone who works on embedded s…
Yet all of those jobs have one thing in common: you have to know how to code. Being able to code is the baseline for all of them. If you can't code on some level, you can't do any of those jobs. The article is about coding, not engineering, the software process, reliability, etc. All of that just further raises the bar.
I think gabemart threw in "small javascript web application" as an example of a job where you don't need to know how to code, where you can get by copying & pasting from Stack Overflow.
A more interesting example is his "pacemaker embedded software" example. There's actually not very much software in a pacemaker. So that's an example of a field where engineering, process, testing & reliability skills are much more important than the ability to actually code. The coding in something like a pacemaker is usually done by an electrical engineer. A good EE may not be a good coder, but they should have the other skills you mentioned.
Re: Learn to Code, It's Harder Than You Think
#63I feel like the discussion around this post will suffer from a lack of specificity over what a 'software developer' is. Someone who works primarily on small javascript web applications has a really different job from someone who works on a large application built on a LAMP stack, or someone who writes complex iOS applications, or someone designs self-driving car software for Google, or someone who works on embedded s…
Someone who works primarily on small javascript web applications has a really different job from someone who works on a large application built on a LAMP stack, or someone who writes complex iOS applications, or someone designs self-driving car software for Google, or someone who works on embedded software for pacemakers, or someone who writes operating systems or designs programming languages. Do they? If your job i…
The software development aspect that you describe cannot be taught at a boot camp. I think the people claiming you can learn to code in a day mean (or think they mean) the coding part, and probably don't realise there's all that other stuff on top of it.
I would like to emphasise the last point you made. The coding skills, while broadly similar, are still different in each of those specialisms. Learning how to write effective code for a pacemaker is very different from writing a Ruby on Rails web app. They're both "coding" and you need the same kind of abstract thought, but you need to understand very different things to be good at them.
Re: Learn to Code, It's Harder Than You Think
#64There's a big gulf between knowing how to code and working as a professional software developer. I'm a writer for a marketing agency, but I write Google App Scripts, JavaScript, and PHP on a regular basis to automate tasks, try out ideas I have, etc. There's no way I could work as a professional software developer, but I know how to code enough to help make my professional/personal life easier and more fun. Isn't the…
As someone who is a software developer, I can assure you that this is enough coding skill to get a job as a software developer. Being able to learn how to code is the important bit. A lot of places will expect you to learn how to do most of what you're doing as you go.
Re: Learn to Code, It's Harder Than You Think
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Each of these jobs probably have a particular set of paths that lead to them. I think the commonality is that at the minimum you need to be able to read English at a proficient level, which weeds out the vast majority of American adults.
The vast majority of adults can't read English well? Let's get real here, that's not even close to the truth.
Out of curiosity, what makes you believe that? I live in America, and your claim sounds somewhat bizarre.
Re: Learn to Code, It's Harder Than You Think
#66I liken coding to playing a musical instrument. Some people are musically inclined, they can learn easily and fast and they tend to the best. But most people require some level of training complimented by the dedication of what amounts to mostly self-practice. So in a way, you're self taught. The vast majority of people are willing to buy an instrument, just to see if they are musically inclined, but when they find o…
> I liken coding to playing a musical instrument. Except with a musical instrument, anybody can judge whether you are good at it. Not so with programming. Everybody who ever wrote one line of HTML can call themself a programmer, but only trained people can tell whether you are a good one. You might say at this point: so what? But I think the distinction is important, because it may be the reason the "driving force" i…
Pop music is quite capable of working with "stars" who can't play their instrument or sing, especially since the invention of Autotune.
Re: Learn to Code, It's Harder Than You Think
#67I feel like the discussion around this post will suffer from a lack of specificity over what a 'software developer' is. Someone who works primarily on small javascript web applications has a really different job from someone who works on a large application built on a LAMP stack, or someone who writes complex iOS applications, or someone designs self-driving car software for Google, or someone who works on embedded s…
> Each of these jobs probably have a particular set of paths that lead to them. I think the commonality is that at the minimum you need to be able to read English at a proficient level, which weeds out the vast majority of American adults.
Did you seriously just suggest that the majority of American adults are illiterate? I'd love to see the source you base that claim on.
Re: Learn to Code, It's Harder Than You Think
#68The unasked question is whether learning to code is only useful if you intend to be a software developer. I believe that the logic and analytic skills acquired from learning to code are useful throughout your life no matter what job you take.
The analogy people in my company like to use is that everyone learns to write, but not everyone becomes a novelist. Everyone learns arithmetic, not everyone is a professional mathematician. Everyone takes science classes in school, whether or not they intend to be a scientist.
Coding is pervasive enough that is is worth at least learning the basics. If you turn out to like it and be good at it, go ahead and pursue it as a job. Otherwise, those basics are just a part of modern literacy.
Re: Learn to Code, It's Harder Than You Think
#69I'm currently in an undergraduate program for Computer Science at the University of Wyoming.
At my level (third year Computer Science classes), I've had the following class composition:
- 2 classes dedicated to learning C++ (COSC 1010 was skipped, but included here for numbers, and COSC 1020)
- 2 classes dedicated to algorithms in C++ (COSC 2030, 3020)
- 1 class dedicated to math (COSC 2300, discrete structures)
- 1 class dedicated to functional programming (3015) (mostly proofs related to recurrence relations)
In the future, it looks like my courses will be filled with networking, operating systems, compilers, and a couple other math topics.
The problem is that most students only get a very foundational introduction to programming in this program. Students are tasked with writing code, but only limited quantities in very specific areas. That's algorithm development and implementation.
The answer might be that students should be taking software development or some other degree, but right now CS is the route most students try to take to become developers. This isn't a good approach, because at the end they have very little development experience -- only some algorithms and knowledge of computers.
I too would answer with "self taught" for how I learned to program -- definitely not from this program thus far.
Re: Learn to Code, It's Harder Than You Think
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
Err, yeah, you could work as a professional programmer if you wanted to. You can code. The whole point the article is trying to get across is that a lot of people are simply unable to learn how to code. You've learnt. You CAN become a professional. You just don't realize it. The step you've taken is the hard one. In fact, there's another big dirty secret in programming. A load of professional programmers aren't able…
Random dude who learns basic scripting says he's not good enough to be a software dev -> people chime in disagreement. But, try to actually take them up on the offer and you'll probably find yourself jumping through programming interviews that will scoff at your basic skills. Most of us got started writing little scripts. It's definitely a great start. To say that he could work as a professional programmer now is rid…
The way it usually works is you get a job doing non-primarily coding stuff at a company that has also has programmers, and then get shifted to a development job when people figure out you can code.