81–90 of 97 posts
> Most of them are already applying for developer jobs, or will start applying within the next year. I think the possible answers for this question bias towards that conclusion. Out of the five options, four refer to a time frame between now and a year from now. Also, for the "Which learning resources have you found helpful?" I'm surprised that the official documentation for the language one is learning and "random t…
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You'd be surprised as to how many people do not read the official documentation for the tools they use. They'll spend time on Google or Stack Overflow rather than a minute in the official docs—even when they're great (e.g. Rails guides).
Well, in their defense, most documentation is terrible. You get used to being able to find something in two Google searches that you couldn't find in five minutes looking through the docs.
Interesting to see that only half of bootcamp attendees actually found a job. That's not the kind of stats these camps like to advertise.
"What is Free Code Camp?
We’re an open source community that helps you learn to code."
I know code camps are usually web focused, but I'm really surprised about the lack of any lower level, desktop, or non web back end options for "which roll are you most interested in". Coming from a CS background I was also surprised that more people were interested in front end web development than back end web development, because most of the people I interact with hate front end web development with a passion.
Front-end programming is very visual. You can immediately see/sense/feel what you have developed/program, so there is a expedited positive feedback loop. This can appeal to beginner programmers because it gives a immediate sense of satisfaction and accomplishment vs. backend programming where you see lines of output spit back to you in a terminal.
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That's interesting, as I feel the opposite. I am a front end dev for a large eComm company, but do a lot of back end programming and scripting in my free time. The reason I love programming is problem solving. I have the most fun doing coding challenges, and get the most immediate sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when I write an algorithm that solves a test case. Although my day job is primarily "application…
I wonder how much of this is because they are simply new to the field. Front-end stuff is more immediate, and immediacy is appealing. Back-end stuff has you spending less time worrying about compatibility headaches and all the non-problem-solving rabbit trails, but if you haven't spent a lot of time programming, you might not realize this and just assume that the level of headaches doesn't vary much.
> Most of them are already applying for developer jobs, or will start applying within the next year. I think the possible answers for this question bias towards that conclusion. Out of the five options, four refer to a time frame between now and a year from now. Also, for the "Which learning resources have you found helpful?" I'm surprised that the official documentation for the language one is learning and "random t…
I was surprised 'a book' wasn't an option.
I learned by going to four libraries (village, town, high school and city) and reading every single book on computers and programming they had plus the entire set of manuals for every system I encountered and any additional systems for which manuals were available. That was basically the whole of my 80s. [0] In the 90s I spent significant enough proportion of my disposable income on programming books that until recently off loaded a dozen crates them they made up the majority of my material possessions by both weight and bulk.
These days I just google stuff.
Also, the selection bias in the survey probably excludes book learners.
[0] With the gaps being filled by arcade games, dial up BBSs and questionable music/fashion choices (even for the 80s). We have stereotypes for a reason.
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I had a little bit of a career, had a kid, and became a stay-at-home dad. After working from home for a bit, I ended up letting the career slide and ultimately end. Along the way I realized I didn't really care for it. Now I'm back in school in an unrelated field and realizing that coding can be an asset in the field. I'm working on a personal coding project as a way to get back into things. My physics prof believes…
> My physics prof believes that going to school for computer science is like going to school to learn all how a shovel works, while other majors (like physics) just learn how to use the shovel in order to accomplish their goals. And this is how labs end up with terrible code that doesn't follow any best practices and is completely unmaintainable. If scientists weren't so arrogant, they might realize that if we're spe…
If some programmers weren't so arrogant, they might realize that terrible code that doesn't follow any best practices and is completely unmaintainable solves a lot of day-to-day problems in many many fields/businesses.
The beauty of programming and the spread of knowledge today is that you absolutely need not be an expert to make something that works and automates real work in the real world, every day.
Again, "some programmers" (not all) seem to be overzealous in defending some kind of exclusive right to develop software the right way, as opposed to the wrong amateur way.
This irks me a little bit, not meant to be a caustic comment =) sorry if it sounds a bit like one.
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> My physics prof believes that going to school for computer science is like going to school to learn all how a shovel works, while other majors (like physics) just learn how to use the shovel in order to accomplish their goals. And this is how labs end up with terrible code that doesn't follow any best practices and is completely unmaintainable. If scientists weren't so arrogant, they might realize that if we're spe…
> If scientists weren't so arrogant, they might realize that if we're spending years studying something it might be a bit more complex than a shovel. If some programmers weren't so arrogant, they might realize that terrible code that doesn't follow any best practices and is completely unmaintainable solves a lot of day-to-day problems in many many fields/businesses. The beauty of programming and the spread of knowled…
I'm well aware that terrible code solves many problems out there. Yes, it's great that people are able to use code to solve problems without being experts. It's also true that their code could be even better if they learned a bit more.
Just because people can do the basic level of something (it's great that they can!) doesn't mean the field is easy or useless. It's especially irksome that the primary reason physicists can hack together dirty scripts easily is thanks to the pioneering work of actual computer scientists.
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> If scientists weren't so arrogant, they might realize that if we're spending years studying something it might be a bit more complex than a shovel. If some programmers weren't so arrogant, they might realize that terrible code that doesn't follow any best practices and is completely unmaintainable solves a lot of day-to-day problems in many many fields/businesses. The beauty of programming and the spread of knowled…
I think you're getting angry about something I never said. I'm well aware that terrible code solves many problems out there. Yes, it's great that people are able to use code to solve problems without being experts. It's also true that their code could be even better if they learned a bit more. Just because people can do the basic level of something (it's great that they can!) doesn't mean the field is easy or useless…
It's funny. I'm seeing this, while I'm thinking about dropping out of this career. I don't want to be one of those girl dropout stats, but lately I'm feeling a desire to start a family. fwiw I just passed 32 and I don't know if I want to do programming/software engineering jobs anymore. I'm hoping its just a phase.
hey, i turn 32 today. i'm also feeling dissatisfied with being a programmer. i don't think it's a phase though. honestly, i can't remember a time that i've been satisfied with my situation.