I was rejected by Codecademy three times, so I built my own

My introduction to computers was similar. I began by learning turtle graphics in the Logo programming language during my childhood days. It allowed me to be creative and draw pictures on a blank canvas using code. Back then, for me, programming was not about solving useful problems. Instead it was about expressing whatever random ideas come to mind.

Quoting a relevant excerpt from my own blog post[1] that I wrote sometime back:

> FD 100

> That is the "hello, world" of turtle graphics in Logo. That simple line of code changed my world. I could make stuff happen in an otherwise mostly blank monochrome CRT display. Until then I had seen CRTs in televisions where I had very little control on what I see on the screen. But now, I had control! The turtle became my toy and I could make it draw anything on a 320 × 250 canvas.

[1] https://susam.in/blog/fd-100.html

Oh wow, that it sad.

Based on the responses, I think I should clarify:

People that show that they want to be there often make for excellent teammates, because they actually care (the old missionaries vs mercenaries idea), and will often be willing to put in the effort to fill whatever gaps they lack, while creating a positive work environment.

Plus, they might have a really good feel for the product and market, because they're genuinely interested in it. You want people like that on your team.

Now, of course - businesses are not a charity that only employ people because they want to be there. There is a minimum bar of skills required and plenty of other traits that matter. And on the employer side, there's a ton of factors there too (budget, existing skills of the team, etc etc).

So yes, I was generalizing. But in general: I'd take someone who wants to be there with high aptitude who has things to learn over someone who has skills but doesn't actually give a crap about the product or company any day of the week, for the types of companies I'm trying to build. That doesn't mean my or your companies needs/goals are the same.

Oh nice fainlly a place to test my sandbox escapes... get ready to pwn!

I once wrote my daughter a similar BASIC program…she immediately changed it to her sisters name and wrote “S is stupid” and said “see, the computer said so so it must be true.”

I tried to reach her programming but she schooled me in AI-hype.

> It's silly how often employers overlook the "I just really want to be part of/build this" factor. People with that make for excellent teammates.

Every startup I've been a part of has picked up a few extremely passionate but not necessarily fully qualified people along the way. It's hard to turn down an enthusiastic candidate who really, really likes your company, so they're often given a chance.

Some of them turned out to be excellent teammates who did everything necessary to grow into the role.

But sadly, many of them just wanted to be startup people without doing the startup grunt work. Worst case, someone with a lot of passion that goes in a different direction than the founders can become a drag on the company or create a lot of conflict. (NOTE: I'm speaking generally, not implying this is the case with the linked author)

Passionate people are generally good when their skills and wants align with the company, but if they're not well-aligned then the passion just amplifies every conflict.