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I didn't learn programming when I was 12

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Re: I didn't learn programming when I was 12

#71

Post by will_work4tears »

mechanical_fish wrote: post #38

People are already telling you that eighteen is not too old to learn programming. And they are correct. People start at forty and fifty. I have a different point to make. There will always be someone smarter than you. Someone who started younger, learned faster, accomplished more. They're smarter than you are now, and they'll probably always be smarter than you. Just get used to that as quickly as possible and move o…

Great post, can't upvote enough. I didn't start at 12 either. I didn't start at 18 even. At 18 I did try my hand at some qbasic - I tried to reverse engineer that gorilla game with the bananas and the wind. I also wrote a couple scripts for MajorMud, so I could "play" even when I was asleep and at work.

That aside, I didn't even go to college until I was 26 and it was for Biochemistry. That was too hard for my weak little brain, so I switched to CS (which wasn't much easier tbh, but it was a bit, for me at least).

I graduated when I was nearing 31, and at that point had only been programming seriously (internship) for a year.

I'm not that great still, but only been out of college since early 2009, but at least posts like this give me hope that I can be more than passable.

Re: I didn't learn programming when I was 12

#72

Post by evincarofautumn »

barrkel wrote: post #34

The people who began at a super early age started off having it as a hobby. Whenever they were bored they could fall back on coding for fun. Which then grew their interest in the subject (really important). But then comes middle school. And after that high school. Where most of the time you worry about the upcoming test or college admissions. For others, it will be that one girl or that upcoming party. They didn’t co…

I have had much the same experience. In a way, programming for its own sake is a skill that’s worth it to have, but not worth it to learn. The up-front cost is high, and you get very little payout until you’ve progressed from journeyman to master. It’s very like writing in that regard, rewarding perseverance—and, by extension, addiction.

Re: I didn't learn programming when I was 12

#73

Post by SageChara »

Great article and very much true! I did begin learning how to program when I was 12, but after about six or seven attempts over the years, decided it wasn't for me. I just couldn't stick with it.

Now as an eighteen year-old, programming is what I do for a living, and I love it! Instead of working at restaurants for ten dollars an hour like my friends, I make thirty-six an hour with just under a year of experience.

I love my job.

Re: I didn't learn programming when I was 12

#74

Post by ruswick »

I'm 17 and started seriously only a year ago. Although I agree that starting at 18 is not a death knell, I think it is a serious inhibitor to success. The later you start programming, the more you postpone your career. I look around at some people who are of the same age who have been programming for significantly longer, and are making an order of magnitude more money. More time programming means more experience which means better jobs earlier in your career.

As for passion, sure, if you care about something, you can start at any age. But no matter when you start, you have to work your way up through internships and freelance work before you can create any semblance of a career. All of this takes time, and the sooner you get it out of the way, the more time you have to actually program for a living. Starting earlier gives you a significantly better shot at becoming successful.

Re: I didn't learn programming when I was 12

#75

Post by [deleted] »

hmrmaxwell wrote: post #55
mechanical_fish wrote: post #38

People are already telling you that eighteen is not too old to learn programming. And they are correct. People start at forty and fifty. I have a different point to make. There will always be someone smarter than you. Someone who started younger, learned faster, accomplished more. They're smarter than you are now, and they'll probably always be smarter than you. Just get used to that as quickly as possible and move o…

"I want you to visualize the person who is better than you in every way, and also twelve years old. And then I want you to get used to the existence of this person. And get on with your life." Better yet: smile and be hopeful because of the existence of such a person.

[deleted]

Re: I didn't learn programming when I was 12

#76

Post by omnivore »

Noxchi wrote: post #33
10098 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what does that have to do with programming may I ask?

That's how you learn programming. I started off editing HTML I copied and pasted from someone and just changing some colors.

Yeah, same here. It was super easy to do in the 90s too. Prodigy homepage builder and I just went from there. Good times.

Re: I didn't learn programming when I was 12

#77

Post by ramses0 »

I want to contrast this with my experience learning guitar (classical guitar).

I started as an adult student, ~25, struggling to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I mean... really struggling. I didn't have any musical education prior to deciding to learn. Playing "Hot Cross Buns" on the recorder in 4th grade was the extent of my experience.

And I went to my first recital, surrounded by midget 12 year olds who had been playing for 5 years, and me sounding terrible.

And then I understood.

The race is with yourself, not with others. I'm as good as I am due to the work I've put in, but not yet as good as I can be. And this applies equally on all my endeavors (as well as it applies to those 12 year olds), it was just most apparent when I first started studying music.

It's very humbling to be schooled by a 12 year old. It takes a lot of restraint to take that extra step and be able to learn from them. Just last week I had a guitar lesson from a 16 year old. Half my age, but with twice my experience playing guitar. And I set aside my ego and I learned what I could, and I've set aside my XBox and am putting in the time to practice what he's suggesting for me to learn.

If you haven't tried learning an instrument it's a rewarding challenge and there's a lot you can learn that you can apply to other areas of your life.

Re: I didn't learn programming when I was 12

#78

Post by LargeWu »

AD1066 wrote: post #69
LargeWu wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also studied economics in college, but now program professionally, largely due to my experience at at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. If you are still looking for work after college, and I assume you are, I recommend you check out their Research Assistant program. http://federalreserve.gov/careers/ra.htm For me it was a great way to parlay my economics training into a programming career, even though that wa…

Thank you. I imagine such a position would be very competitive. I'd definitely be interested in hearing more about your application process, how prepared you felt you were based on coursework, and of course what the job was actually like.

Sure, send me an email at douglasrohde at gmail, I can certainly answer those questions.

Re: I didn't learn programming when I was 12

#79

Post by overgryphon »

Noxchi wrote: post #33
10098 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what does that have to do with programming may I ask?

That's how you learn programming. I started off editing HTML I copied and pasted from someone and just changing some colors.

Why is this good advice? It isn't the only way to learn programming, so why is it better than others?

Re: I didn't learn programming when I was 12

#80

Post by jiggy2011 »

mechanical_fish wrote: post #38

People are already telling you that eighteen is not too old to learn programming. And they are correct. People start at forty and fifty. I have a different point to make. There will always be someone smarter than you. Someone who started younger, learned faster, accomplished more. They're smarter than you are now, and they'll probably always be smarter than you. Just get used to that as quickly as possible and move o…

That story is interesting because it highlights what is often an enormous gap between people who are "pretty good" and people who truly excel. At times it feels like an impassable chasm.

As a similar example, when I was younger I used to cycle a lot. I would go out 4-5 times a week and would cycle as far as I could and as hard as I could. I got to the point where it became frustrating to cycle with any of the people I knew because I was so much faster that I could not get a reasonable workout if I went at their speed.

So I figured it was time to take the next step, so I signed up for the youth category of a regional cycle race to see how I would fare there. I remember seeing my competition, who were kids about my age but they had turned up with dedicated vans (embossed with sponsorship logos), support crews, carbon fibre bikes and personal trainers, the works. Many of them were actually the sons of pro cyclists.

So I line up at the start and when the gun goes off everyone plows forward, I manage to keep up for a while by working hard and feel pretty good about it. Though after a while it becomes obvious that they were really only just warming up and one by one they start to drop me until I'm stuck right at the back of the race.

This put me off cycling for quite a while, because it seemed like the choice was simply between dominating everyone or losing.

I sometimes think programming and computer stuff can be similar, everyone knows a kid who is a "computer genius" but in reality that can mean anything from knowing how to re-install Windows and fix basic computer problems to someone who hacks on the Linux kernel for fun.

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