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You aren't getting any better

robertheaton.com

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Re: You aren't getting any better

#61

Post by zosima »

The article is fluffy and wrong. Writers, composers and programmers all get better from doing. For each new program written, you expand your style, your vocabulary and learn to express yourself in a simpler and more precise manner. This enables you to solve larger and more complex problems. Varying your environment, genre and language makes this learning even more intense.

In e.g. stockbroking and mathematics, the vigor of youth may very well make up for lack of experience. But what I've seen convince me that even though the common perception may be that's true for programming too, it's really very, very far from the case.

Re: You aren't getting any better

#62

Post by coldtea »

przemoc wrote: post #32

"My limited and very biased samples suggest that hackers have a much greater intrinsic desire to improve their skills than those in other professions. We want to be ninjas not just because it will mean better-paying and more exciting jobs, but because there is something innately cool about knowing how to properly wield Javascript, Erlang or Clojure." ENOPARSE. Beginning looked promising, but examples of what is cool…

>Hackers are behind stories like

You are probably a little behind the times. Like 15 years. The term "hacker" has stopped meaning exclusively these kind of guys for agres...

Re: You aren't getting any better

#63

Post by d23 »

zosima wrote: post #61

The article is fluffy and wrong. Writers, composers and programmers all get better from doing. For each new program written, you expand your style, your vocabulary and learn to express yourself in a simpler and more precise manner. This enables you to solve larger and more complex problems. Varying your environment, genre and language makes this learning even more intense. In e.g. stockbroking and mathematics, the vi…

Of course it's wrong. If you work at something for 40 years and don't get any better, you have a serious mental deficiency. Hell, even if you do have a serious mental deficiency, sheer basal ganglian muscle memory will make you better. This is absurd.

Re: You aren't getting any better

#64

Post by define_eprime »

NickPollard wrote: post #41
happimess wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious, would you elaborate on your reasons to avoid "to be" verbs?

There's a form of English called E-Prime [1] that does this, the idea (I believe) is to clarify what you mean and be clear about how your ideas of things came about. It stops lazy assertions and gives you perspective. For example, you can't say: Lua is better than Python[2] Instead you say: I prefer Lua to Python Or perhaps you say: More projects that I rate highly use Lua over Python. Or maybe: Lua scores more highl…

Has anyone ever defined E-prime in E-prime? The wikipedia page doesn't offer one but I'd imagine it would have to be a series of prolog-like assertions about E-prime. You obviously can't just say "E-prime is ..."

Re: You aren't getting any better

#65

Post by rhapsodyv »

The post has his point, but you can't compare experience from stock market with software development. They are complete different things. Your experience doesn't help much in the stock market because its random nature. In software development you really can accumulate knowledge and experience. You may not remember all things you read and do, but at least you will know where to look - and this is the key in this world jammed of information.

Re: You aren't getting any better

#66

Post by networked »

Dn_Ab wrote: post #48
happimess wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious, would you elaborate on your reasons to avoid "to be" verbs?

There is no science I can point to but I feel using language that way makes it as if the skill has become part of your identity. Makes it hard to detach. So that I insult Ruby or Apple and now I am insulting you. Google is dying means a big part of your self is becoming obsolete. I am a "pythonista/rubyist/haskeller" encourages tribal thinking. Them vs Us. I find this also explains much about flamewars. I don't like.…

>I am a "pythonista/rubyist/haskeller" encourages tribal thinking. Them vs Us. I find this also explains much about flamewars.

PG talks about exactly this point in Keep Your Identity Small [1].

[1] http://www.paulgraham.com/identity.html

Re: You aren't getting any better

#70

Post by define_eprime »

Whilst you are unavoidably picking up points on your CV with every project you complete and every line of code you write, you may not, and indeed probably are not actually getting any better.

I think I understand the gist of what he's trying to say: you can only know you've improved if you know what you're trying to achieve and measure what you do. By that measure doing arbitrary things "to get better" won't lead to improvement.

I think he's wrong in two ways.

First, he ignores a situation I've experienced many times - getting "stuck" in a point of stable local maxima after finding a less than perfect solution to a problem. Playing around with new and unrelated stuff occasionally helped me identify something I initially overlooked in my initial problem and lead me to something better.

Second, and perhaps more important, I believe the simple unconscious act of learning and sharing new things can lead many to live longer, happier and arguably better lives.

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