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How do I get my son or daughter interested in computer programming?

elaineou.com

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Re: How do I get my son or daughter interested in computer programming?

#11

Post by gbarc888 »

Mikeb85 wrote: post #9

Lol, I had an answer all written out, then read the last few lines of the article. Nice bait and switch, I actually enjoyed it. I agree, to make money, learn about money. Otherwise you'll always just be someone else's worker/slave... I also enjoy the answers here by people who obviously just read the headline or first few paragraphs, as I did when I formulated my first comment. Well played.

Curious what your answer would have been, though. Most of the answers seem to be "find a toy version of it".

Re: How do I get my son or daughter interested in computer programming?

#14

Post by jasode »

In her blog, the author (Elaine Ou) is conflating different meanings of the word "interested".

When people ask, "how do I get my daughter _interested_ in computers?", they often mean:

- "interested" == "find joy/play/fun"

But Elaine's essay is answering it by interpreting "interested" this way:

- "interested" == "understand and value the practical business work skills"

Using substitution, Elaine interprets the question as: "how do I get my daughter to understand and value the practical business work skills in computers?"

It doesn't mean Elaine's perspective is not valid. However, we have to be aware that she's not addressing what many people mean by being "interested".

Re: How do I get my son or daughter interested in computer programming?

#17

Post by kpil »

A good question, but unfortunately no answers.

The statement - "Nobody becomes a software engineer because they love writing code" - is definitely wrong and it's a bit sad that the author isn't enjoying the magical act of crafting complex machinery out of nothing.

A lot of people enjoy exactly that, and don't really care for the end-product, although I have to say that really good programmers enjoy coding as much as they are interested in the goal.

Re: How do I get my son or daughter interested in computer programming?

#18

Post by Mikeb85 »

gbarc888 wrote: post #11
Mikeb85 wrote: post #9

Lol, I had an answer all written out, then read the last few lines of the article. Nice bait and switch, I actually enjoyed it. I agree, to make money, learn about money. Otherwise you'll always just be someone else's worker/slave... I also enjoy the answers here by people who obviously just read the headline or first few paragraphs, as I did when I formulated my first comment. Well played.

Curious what your answer would have been, though. Most of the answers seem to be "find a toy version of it".

Let kids do what they want, it's not necessary to become a computer programmer to have a happy life or to make money.

If they ever find the interest on their own, they'll ask.

Re: How do I get my son or daughter interested in computer programming?

#19

Post by tslug »

What I don't recommend is going through programming exercises on the web, which seems to be a popular path that usually ends in stall-out.

Whether young or old, I think it's important that the person start by asking themselves what they would like a computer to do for them. From there, you can start to bite off small pieces of the challenge, slowly making progress towards something they actually care about.

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