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Could Coding Become the Next Mass Profession?

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Re: Could Coding Become the Next Mass Profession?

#101

Post by cafard »

jashmenn wrote: post #45
stevecooperorg wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you: what we think of as 'pro' programming -- writing large programs in formal languages and running it past an interpreter/compiler -- is probably only something the few will really get into. However, there's a couple of exceptions to this idea I'm not sure how to handle. MS EXCEL : It's a programming experience, of a sort, and is incredibly popular. I think it uses similar skills to writing code, but i…

Yes exactly! There have been times in history (pre-printing-press) where most people couldn't even read. I'm sure there where many scribes who would look down their noses and say that the common man would never take the time to read for himself. Our society has grown to be incredibly complex. Imagine taking your great-great-great-great-great-grandfather and dropping him in modern times today and asking him to fill ou…

Having long ago been a copy editor, and now being a member of a book club, I'd just point out that not all who write write well, and that many who read do so with limited understanding.

Re: Could Coding Become the Next Mass Profession?

#102

Post by benvanderbeek »

stevecooperorg wrote: post #55
benvanderbeek wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was talking to a (print) design friend the other day who's trying to learn to code. It's interesting to explain to a non-programmer what kind of person will/can become a programmer. If you don't love solving problems by digging and automating, then you will never be a programmer. As you say, not because of intelligence but rather desire and enjoyment.

Did your friend have any incentive to try it for themselves? For example, automating Photoshop using ActionScript? Maybe pro programmers like solving general problems, but professionals in other fields would be interested in solving things in just their domain.

Great idea. I'll mention that. He was coming at it from a somewhat arbitrary expanding-skillset approach, wanting to get his feet wet on the web side of things. I was explaining to him the difference between a creation that "looks" a certain way vs a creation that that "does" something.

Re: Could Coding Become the Next Mass Profession?

#103

Post by mistercheese »

GoldenMonkey wrote: post #100
mistercheese wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was also about the use writing and reading as an example of knowledge that used to be limited to just specialized roles. While there are still professions that deal exclusively with writing exceptionally well, it's now part of our basic education. I think in a similar way, computer literacy could be just a matter of education.

yes, but we get 12+ years of reading and writing education.

I believe we could really start teaching code at a relatively young age too, or at least start teaching them the ability to have the mindset for programming.

Re: Could Coding Become the Next Mass Profession?

#104

Post by barik »

michaelochurch wrote: post #80
Nitramp wrote: post #23

Citation missing, but I've read a paper that claimed rather convincingly that you need a certain mindset both to be good at programming and to enjoy programming (unsurprisingly, this comes hand in hand). It's not really problem solving, it's rather a specific kind of structured thinking. It's the attention to detail and the will to think through every aspect of an issue, to find a complete solution. That's also a use…

I don't remember and wasn't able to find it either, but I know which study you're talking about. There was a professor who gave his intro CS students an exam where they were supposed to interpret code. Of course, most of them had no idea what they were reading. The statement "X = X + 1" is (as a mathematical equation) garbage, even though it's legitimate in a conventional CS context (whereby '=' represents assignment…

The study you are thinking of is "The Camel Has Two Humps" by Dehnadi and Bornat, which was never officially published (and having read it, has several control issues that are cause for concern with respect to internal validity). However, most people continue to quote this study without realizing that the authors have retracted their original claims. In a larger, later follow-up replication study (Mental models, Consistency and Programming Aptitude by Bornat, Dehnadi, Simon), the authors state:

"We now report that after six experiments, involving more than 500 students at six institutions in three countries, the predictive effect of our test has failed to live up to that early promise. We discuss the strength of the e ffects that have been observed and the reasons for some apparent failures of prediction."

Re: Could Coding Become the Next Mass Profession?

#105

Post by michaelochurch »

barik wrote: post #104
michaelochurch wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't remember and wasn't able to find it either, but I know which study you're talking about. There was a professor who gave his intro CS students an exam where they were supposed to interpret code. Of course, most of them had no idea what they were reading. The statement "X = X + 1" is (as a mathematical equation) garbage, even though it's legitimate in a conventional CS context (whereby '=' represents assignment…

The study you are thinking of is "The Camel Has Two Humps" by Dehnadi and Bornat, which was never officially published (and having read it, has several control issues that are cause for concern with respect to internal validity). However, most people continue to quote this study without realizing that the authors have retracted their original claims. In a larger, later follow-up replication study (Mental models, Cons…

That is the one I was thinking of. Thank you.
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