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How I learned to code in my 30s

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Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#91

Post by happy-go-lucky »

bricestacey wrote: post #72
soneca wrote: post #42

I started to learn to code last November at 37yo. About 30 hours a week for two months I finished the Front End Certificate from freeCodeCamp (highly recommend the site for starters). Then I decided it was better to build my own projects with the tech I wanted to learn (mostly React) using official documentation and tutorials. This is what I accomplished in around 3 months: www.rodrigo-pontes.glitch.me Then I started…

It looks like you've learned a lot, but a lot of people are going to criticize you based off your design skills. Frankly, it's ugly so you're automatically not going to be doing any product work. If you could clean up your demos to look more acceptable to the modern day reviewer, I think you would have better presented yourself.

I didn't downvote you, either.

In this world, there're 10 types of people: there're good people who're half bad and there're bad people who're half good :)

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#92

Post by mianos »

tuananh wrote: post #25
owebmaster wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Let's just say we guessed wrong. ;-) Not that wrong, imho. > my mom discouraged me from majoring in CS because she literally thought programming was too easy to justify 4 years of classroom training, and she thought that the job market for programmers would quickly saturate. This part is real wisdom. The best developers I know (and I myself, which I consider an above average programmer) learned how to program by th…

I find CS knowledge useful only when you tackle hard problems. Only then, CS and mathematics knowledge will come to play. You don't need a CS degree to make a website.

I think you mean specific problems. Hard math problems are extreme outliers in fhe realm of computer science and there are plenty of suitably qualified people in the maths side. That said, less hard problems, more suitable programmers with undergraduate maths, are quite common and a growing area. This may preclude those that are self taught and lacking more advanced, but not highly advanced math.

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#93

Post by ianai »

brandonmenc wrote: post #65

When computers were invented, a lot of the people involved were already adults - plenty in their 40s and above. Before home computers, you didn't get to use a computer until your 20s. Therefore, the first few waves of programmers included a lot of "already olds." This is always overlooked as evidence that older people can learn to program.

And the computer science field branched out of mathematics. The age thing, I think, really is just shortsightedness.

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#95

Post by sngz »

pacomerh wrote: post #83
dschulz wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm 36 and already feel "old" and unfit to continue pursuing a career as a software developer, which I consider(ed?) my dream job. I began programming at ~20 yo but had to work in another barely related field (still in IT) because where I live it's more profitable as a lone ranger. It's difficult to find peers in my area. I work as an independent consultant wearing many hats, doing all kind of weird network related j…

This mentality makes no sense to me. I don't understand why young people feel old in this area so much. It would make sense if you where pursuing Tennis (the sport), but software? Software is a lot of solving riddles and recognizing patterns. Seriously, Silicon Valley is poisoning peoples minds.

age discrimination in the industry is real, especially for those who don't go the management route.

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#96

Post by mianos »

AndyNemmity wrote: post #84
bradcrispin wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Soon you will love pointers and structs and everything Go. Keep going (pun intended). Your colleagues are worried about their own work and your manager has made a long-term investment in you, not about the first few months. :) I couldn't agree more that it is tough going when you realize a challenge is more than you expected. That plus impostor syndrome is what caused me to quit on my first try. We are moving a lot o…

Appreciate the positive feedback. I certainly feel the management are making a long term investment, but feel my actual team is... concerned about the lack of deliverables. Which I think is fair from their perspective, I think they expected a developer by trade to have assumed the role, and in actuality it's someone who has done a tremendous number of jobs around development. I'd be a bit concerned as well. The great…

Actually knowing where you are at puts you way ahead of the curve. Many developers don't even know they are not that good. If you love it and seem to have excelled already in a similar area you just need time. Even just knowing that good development is not just writing a quick perl script or copying and pasting the tutorial code or stack overflow answer is a good sign and would probably set you apart from most I know.

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#97

Post by onion2k »

sAbakumoff wrote: post #94

2017 : codecamps produce an army of amateurs that make interent of shit.

I've been making websites for over twenty years, and I can assure you that there have always been bad web developers. Some are self-taught and some learned at university. Just as there are good ones who have learned in those ways too. Codecamps are no different - there'll be bad developers and good developers who learned through attending them. There's nothing inherently or automatically worse about codecamp graduates. It's all about the individual.

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#98

Post by AstralStorm »

ianai wrote: post #93
brandonmenc wrote: post #65

When computers were invented, a lot of the people involved were already adults - plenty in their 40s and above. Before home computers, you didn't get to use a computer until your 20s. Therefore, the first few waves of programmers included a lot of "already olds." This is always overlooked as evidence that older people can learn to program.

And the computer science field branched out of mathematics. The age thing, I think, really is just shortsightedness.

Actually cheapness. Young employees don't know their value or how to negotiate.

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#99

Post by lmitchell »

soneca wrote: post #42

I started to learn to code last November at 37yo. About 30 hours a week for two months I finished the Front End Certificate from freeCodeCamp (highly recommend the site for starters). Then I decided it was better to build my own projects with the tech I wanted to learn (mostly React) using official documentation and tutorials. This is what I accomplished in around 3 months: www.rodrigo-pontes.glitch.me Then I started…

I've been clicking on your 'hacker news best comments' button for like twenty minutes now... you weren't kidding when you said 'basically a time waster' :P

Seriously, really good looking stuff for your early projects! I'm not surprised someone picked you up :)

http://www.opusnota.com/hnbc

Re: How I learned to code in my 30s

#100

Post by mrleiter »

flubert wrote: post #11
oblio wrote: post #2

Somewhat related, perhaps the most spectacular story of a late coder I've ever heard is that of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pruteanu (somewhat controversial Romanian literary critic and politician). Basically, despite having a major in Romanian literature and spending a lifetime as a literary critic, with almost 0 contact with computers, he decided in his late 40s and early 50s to understand the things beh…

>I read an 1 meter [high stack] of books about the subject. Sounds like a good hook for website. Instead of learn X in 21 days: http://www.1meterofbooks/programming

Domain just sold. Interesting.
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