Ask HN: How can I tell if I have programming aptitude?

#1

Post by canicode » Fri, Oct 23, 2015, 2:22 AM UTC

aptitude: a natural ability to do something.

What's the fastest way to tell if I'm cut out for, and should pursue programming?

I know a tiny bit of Java, and I can do FizzBuzz, basic recursion, logic exercises, etc. Can anyone suggest a few problems with max completion times for each that will let me know for sure?

Thanks!

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I have programming aptitude?

#2

Post by jeffmould » Fri, Oct 23, 2015, 2:54 AM UTC

I don't think there is a test that is going to tell you that you should "pursue programming". It comes down to whether you enjoy programming or not, and if you can see yourself personally doing it as a career. I have seen people who are excellent coders and analytical thinkers, yet have no interest in programming as a career. They are much happier in project management and other roles. On the flip side, I have seen people that have a strong desire to be programmers, yet have little "aptitude" (as you define it above). However, they have found niches where they excel at programming by working hard and overcoming their own obstacles.

With that said, there are many coding sites out there where you can compete against others. TopCoder and HackerRank are two that come to mind off the top of my head.

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I have programming aptitude?

#3

Post by greenyoda » Fri, Oct 23, 2015, 3:05 AM UTC

"Can anyone suggest a few problems with max completion times for each that will let me know for sure?"

I'm not sure if timed problems are a good way to assess yourself. Being able to solve programming problems quickly comes from (1) experience from having solved lots of problems before and (2) experience with your languages and environments. If you have a lot of aptitude but little experience, you may not be able to solve problems quickly.

"What's the fastest way to tell if I'm cut out for, and should pursue programming?"

I don't know if there's a fast way that can give you a meaningful answer. I'd suggest spending some time (at least several months) learning more about programming, working on some problems you're interested in, and seeing whether you become a better programmer over time.

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I have programming aptitude?

#4

Post by bradcomp » Fri, Oct 23, 2015, 3:07 AM UTC

I think aptitude is overrated compared to overall drive / obsession. You should pursue programming if it's something you want to pursue.

Do you like solving problems? How stoked are you when you figure out the cause of your bug? Would you pursue it even if it wasn't lucrative?

Project Euler has some good puzzles, they are somewhat math related but cover a lot of interesting concepts and can be fun to work through.

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I have programming aptitude?

#5

Post by venomsnake » Fri, Oct 23, 2015, 6:38 AM UTC

If you can grasp pointers, recursion, asynchronous programming/callbacks in less than a week (as a concepts, not apply-able skills) you have it.

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I have programming aptitude?

#6

Post by alexcason » Fri, Oct 23, 2015, 6:39 AM UTC

Do you enjoy programming?

If so, you will be good at programming. If not, you most likely won't.

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I have programming aptitude?

#7

Post by ak39 » Fri, Oct 23, 2015, 6:42 AM UTC

alexcason wrote: post #6

Do you enjoy programming? If so, you will be good at programming. If not, you most likely won't.

Seconded.

Quality comes only from quantity. And quantity can only happen if your efforts result in bruises you can tolerate.

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I have programming aptitude?

#8

Post by 762236 » Fri, Oct 23, 2015, 6:43 AM UTC

alexcason wrote: post #6

Do you enjoy programming? If so, you will be good at programming. If not, you most likely won't.

Right on. Enjoying it helps you accomplish the many hours that will bring you way beyond a natural. There is a lot of evidence that mastery is through practice --- not natural ability.

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I have programming aptitude?

#9

Post by sleepychu » Fri, Oct 23, 2015, 6:44 AM UTC

Forget trying to work out if you have any 'natural' ability (though since programming is a man made invention you can work out if you have any natural ability in the field by testing your problem solving abilities).

Get going with it. Find an open source project that interests you and contribute. There are a few things that are bad about github but as a platform it really allows you to find issues in software you're interested in, fix it and then submit that fix.

If you work for someone that's ideally the situation you're in, you're working on a software problem that interests you implementing new features or fixing bugs and submitting them.

HTH

Re: Ask HN: How can I tell if I have programming aptitude?

#10

Post by ksml » Fri, Oct 23, 2015, 6:45 AM UTC

bradcomp wrote: post #4

I think aptitude is overrated compared to overall drive / obsession. You should pursue programming if it's something you want to pursue. Do you like solving problems? How stoked are you when you figure out the cause of your bug? Would you pursue it even if it wasn't lucrative? Project Euler has some good puzzles, they are somewhat math related but cover a lot of interesting concepts and can be fun to work through.

Project Euler does have a lot of good puzzles, but as parent comment says, they're more math related. If you don't like them (FWIW I never managed to get into them) you shouldn't necessarily think that programming isn't for you, as it can also be about building neat software that people use. As others have said here, you should try to get a feel for if you enjoy programming and what sorts of things you enjoy programming, because there is a lot you can do with it. If you don't like the math side, try building a simple app or web page and see if that interests you