Not in the way you think it is…
In September of 2018, I began my first of 90 days of software developer bootcamp. I had just recently tu...
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It is like chess, easy to learn, hard to master.
Great analogy Pawel. Every time I think I have worked out an optimum solution to something, I'll revisit my code after several weeks or months and consider:
Anyway, thanks for reading!
Once you mastered, y'll always learn new stuff. That mean, Yoda dont know all stuff ;)
Moving the pieces according to the rules is easy.
But it's hard to compete effectively.
The hardest thing about webdev, is breaking down the problem into logical steps. Small chunks are manageable and easy to build, but the whole project can feel daunting and terrifyingly complex.
Yes agreed! Once you've found that one step which can be solved, the rest tend to fall into place like dominoes.
The easy part is that you can make it hard if you're not paying attention to what you're doing. The hard part is making it easy.
Totally agree with your statement about someone teaching you "how to learn".
I prefer to look at "Is programming hard" like this:
Getting the basics of programming is like learning a foreign language "syntax", "grammer", "parts of speech", are all pretty easy. Answering questions like:
Knowing the correct approach is the hard part and once you have learned it, it seems easy and I suspect you will quickly forget how difficult it was to master.
Your post is heuristic and I appreciate that. Thanks ;)
Haha yes Noel, I fully agree with you! In hindsight, the approach sure doesn't seem too difficult, but at first glance it might appear insurmountable.
Thanks for your kind words.
Programming was never hard. The problems you solve with it are sometimes tough.
The hardest thing about programming is not programming and having to figure out other peoples code.
Yes, but don't you love that challenge? I know I do.
I enjoy reading peoples code. I love PR's. I don't love trying to decide whether it should be completely rewritten or shoehorn in some good code between some bad code.
Ha that's a funny predicament you've brought up. You're making a decision between "is this good code" or "is this code good enough".
This is great advice. Learning to contribute in small bite sized chunks helps to avoid feeling the "burden" of the whole project at hand.
Having a mind for logic and critical thinking helps with speed, but doesn't mean its an inherently limiting factor.
Yes, 100% agreed Alex! And thanks for your kind words.
I would like to say that write code is not that hard, but maintain a code that is always evolving is.
The most complicated part is to avoid doing a mess that slows you, and fix the mess that you or someone else did at the same time that you add new features.
Thanks for sharing your perspective Haruan, and I respect it.
I personally enjoy digging into someone else's code, figuring out what they did and opportunities to refactor. I also enjoy doing that to my own code. It's often challenging to write new code, it's always challenging to refactor someone else's!
That said, I differentiate between "hard" and "challenging". I view challenging tasks as games that require lots of looking, testing, and persistence. I view hard tasks as troublesome which require lots of unpleasant effort.
The difference between those two views is sort of what I was trying to communicate in my article.
Great article and thank you for sharing your experience.
From my experience of learning to program and trying to help others. Everyone can learn to program, but I think the best indicator of whether someone will have a successful and enjoyable career in programming comes down to how they think. If you are able to approach a problem, break it down, and be able to solve that isolated part then moves the next one while keeping the rest of the problem in context then you will probably have a successful career in programming.
I have come to this way off thinking, mostly from seeing many people that have rushed to boot camps because of a career as a programmer will mean jobs with a high salary. Those that normally approach problems in other ways have a much harder time and tend to not want to be part of the constant learning it takes to rise in this field. As a result, they get frustrated with a career they hate just for the money.
Hey Martin, thanks for your kind words, and I respect your perspective.
It's funny, but I always assumed people approached problems in that way (break it down, solve isolated parts, while keeping in mind the whole). Perhaps not everyone does...
If that's not the case, I like to think people can learn newer and better ways of solving problems. I didn't always know how to play chess, but with lots of practice, I got to be pretty good. Chess is one of those games that requires new thinking skills such as being able to see from your opponent's perspective and then predicting his next moves.
I do agree though, there are some folks who don't want to partake in constant learning. And for them, coding might not be the best career option.
Personally, I used to avoid careers which required constant growth (like coding) because I wanted something I could settle into. After finding several jobs with those qualities, I realized that wasn't the right approach. The constant growing and stretching of my mind and capabilities is a heckuva lot more fun than anything else I've seen.
the real motivational nlog for the beginners.....Yes you are right its not as hard as we are expecting it.....The one statement you should highlight that you should break down tasks or components into simple piece of code ..to make it easy and readable.....Learning new framework is tough at the beginning but it becomes so easy when get used to it...
Thanks Nabeel!
That's a great point, and one others have also indicated. It seems we all agree that breaking down large blocks into simple, components one can confront makes for a much better task.
Programming may not be as hard as it once was, but thinking is hard. The Occident used to have an institution, called the University, to help train in that skill.
The way I have described to non-coders is the difference between learning to read/write a new language and learning to write poetry in the new language.
That's an interesting analogy! My language skills beyond English are pretty weak (Hebrew/Spanish) so I suppose I don't share the full understanding you might have. But I can definitely see your point.
Good write.
The thing is being a Programmer, you should not stop learning.
Learn Like You Breathe.
Yes, yes! That rings true for me as well.
I appreciate the kind words Sebastian! I really enjoyed what you said here:
That rings quite true for me as well.
Insightful article! thank you for sharing it with us.
Indeed programming is easy it just requires a lot of practice, and keep building small projects to understand how things are working.
You're welcome!
Yes, I very much agree. Practice, build, practice, build, and then practice some more.