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Ask HN: How can I know if programming is for me

by nithyad on 3/23/11, 1:13 PM with 10 comments

I have been quite closely associated with tech for a few years now. Having co-founded two web start-ups I have come to understand and even appreciate concepts like MVC, OOD and the like. Lately, I have been feeling a serious itch to pick up a programming book and learn to code (I did pick up enough Rails to be able to make tiny changes in the code) This is probably because of my close association with the programmers around me. They talk about their craft with such passion that it is getting difficult to not want to try my hand at it. The only dilemma is I already have a hectic schedule and I wonder if I even have the aptitude for it to justify an investment in time.

Also, my apprehension is because I am so glaringly different from my programmer friends. I have never played Super Mario or Quake. I have never really built anything or fixed things around the house during my growing up years. And yes, I haven't subscribed to xkcd. I wonder if all this is because I am a female or because I don't have the aptitude.

It would be nice to know what you think indicates an aptitude for programming. Also, I would like to know from the female programmers here what they did in their growing up years.

Thanks!

  • by RiderOfGiraffes on 3/23/11, 1:26 PM

    I've never played Super Mario or Quake, I didn't do much pulling apart of stuff when I was growing up, but I got the itch to program and now make a good living doing stuff that, peripherally, involves programming, sometimes lots of programming.

    If you have the itch, go ahead and give it a scratch. Start with a trivial problem and see if you can do it, then start with something small, but interesting to you.

    Pick a language and write FizzBuzz. Pick a language and write a program to play "Guess the Animal".

    Do something small, but for which you can see a result. Either you'll get such a buzz you want to do more, or you'll think "Meh" and go spend your time doing something you enjoy more.

  • by LostInTheWoods2 on 3/23/11, 2:22 PM

    I think that the essence of being a coder is being willing to solve, with absolute precision and certainty, a problem that is at first glance poorly defined and/or seemingly difficult or impossible.

    So, with that definition, you've got to not only be curious, but also tenacious in the pursuit of solutions.

    If you're the type of person who is satisfied with just pressing a button and having something work, and have never paused to wonder about the why, then programming is not for you.

  • by Rhapso on 3/24/11, 4:12 PM

    "Is programming fun?" I suppose that is the best question. You can make aptitude, but only from passion. Programming is problem solving then explaining the entire solution to an idiot child (the computer). All the higher concepts and buzzwords will come with time, it boils down to taking a problem, understanding it in totality, and describing the solution throughly. If you can enjoy and find passion in that process, you can find you place in programming.

    I am more a mathematician then a programmer, I call myself a Logician. The culture and the languages are parts of programming, but the process is were you will spend most of you time and the most difficult part.

    Sit down with a scripting language sometime like python, it is separate from a lot of the computer science implantation issues the lower languages have and the mathematical concepts the other scripting languages enjoy and write a few little utilities: Parse some input, square numbers, compute areas of figures, make a phone-book or simulate ballistics. I'd advise finding a few tutorials online and checking a book or two out from a library on python or another language

    See if these kind of learning challenges drive you nuts and make you upset, or excite you and make you happy. If it is the latter, then welcome to the fold.

  • by bo_Olean on 3/23/11, 7:30 PM

    I had a chat with my friend last weekend. She is a professional writer. She says, she is very interested in programming but, has no time to learn programming stuffs. When she first built a simple plus/minus calculator app in VB during her college course, it was one of the "Wow!" moment of her life. You are familiar with the "Wow" environment even before trying an app by yourself. Finding passion for programming is the key here.

    Everyone started with the "Wow!" programming moment of their life, includes me. What they did differently is - they never quited and kept learning and building things. I would suggest, you continue your Rails learning, build simple apps for fun on your own.

  • by codingstaff on 3/23/11, 4:13 PM

    I would suggest not just trying but actually doing it for at least 3 months. If you enjoy the process and learn quickly [problem solving, creating something new, etc] then programming is your thing. I didn't play Mario or Quake neither most of really good developers I know. You don't have to be a gaming nerd to succeed as a programmer.

  • by AngeloAnolin on 3/23/11, 2:03 PM

    Quite difficult to tell unless you actually dive into building and creating stuffs.

    Only through some experience (which could take a lot of time) would you be able to determine whether programming is actually for you.

    A lot of people did not started out programming, or have been through your shoes, but they made programming a part of them through their continuous drive to learn and embrace the aptitude of coding.

    You would only know unless you try.

  • by ddbrt on 3/23/11, 4:43 PM

    I think you should try it. The minimum you'll get is to know that programming is not for you. At the best, you'll find a passion and way of life :)

    I believe that creativity, problem solving skills, a little bit of logic and math and power of will counts a lot.

    By the way, the best programmer I know didn't played Super Mario or Quake. He built his own game (a game that he would like to play) and it was enough for him.

  • by devan on 3/23/11, 6:41 PM

    Don't put up an emotional barrier or add all that thought to something you haven't ventured into yet. Just jump into it.

  • by wr1472 on 3/23/11, 3:50 PM

    Just try it? what have you got to lose (and everything to gain).

  • by nithyad on 3/24/11, 11:25 AM

    Thank you all. Decided to make a start.