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"I also don't understand why there is a constant push to coddle beginners to increasingly absurd degrees." Apply this perspective beyond software development.

"I also don't understand why there is a constant push to coddle beginners to increasingly absurd degrees." Apply this perspective beyond software development. Law, medicine, firemen, teaching a kid to play baseball. Why do we continually look at software development different than other acquired skills? To answer your question directly, it is my opinion that the layers of abstraction that we have today, and that continue to grow, put those new to software and computer science at a huge disadvantage. They have a very long haul. And yet, demand increases for these skills. Yes, we should coddle to the best of our ability.

doktrin 11y ago
> Apply this perspective beyond software development. Law, medicine, firemen, teaching a kid to play baseball. Why do we continually look at software development different than other acquired skills? Well, that's a good question. What do you think it takes to break into law, medicine or fire safety? I can assure you that being willing to put in significant work, and tolerating adversity, is a hard requirement for each of them. Much of my family is in medicine, and I used to work in law - both professions are absolutely merciless in comparison to engineering. The expectation that would-be [doctors, lawyers, bankers, etc] put in the work is unwavering, and the professionals in those fields can be huge dickheads to boot. Yet, they somehow manage to attract more than their share of candidates.
- tcfunk 11y ago
  While too much coddling is probably not helpful, neither is being overly abrasive because "back in my day that's how we learned it". Holding on to old teaching methods "just because" isn't the right answer, nor will it help the programming profession in the long run.
  - doktrin 11y ago
    Are you addressing me, or just speaking in generalities? Teaching and pedagogy is a broad topic, and there are certainly things that can be done to improve most existing models. However, a willingness to tolerate some modest level of adversity will remain necessary.

doktrin 11y ago

> Apply this perspective beyond software development. Law, medicine, firemen, teaching a kid to play baseball. Why do we continually look at software development different than other acquired skills? Well, that's a good question. What do you think it takes to break into law, medicine or fire safety? I can assure you that being willing to put in significant work, and tolerating adversity, is a hard requirement for each of them. Much of my family is in medicine, and I used to work in law - both professions are absolutely merciless in comparison to engineering. The expectation that would-be [doctors, lawyers, bankers, etc] put in the work is unwavering, and the professionals in those fields can be huge dickheads to boot. Yet, they somehow manage to attract more than their share of candidates.

tcfunk 11y ago
While too much coddling is probably not helpful, neither is being overly abrasive because "back in my day that's how we learned it". Holding on to old teaching methods "just because" isn't the right answer, nor will it help the programming profession in the long run.
- doktrin 11y ago
  Are you addressing me, or just speaking in generalities? Teaching and pedagogy is a broad topic, and there are certainly things that can be done to improve most existing models. However, a willingness to tolerate some modest level of adversity will remain necessary.