Exactly. Really reminds me of proofs in geometry. You amass this knowledge or ruleset, then apply that knowledge in successive steps to solve the proof. But, t

Exactly. Really reminds me of proofs in geometry. You amass this knowledge or ruleset, then apply that knowledge in successive steps to solve the proof. But, the bigger part is being able to step back and "see" the path; to pull from what you know to approach the problem and formulate a solution. Seems like there were three groups: those who just couldn't get it; those who wrestled and muddled their way through; and those who just kind of got it, almost intuitively. The latter is a minority, and I would bet that an outsized percentage of those people really can learn to code.