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You're mixing up computer science and programming. Programming is easy to learn without formal instruction. Theory on the other hand, can and does become quite

You're mixing up computer science and programming. Programming is easy to learn without formal instruction. Theory on the other hand, can and does become quite complex. Sure, its still possible to learn theory on your own, but the professor with the Turing award makes things much easier.

jcnnghm 16y ago
Actually, I'm not mixing them up. There are incredible amounts of information readily available that will enable you to learn theory. If you are smart and motivated, you can learn theory without instruction.
- vecter 16y ago
  To be honest, I don't think I (or a majority of people) could learn theory without help. Math and theoretical CS are pretty hard. I can't count the number of times that I've had questions that only a TA could answer for me. To be fair, there are resources now like mathoverflow, but I've found having a knowledgeable human you can have a lengthy discussion with is invaluable.
- jchonphoenix 16y ago
  That can be said about any field. You stated that computer science was one of the EASIEST fields to learn without formal instruction. My claim is that learning theoretical ideas, discrete mathematics, automata theory, and formal languages without formal instruction is not any easier than any other scientific field, such as chem, physics, or mathematics.
  - jcnnghm 16y ago
    I would argue that because of the computer savviness of computer scientists, documents and tutorials about computer science are more likely to be easily located and properly formatted for display on the internet.
    - jchonphoenix 16y ago
      That again is a false assumption. I have professors who are great theorists but can't use a computer very well. It doesn't take computer savvy to be able to do computer science well. Hence my statement that you are confusing computer science and computer programming. The tutorials you see online are for practical applications. What you're seeing isn't computer science at all. Just a byproduct of it.

jcnnghm 16y ago

Actually, I'm not mixing them up. There are incredible amounts of information readily available that will enable you to learn theory. If you are smart and motivated, you can learn theory without instruction.

vecter 16y ago
To be honest, I don't think I (or a majority of people) could learn theory without help. Math and theoretical CS are pretty hard. I can't count the number of times that I've had questions that only a TA could answer for me. To be fair, there are resources now like mathoverflow, but I've found having a knowledgeable human you can have a lengthy discussion with is invaluable.
jchonphoenix 16y ago
That can be said about any field. You stated that computer science was one of the EASIEST fields to learn without formal instruction. My claim is that learning theoretical ideas, discrete mathematics, automata theory, and formal languages without formal instruction is not any easier than any other scientific field, such as chem, physics, or mathematics.
- jcnnghm 16y ago
  I would argue that because of the computer savviness of computer scientists, documents and tutorials about computer science are more likely to be easily located and properly formatted for display on the internet.
  - jchonphoenix 16y ago
    That again is a false assumption. I have professors who are great theorists but can't use a computer very well. It doesn't take computer savvy to be able to do computer science well. Hence my statement that you are confusing computer science and computer programming. The tutorials you see online are for practical applications. What you're seeing isn't computer science at all. Just a byproduct of it.