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Cruel? Cruel is setting your kids up for a life of struggle because they never learned basic skills.

by orasis 8y ago

beaconstudios 8y ago
not learning to code is not going to be a handicap through life comparable to being unable to read or write. It just closes off certain professions. Is it cruel to not teach your kids stock portfolio management? Or is it cruel to force your kids to learn portfolio management long after they've expressed complete disinterest in it? I'd say the latter.
- orasis 8y ago
  Everyone is grooming their kids for something. Most just do it passively. My kids have complete disinterest in sports, yet they play something 3 days a week and are getting better. This version of themselves will have a significant leg up on the version of themselves that never learned to be athletic and will struggle with obesity in their 30s.
CiPHPerCoder 8y ago
As someone who mentors a little over a half dozen adults who are transitioning into technology careers (mostly programming, but not exclusively), I disagree on several points: 1. A lack of programming experience does not necessarily imply a life of struggle. Anecdote: Several of my friends work blue collar jobs (AC install/repair, but also an electrician), and avoid many of life's vices (alcohol, drugs, bad relationships with people with different personal values because they're easy to get into bed with, gambling, extreme religious devotion, the vindication of social media mob participation, etc.). I would call them successful despite not knowing the difference between a function and a method. (Successful enough, at least, to be homeowners in their young 20's despite growing up in poor families.) 2. Programming skill does not necessarily a life free of struggle. I know several homeless people with programming skills. Mental health (which is something our industry severely neglects!) brings its own struggles to the table. 3. Adults who take an interest in programming can gain sufficient aptitude to be valuable to organizations in a short time. Forcing programming down a child's throat does them no favors.
Broken_Hippo 8y ago
You can be quite a success as a doctor without learning to code. And many other professions as well. Not reading, writing, or knowing how to use a computer would be far more detrimental.

Cruel? Cruel is setting your kids up for a life of struggle because they never learned basic skills.

by orasis 8y ago

Cruel? Cruel is setting your kids up for a life of struggle because they never learned basic skills.

not learning to code is not going to be a handicap through life comparable to being unable to read or write. It just closes off certain professions. Is it cruel to not teach your kids stock portfolio management? Or is it cruel to force your kids to learn portfolio management long after they've expressed complete disinterest in it? I'd say the latter.

orasis 8y ago
Everyone is grooming their kids for something. Most just do it passively. My kids have complete disinterest in sports, yet they play something 3 days a week and are getting better. This version of themselves will have a significant leg up on the version of themselves that never learned to be athletic and will struggle with obesity in their 30s.

CiPHPerCoder 8y ago

As someone who mentors a little over a half dozen adults who are transitioning into technology careers (mostly programming, but not exclusively), I disagree on several points: 1. A lack of programming experience does not necessarily imply a life of struggle. Anecdote: Several of my friends work blue collar jobs (AC install/repair, but also an electrician), and avoid many of life's vices (alcohol, drugs, bad relationships with people with different personal values because they're easy to get into bed with, gambling, extreme religious devotion, the vindication of social media mob participation, etc.). I would call them successful despite not knowing the difference between a function and a method. (Successful enough, at least, to be homeowners in their young 20's despite growing up in poor families.) 2. Programming skill does not necessarily a life free of struggle. I know several homeless people with programming skills. Mental health (which is something our industry severely neglects!) brings its own struggles to the table. 3. Adults who take an interest in programming can gain sufficient aptitude to be valuable to organizations in a short time. Forcing programming down a child's throat does them no favors.

Broken_Hippo 8y ago

You can be quite a success as a doctor without learning to code. And many other professions as well. Not reading, writing, or knowing how to use a computer would be far more detrimental.