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A key take-away from this is that the author learned to code because he had a real incentive to do so - in order to create bots to get better at runescape and m

A key take-away from this is that the author learned to code because he had a real incentive to do so - in order to create bots to get better at runescape and make lots of money as a side-effect of that. He quickly saw how knowing how to code gave him abilities that his peers didn't have. Now imagine if he tried to learn java by attending a class for it - i.e. sitting there for an hour listening to some guy explain how a for loop works. Chances are he would be bored silly and never get anywhere with coding. I think its important for people learning how to code to have a genuine motivation behind it - have something you actually WANT to build. Don't just learn it so you can get a job.

astura 7y ago
This is a really, really ignorant comment. I learned to code in the classroom with no other motivation besides paid employment and wasn't "bored silly." I've made a very successful career for myself in the many years since. Programmers are not different from other professions no matter how special you may feel.
- world32 7y ago
  Hence why I said "Chances are" - meaning "there is a high probably that".
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- ajiang 7y ago
  There is absolutely a better way you could have phrased this. In fact, the easiest is to entirely remove your first sentence. You could make a counter-point, stating that not everyone is driven by external motivation, providing yourself as an anecdotal example. Instead you provided an insult and then gave anecdotal evidence.
- world32 7y ago
  > Programmers are not different from other professions no matter how special you may feel. I find it odd how offended you seem by my post. I don't think that programmers are any different from other professions in this sense. But the subject of this thread is about programming which is why I commented about that. It is just like other STEM subjects in that - a lot of people study them at university, but only a few people actually go on to work in the field they studied. Some studies find that only around 25% of STEM graduates actually go on to work in the field they studied. http://shortsleeveandtieclub.com/what-percentage-of-engineering-graduates-actually-work-in-their-respective-fields/ http://shortsleeveandtieclub.com/what-percentage-of-engineer...
mertnesvat 7y ago
Best comment ever for this topic. I've done the same to get in to programming via sub-game script path so I can relate myself. Ironically, I always believed the importance of the schooling but recently started to think maybe learning by doing without the necessity is easy to forget. Maybe we need new education methodologies.
bthrn 7y ago
This isn't specific to coding. A properly motivated learner in any subject will vastly outperform an apathetic one.
michannne 7y ago
A lot of books on programming revolve around using them to make games. I remember the first coding book I picked up about Visual Basic was leading up to building a small game with it. I think there is a lot for classrooms to gain by following a similar structure.
ValleyOfTheMtns 7y ago
"If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

astura 7y ago

This is a really, really ignorant comment. I learned to code in the classroom with no other motivation besides paid employment and wasn't "bored silly." I've made a very successful career for myself in the many years since. Programmers are not different from other professions no matter how special you may feel.

world32 7y ago
Hence why I said "Chances are" - meaning "there is a high probably that".
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
ajiang 7y ago
There is absolutely a better way you could have phrased this. In fact, the easiest is to entirely remove your first sentence. You could make a counter-point, stating that not everyone is driven by external motivation, providing yourself as an anecdotal example. Instead you provided an insult and then gave anecdotal evidence.
world32 7y ago
> Programmers are not different from other professions no matter how special you may feel. I find it odd how offended you seem by my post. I don't think that programmers are any different from other professions in this sense. But the subject of this thread is about programming which is why I commented about that. It is just like other STEM subjects in that - a lot of people study them at university, but only a few people actually go on to work in the field they studied. Some studies find that only around 25% of STEM graduates actually go on to work in the field they studied. http://shortsleeveandtieclub.com/what-percentage-of-engineering-graduates-actually-work-in-their-respective-fields/ http://shortsleeveandtieclub.com/what-percentage-of-engineer...

mertnesvat 7y ago

Best comment ever for this topic. I've done the same to get in to programming via sub-game script path so I can relate myself. Ironically, I always believed the importance of the schooling but recently started to think maybe learning by doing without the necessity is easy to forget. Maybe we need new education methodologies.

bthrn 7y ago

This isn't specific to coding. A properly motivated learner in any subject will vastly outperform an apathetic one.

michannne 7y ago

A lot of books on programming revolve around using them to make games. I remember the first coding book I picked up about Visual Basic was leading up to building a small game with it. I think there is a lot for classrooms to gain by following a similar structure.

ValleyOfTheMtns 7y ago

"If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry