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Programming ability is not a "birth lottery". I'd bet if you looked at the average IQ at a no name company paying $70-80k to junior developers it would be surpr

Programming ability is not a "birth lottery". I'd bet if you looked at the average IQ at a no name company paying $70-80k to junior developers it would be surprisingly close to average. It definitely requires motivation and drive to pursue, much more than many other professions where you tick the knowledge box and just apply it all day. I hate it when people blame the system for everything and deny themselves any personal responsibility for their own futures. There is a balance to be struck and people here jump far too quickly to assign all blame to the system.

username90 5y ago
People with average IQ can't learn algebra properly, I don't think you will find many such programmers. Even the median college student struggles with basic Algebra, the median person doesn't have much chance at all.
- b9a2cab5 5y ago
  I don't think you can say that. A quick Google shows some random school district in Pittsburgh says pass rates by the end of 9th grade were around 60% [1] and this percentage only went up around 20% for the "Gifted" track students. You also see that Asians started scoring substantially higher than average in later years, which if you believe that all races have the same IQ distribution as I do, must mean that IQ doesn't matter that much for passing algebra. Much more likely is that learning software engineering requires dedication and perseverance over a long period of time. If your code doesn't work or you don't understand the math, you get 0%, not 70% like you would in a history essay or English essay. You can't wing it. The average person doesn't give enough shits about school or learning to achieve any level of mastery. I strongly believe it's a motivational problem. Asian parents force their kids to achieve academic excellence which is why Asians are so overrepresented in software engineering and other STEM fields. [1]: https://www.pghschools.org/Page/5073 https://www.pghschools.org/Page/5073

username90 5y ago

People with average IQ can't learn algebra properly, I don't think you will find many such programmers. Even the median college student struggles with basic Algebra, the median person doesn't have much chance at all.

b9a2cab5 5y ago
I don't think you can say that. A quick Google shows some random school district in Pittsburgh says pass rates by the end of 9th grade were around 60% [1] and this percentage only went up around 20% for the "Gifted" track students. You also see that Asians started scoring substantially higher than average in later years, which if you believe that all races have the same IQ distribution as I do, must mean that IQ doesn't matter that much for passing algebra. Much more likely is that learning software engineering requires dedication and perseverance over a long period of time. If your code doesn't work or you don't understand the math, you get 0%, not 70% like you would in a history essay or English essay. You can't wing it. The average person doesn't give enough shits about school or learning to achieve any level of mastery. I strongly believe it's a motivational problem. Asian parents force their kids to achieve academic excellence which is why Asians are so overrepresented in software engineering and other STEM fields. [1]: https://www.pghschools.org/Page/5073 https://www.pghschools.org/Page/5073