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I disagree with this on so many levels. "My biggest problem with celebrating the young age at which some people started programming is that it sends the wrong

I disagree with this on so many levels. "My biggest problem with celebrating the young age at which some people started programming is that it sends the wrong message. It says: 'Programming is so hard that in order to be good at it, you should've started when you were young.'" In what way is this the "wrong message?" I think it's perfectly fair. Yes, programming (well) is difficult, and yes, starting at a young age will have more of a transformative effect on the way you think. As the son of a computer programmer and a math professor, I was exposed to large amounts of math at a young age, and learned a little calculus before finishing elementary school. High school didn't have anything more advanced than calculus to teach me, so my peers (the math majors among them, at least) have more or less caught up to me in how much math they've been exposed to. But - in my opinion, at least, and maybe I'm just a narcissist - I'm fundamentally more of a quantitative thinker than they are. "Were you programming non-trivial apps soon after you wrote your first line of code? Did you immediately proceed to program lots of apps, even complex ones, all by yourself, and collect payment for your work?" Most people who start programming young make games, because that's what kids think computers are for. As a kid, I made scores of computer games. Games are complex and, when done well, independently developing games can be extremely stimulating. Before I turned 10 I was tackling things like I/O, creating intuitive user interfaces, sound, 2D graphics, and rudimentary AI. In each instance I had few resources and no training so I had to come up with ad hoc solutions myself. That I went through this process, and that I did it young, has been a huge benefit to me throughout the rest of my life. And, side note: payment makes absolutely zero difference to your ability to do something well. Disclaimer: I started when I was 7, so I may be biased. Not to brag or anything. Edit: if you disagree, a comment is more helpful than a downvote.

cloudmike 15y ago
I think it's only the "wrong message" to people who aren't young anymore and don't program yet, which is most people. It makes programming seem less accessible. To young people, I agree: start now. I realize this seems circular, and there's probably a better way to make my point. My motivation is all the non-programmers I meet who think programming is scary. I don't believe it is (hence the mention of codecademy.com at the end of the post). As for payment, you're right: making something people want is a better measurement of value, regardless of whether others pay for it, and even that's not a complete measurement of your ability. But Mozart made money early, which is why I mentioned it.
masterzora 15y ago
Counterpoint: I have been programming since I was 6. I skipped a grade and school and was still in more advanced maths courses than anyone in my grade, though not as much as you seem to have been. The only bit of this I usually ever mention: the bit where I've been programming since I was 6. And I don't say that as a form of bragging or a form of indicating my skill; it is merely the first sentence in response to the question "how did you get into programming?" The main reason for this, though, is that I'm embarrassed by the fact. I feel like, if I've been programming for so long I should be better at it than I am. There seems to be an expectation that just because I taught myself how to program using little more than the source to BASIC games that I should be a super-rockstar or something and I'm not. Point is, I don't mention it because the fact I've been programming so long doesn't really mean shit. [EDIT: I also know a number of people who never touched code until college and got really damn good before they graduated, let alone after that.]

cloudmike 15y ago

I think it's only the "wrong message" to people who aren't young anymore and don't program yet, which is most people. It makes programming seem less accessible. To young people, I agree: start now. I realize this seems circular, and there's probably a better way to make my point. My motivation is all the non-programmers I meet who think programming is scary. I don't believe it is (hence the mention of codecademy.com at the end of the post). As for payment, you're right: making something people want is a better measurement of value, regardless of whether others pay for it, and even that's not a complete measurement of your ability. But Mozart made money early, which is why I mentioned it.

masterzora 15y ago

Counterpoint: I have been programming since I was 6. I skipped a grade and school and was still in more advanced maths courses than anyone in my grade, though not as much as you seem to have been. The only bit of this I usually ever mention: the bit where I've been programming since I was 6. And I don't say that as a form of bragging or a form of indicating my skill; it is merely the first sentence in response to the question "how did you get into programming?" The main reason for this, though, is that I'm embarrassed by the fact. I feel like, if I've been programming for so long I should be better at it than I am. There seems to be an expectation that just because I taught myself how to program using little more than the source to BASIC games that I should be a super-rockstar or something and I'm not. Point is, I don't mention it because the fact I've been programming so long doesn't really mean shit. [EDIT: I also know a number of people who never touched code until college and got really damn good before they graduated, let alone after that.]