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Maybe they are not diligent or dedicated enough? Have you really met anyone who wanted to actually put effort into something, had no barriers (lack of money / f

Maybe they are not diligent or dedicated enough? Have you really met anyone who wanted to actually put effort into something, had no barriers (lack of money / family support / etc) and didn't manage to do it? For me the answer is I've only seen it where there is an absurdly narrow selection process: professional sports (all of them), admission to certain universities (Ivy League/Oxbridge), certain specific jobs (SEAL team, investment banks, etc). For everything where there's no gatekeeper, I'd only count out very few people from the start.

jbellis 5y ago
I also thought anyone could learn to code at at least a basic level, until I worked for a year as a computer science instructor, including for the big intro class for freshmen. Some people's brains just aren't wired for it. (And this was a self-selected group in a positive sense; I would expect a random set of the population to do worse.)
- lordnacho 5y ago
  Aren't students the ultimate "I'll do it if it's easy" group of people? They have to balance their learning with their new found freedom to socialize.
  - xhevahir 5y ago
    You asked for anecdotal evidence against this belief of yours and you got it. What do you want now?
    - lordnacho 5y ago
      It's not anecdotal that it's hard to be a professional sportsperson, or get into an Ivy League college. You want links?
      - xhevahir 5y ago
        I don't think we're communicating. You asked: Have you really met anyone who wanted to actually put effort into something, had no barriers (lack of money / family support / etc) and didn't manage to do it? And got in reply: I also thought anyone could learn to code at at least a basic level, until I worked for a year as a computer science instructor... You then produced a no-true-Scotsman argument to the effect that students don't qualify as a counterexample.
        lordnacho 5y ago
        All I'm asking for is for some kind of confirmation that he thought the kids were actually trying hard, which we all know (without documentation, yes) isn't universally true of students. It's also often true that instructors don't know what's going on in all the students' personal lives. People who are pressed in other ways don't always make it known, so you could easily see how you might mistake someone who didn't learn it with someone who couldn't learn it.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
lanstin 5y ago
I have and i have spent a lot of time trying to help people understand it with no luck. I wouldn't count them out from the start but eventually it seems they will be happier not trying to write programs

jbellis 5y ago

I also thought anyone could learn to code at at least a basic level, until I worked for a year as a computer science instructor, including for the big intro class for freshmen. Some people's brains just aren't wired for it. (And this was a self-selected group in a positive sense; I would expect a random set of the population to do worse.)

lordnacho 5y ago
Aren't students the ultimate "I'll do it if it's easy" group of people? They have to balance their learning with their new found freedom to socialize.
- xhevahir 5y ago
  You asked for anecdotal evidence against this belief of yours and you got it. What do you want now?
  - lordnacho 5y ago
    It's not anecdotal that it's hard to be a professional sportsperson, or get into an Ivy League college. You want links?
    - xhevahir 5y ago
      I don't think we're communicating. You asked: Have you really met anyone who wanted to actually put effort into something, had no barriers (lack of money / family support / etc) and didn't manage to do it? And got in reply: I also thought anyone could learn to code at at least a basic level, until I worked for a year as a computer science instructor... You then produced a no-true-Scotsman argument to the effect that students don't qualify as a counterexample.
      - lordnacho 5y ago
        All I'm asking for is for some kind of confirmation that he thought the kids were actually trying hard, which we all know (without documentation, yes) isn't universally true of students. It's also often true that instructors don't know what's going on in all the students' personal lives. People who are pressed in other ways don't always make it known, so you could easily see how you might mistake someone who didn't learn it with someone who couldn't learn it.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

lanstin 5y ago

I have and i have spent a lot of time trying to help people understand it with no luck. I wouldn't count them out from the start but eventually it seems they will be happier not trying to write programs