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I jiggle code around until it works. But I am also very smart. If it doesn’t work by jiggling, I learn or invent a way to make it work. I am a self-taught prog

by soneca 4y ago

I jiggle code around until it works. But I am also very smart. If it doesn’t work by jiggling, I learn or invent a way to make it work. I am a self-taught programmer. I copy, but I also innovate. I don’t follow at all the academic approach (I never studied CS or was very good in school). But I don’t paralyze when I can’t find anything to copy from like a Roomba stuck on a rug. Do you have a term for me?

dexwiz 4y ago
I don't know you, but solely from this post I am going to go with "likely overconfident."
- soneca 4y ago
  That’s fair. But I also know a lot about what I can’t do. I don’t have the knowledge (and maybe the capacity to acquire the knowledge) to work on really complex stuff. Like, solutions that work well on the scale of hundreds of millions of user (I work on web development for context). I also wouldn’t be capable of working on embedded systems or any system which just can’t fail. Also, academic research on computer science, as I lack much of the basics. I am happy building websites and web apps. But I am confident enough to know I can innovate and create complex solutions for the kinds of problems I face.
goldenkey 4y ago
Hmm. I'm smart and innovative too! I flipped my couch cushion over after my dog shit on it. Maybe we are both revolutionaries?!
- soneca 4y ago
  Sorry, I didn't understand the underlying message that your sarcasm was intended to pass.
  - goldenkey 4y ago
    Maybe we're not as alike as I thought.
YZF 4y ago
This is maybe gonna be a little harsh but: https://blog.codinghorror.com/the-nonprogramming-programmer/ https://blog.codinghorror.com/the-nonprogramming-programmer/ I'm guessing the reality in your case isn't quite as severe but that's sort of where some "jigglers" sit. When I hear "I don't follow at all the academic approach" what I'm hearing is you don't even know what is actually taught in a CS degree. Might be wrong but that's what I'm hearing. A lot of it isn't really that academic but sure some of it is. I'm self-taught and I worked as a programmer before I got my CS degree (as a teenager) but my self studies included CS topics (algorithms and data structures etc.) and I never copied any code or "jiggled" anything when I got started, everything was written from zero. What I did occasionally do is implement algorithms (i.e. the algorithm is known, write the code, which I guess is a form of copying). On the plus side you've obviously acquired some good skills doing all this and you are likely smart. If you're happy with where you are (let's call this a "Software Integrator" maybe) that's fine. If you want to become better you probably should put in the time and learn some of the things you've been avoiding either formally or on your own (unlike when I was a kid there's endless resources now).
- soneca 4y ago
  > ”what I'm hearing is you don't even know what is actually taught in a CS degree” This is accurate. I don’t. My impression is “algorithms and data structures”, which is fuzzy for me. I don’t care at all about algorithms. Data structures I think I should know more about at some point. I considered studying CS after starting working with software development, but decided I don’t want to. Kind of related, but I also decided that I don’t want to study leetcode too, even though there is a financial incentive to do it. I am happy being someone that some arrogant developers like to call “web developer”, “programmer” or, at most, “software developer” as opposed to what a “software engineer” is. I understand the difference that those people try to point out. And I agree there is a difference and I don’t care to be on the side of line that I am. It does bother me that every time I see someone making a point of showing where the line is, it’s from a point of arrogance, entitlement. This does bother me, and I felt that tone in the comment I replied to.
deleted 4y ago
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by soneca 4y ago

dexwiz 4y ago

I don't know you, but solely from this post I am going to go with "likely overconfident."

soneca 4y ago
That’s fair. But I also know a lot about what I can’t do. I don’t have the knowledge (and maybe the capacity to acquire the knowledge) to work on really complex stuff. Like, solutions that work well on the scale of hundreds of millions of user (I work on web development for context). I also wouldn’t be capable of working on embedded systems or any system which just can’t fail. Also, academic research on computer science, as I lack much of the basics. I am happy building websites and web apps. But I am confident enough to know I can innovate and create complex solutions for the kinds of problems I face.

goldenkey 4y ago

Hmm. I'm smart and innovative too! I flipped my couch cushion over after my dog shit on it. Maybe we are both revolutionaries?!

soneca 4y ago
Sorry, I didn't understand the underlying message that your sarcasm was intended to pass.
- goldenkey 4y ago
  Maybe we're not as alike as I thought.

YZF 4y ago

This is maybe gonna be a little harsh but: https://blog.codinghorror.com/the-nonprogramming-programmer/ https://blog.codinghorror.com/the-nonprogramming-programmer/ I'm guessing the reality in your case isn't quite as severe but that's sort of where some "jigglers" sit. When I hear "I don't follow at all the academic approach" what I'm hearing is you don't even know what is actually taught in a CS degree. Might be wrong but that's what I'm hearing. A lot of it isn't really that academic but sure some of it is. I'm self-taught and I worked as a programmer before I got my CS degree (as a teenager) but my self studies included CS topics (algorithms and data structures etc.) and I never copied any code or "jiggled" anything when I got started, everything was written from zero. What I did occasionally do is implement algorithms (i.e. the algorithm is known, write the code, which I guess is a form of copying). On the plus side you've obviously acquired some good skills doing all this and you are likely smart. If you're happy with where you are (let's call this a "Software Integrator" maybe) that's fine. If you want to become better you probably should put in the time and learn some of the things you've been avoiding either formally or on your own (unlike when I was a kid there's endless resources now).

soneca 4y ago
> ”what I'm hearing is you don't even know what is actually taught in a CS degree” This is accurate. I don’t. My impression is “algorithms and data structures”, which is fuzzy for me. I don’t care at all about algorithms. Data structures I think I should know more about at some point. I considered studying CS after starting working with software development, but decided I don’t want to. Kind of related, but I also decided that I don’t want to study leetcode too, even though there is a financial incentive to do it. I am happy being someone that some arrogant developers like to call “web developer”, “programmer” or, at most, “software developer” as opposed to what a “software engineer” is. I understand the difference that those people try to point out. And I agree there is a difference and I don’t care to be on the side of line that I am. It does bother me that every time I see someone making a point of showing where the line is, it’s from a point of arrogance, entitlement. This does bother me, and I felt that tone in the comment I replied to.

deleted 4y ago

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