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I'm not a programmer but always tried to be one. Now in middle age I know I could have been one there's nothing amazing about it you just practice with guidance

I'm not a programmer but always tried to be one. Now in middle age I know I could have been one there's nothing amazing about it you just practice with guidance. Like playing a musical instrument very few people can play instantly unless they practice. Sure there are Mozarts but 99.999% of musicians are not. I went to school a few years ago and we had programming. I was able to do it but my younger classmates were better. A few were savants I think done in 5 minutes what it took the others an hour. For me I had to use white noise and earbuds. Even someone walking by on the other side of the row of desks would make me lose focus. I got tests done not all perfect, some half, some not at all. It gives me hope to know it's not just me.

mtrower 4y ago
While I don’t know how I feel about the word “savant”, I do seem to match your idea of the few, and in that regard I have two things to say here… * Interruptions affect me just as the article describes. I have my suspicions about those who claim to be unaffected. * Talent may indeed play a role, but what you probably aren’t seeing behind the apparent talent is the self-driven obsession. Behind those 5 minutes is a mountain of self-obtained experience. As I understand it, even Mozart was no different… Expanding on that slightly, when considering if I was special compared to the average individual: I self-taught myself from the age of 8, so yeah, probably something different about me that enabled that. On the other hand, I self-taught myself from the age of 8, spending nearly every free moment with computers. How messed up would it be if I didn’t end up with a massive lead over those just starting out? Of course it was effortless in 5 minutes: I’d already put in more effort by that point than many would in a lifetime… I guess the moral is, try to consider what it might be that you aren’t seeing.

mtrower 4y ago

While I don’t know how I feel about the word “savant”, I do seem to match your idea of the few, and in that regard I have two things to say here… * Interruptions affect me just as the article describes. I have my suspicions about those who claim to be unaffected. * Talent may indeed play a role, but what you probably aren’t seeing behind the apparent talent is the self-driven obsession. Behind those 5 minutes is a mountain of self-obtained experience. As I understand it, even Mozart was no different… Expanding on that slightly, when considering if I was special compared to the average individual: I self-taught myself from the age of 8, so yeah, probably something different about me that enabled that. On the other hand, I self-taught myself from the age of 8, spending nearly every free moment with computers. How messed up would it be if I didn’t end up with a massive lead over those just starting out? Of course it was effortless in 5 minutes: I’d already put in more effort by that point than many would in a lifetime… I guess the moral is, try to consider what it might be that you aren’t seeing.