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The survey is very focused on "firsts", like, "what was your first program?". It's weird, would you ask a marathon runner what their first steps were like? A l

by neilk 13y ago

The survey is very focused on "firsts", like, "what was your first program?". It's weird, would you ask a marathon runner what their first steps were like? A lot of people have dabbled with code, and the first programs are always the same. If you started in the BASIC era like me, it's 10 PRINT "NEILK" 20 GOTO 10 For others it might be making a button in VB or doing some little bit of JavaScript interactivity. My point is, there's no difference between the first program of someone who gives up after thirty seconds, and the first program of someone who sticks with it for thirty years.

nbouscal 13y ago
There very well could be. The most likely difference between someone who tries gambling and gives up after 30 seconds and someone who becomes a gambler for life is that the latter is far more likely to have done well in their first game. That's where the notion of beginner's luck comes from — it's a selection bias where people who are lucky at first are more likely to continue gambling. I don't see any reason why a similar selection bias couldn't exist in programming. For example, perhaps people who start programming at a very early age are more likely to continue programming. This survey won't prove anything, but very well could point in the direction of some interesting correlations.
jacalata 13y ago
I've seen people ask 'what was your first race', which I think is a better equivalent. Answers vary from "high school track" to "a 5k walk for breast cancer". Potential answers to "what was your first program" range from your BASIC answer to my own "a quadratic equation solver on my TI-83". I find it interesting, and when you are aiming to use the survey responses to tell stories, I think you'll get some good material out of these questions. Even reading the other comments here get you a lot of different 'first programs'.
reeses 13y ago
Showoff. My first program was 10 PRINT "ART IS COOL" My second program added 20 GOTO 10 I'm half as fast as you are. :(

by neilk 13y ago

nbouscal 13y ago

There very well could be. The most likely difference between someone who tries gambling and gives up after 30 seconds and someone who becomes a gambler for life is that the latter is far more likely to have done well in their first game. That's where the notion of beginner's luck comes from — it's a selection bias where people who are lucky at first are more likely to continue gambling. I don't see any reason why a similar selection bias couldn't exist in programming. For example, perhaps people who start programming at a very early age are more likely to continue programming. This survey won't prove anything, but very well could point in the direction of some interesting correlations.

jacalata 13y ago

I've seen people ask 'what was your first race', which I think is a better equivalent. Answers vary from "high school track" to "a 5k walk for breast cancer". Potential answers to "what was your first program" range from your BASIC answer to my own "a quadratic equation solver on my TI-83". I find it interesting, and when you are aiming to use the survey responses to tell stories, I think you'll get some good material out of these questions. Even reading the other comments here get you a lot of different 'first programs'.

reeses 13y ago

Showoff. My first program was 10 PRINT "ART IS COOL" My second program added 20 GOTO 10 I'm half as fast as you are. :(