4 ms·

Really, almost every programmer is a self-taught programmer. The programming that you get in a formal education barely scratches the surface.

betterunix 13y ago
Yeah but at the same time, you are not just learning how to program when you go to school (if you are, then you are being ripped off). You are also learning how to think abstractly about programming problems, how to analyze programs, what sort of programs are possible, etc. It is hard to know what to learn when you are self-taught, and it is easy to get caught up in minute details while missing the bigger picture.
- michaelwww 13y ago
  Talent, curiosity, interest and practice will find a way. I think what you are saying applied pre-Google, but now it's easy to see the path ahead.
  - betterunix 13y ago
    You need to know what to search for on Google. Curiosity is good, but some topics are just not obvious enough for a curious hacker to search for. This is particularly true of more advanced topics, that are often not covered well by Google searches or wind up buried in noise.
    - michaelwww 13y ago
      Just follow the links and Google the keywords mentioned in the writings. I'd be in favor of people going to school to learn how to use Google. Edit: that wasn't a knock at you, but I am often surprised at some of my smart friends who don't know how to use it, as in not knowing that the dash in front of keyword will eliminate those results.
  - purplelobster 13y ago
    That might be true for a few very talented and motivated people, but not for the majority. I would take a person with a theoretical computer science degree over a self-taught programmer any day, unless the self-taught one is clearly one of those insanely talented people.
    - michaelwww 13y ago
      Agreed, but the vast majority of programming jobs don't require a theoretical computer science degree. It depends on what you're looking for.
michaelwww 13y ago
Programming is a life long learning process. I'd venture to say most computer programmers don't have computer science degrees in the same way most musicians don't have formal training. If you don't have a passion for it combined with talent, no amount of university training will fix that.

betterunix 13y ago

Yeah but at the same time, you are not just learning how to program when you go to school (if you are, then you are being ripped off). You are also learning how to think abstractly about programming problems, how to analyze programs, what sort of programs are possible, etc. It is hard to know what to learn when you are self-taught, and it is easy to get caught up in minute details while missing the bigger picture.

michaelwww 13y ago
Talent, curiosity, interest and practice will find a way. I think what you are saying applied pre-Google, but now it's easy to see the path ahead.
- betterunix 13y ago
  You need to know what to search for on Google. Curiosity is good, but some topics are just not obvious enough for a curious hacker to search for. This is particularly true of more advanced topics, that are often not covered well by Google searches or wind up buried in noise.
  - michaelwww 13y ago
    Just follow the links and Google the keywords mentioned in the writings. I'd be in favor of people going to school to learn how to use Google. Edit: that wasn't a knock at you, but I am often surprised at some of my smart friends who don't know how to use it, as in not knowing that the dash in front of keyword will eliminate those results.
- purplelobster 13y ago
  That might be true for a few very talented and motivated people, but not for the majority. I would take a person with a theoretical computer science degree over a self-taught programmer any day, unless the self-taught one is clearly one of those insanely talented people.
  - michaelwww 13y ago
    Agreed, but the vast majority of programming jobs don't require a theoretical computer science degree. It depends on what you're looking for.

michaelwww 13y ago

Programming is a life long learning process. I'd venture to say most computer programmers don't have computer science degrees in the same way most musicians don't have formal training. If you don't have a passion for it combined with talent, no amount of university training will fix that.