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A "practice"? It's called reality. There's a reason why most top professional athletes started their sports at a very young age. It isn't coincidence or soci

• rayiner 13y ago
  That analogy doesn't fly. Top professional athletes are truly exceptional in a way programmers are not. They're the 0.01%. They're a good analogy to maybe Fields Medalists, not people working at Facebook.
  • crusso 13y ago
    I mentioned "top athletes", since they're a very visible part of the curve where we can demonstrate that longevity in a field from an early age increases likelihood of success. I would expect that all levels of athletic performers would benefit likewise - although they won't end up in the top 0.01%. We like to flatter ourselves and think that programming isn't a skill like athletic performance, but that's just because it makes us feel better since it's harder to measure.