[aklug] Re: AKLUG and others

> On Thursday 04 March 2010, Christopher Howard elucidated thus:
>
>> My twelve cents, as a UAF student and aspiring programmer: Nearly
>> everything I've every learned about programming was learned /outside/
>> of class. Everything they have tried to teach me about programming
>> per se, I either already knew, or could have learned in twenty
>> minutes through online tutorials.
>>
>> The CS program would be a complete waste of time and money for me
>> except, as Josh mentioned, there are some useful classes that teach
>> you about how a computer works. For example, understanding what goes
>> on in the registers or how the various aspects of memory work can
>> give you a better perspective on how to program well. (And of course,
>> math courses and such are beneficial.)
>>
>> Not to say there aren't neat things you can learn to do in high level
>> courses. I'm just convinced, more than ever, that you don't learn
>> /how to program/ at a university. You have to do that on your own,
>> with lots of trial and error practice.
If what you learned in class could have been picked up in 20 minutes,
either you're very, very, very smart, or the CS program at UAF is terrible.

I keep writing things to say, and then deleting them; I suppose my
message to everybody out there is to resist the urge to pick up a 'learn
[some language] in 21 days' and thumb through it, and then boast about
your programming skills. (I'm not saying anybody is boasting).

The gap between a bad programmer and a good programmer is huge. Work
hard, don't overestimate your knowledge, and become a good one.

--
Adam

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Received on Thu Mar 4 22:17:25 2010