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Strangeattractor comments on Open Thread, Jun. 15 - Jun. 21, 2015 - Less Wrong
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Short story followed by question.
I started looking at making an app. So I went to here:
http://developer.android.com/training/index.html
I made a hello world (while getting a bit lost) to the approximation of 5 hours. I consulted my vague and terrible programming skills that have barely been used for 5+ years. And started trying to add in extra magical-powers to my app. I started reading further into the reference (estimate 5 hours)
Eventually figuring I would work up the trees to the top; gain an understanding of what was up there and then route downwards to the specifics. I got to the top of the trees and realised I still did not have what I needed. (estimate 2 hours) So I went higher to here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object-oriented_programming
And discovered things; branching to the major links in the first paragraph. Now things are starting to make sense. (estimate 30minutes)
I am gradually getting faster at working out when to go upwards or sideways or ask for help. At 30 minutes on my current step I realised all I am doing is building myself a map of the map&territory kind. (class -> object -> process containing things)
Question: Does there exist a map of the what on earth am I looking at variety; so I have any idea what I am trying to understand? Searches for map yield objects of geographical mapping abilities. I want a meta:map of the language or its structure... Does one exist? Where?
Learning to program is easier if there is someone you can discuss things with in person. Is there a person or a group near where you are located that you could spend time with?
If not, there are places on the internet, such as Stack Overflow, to ask for programming help.
That would be my recommendation. Find a community. Or, a person.
Thanks for this suggestions; I have a number of brilliant programming friends. Its about time I upskilled my programming ability.
I am trying to very delicately ask help at the right times to various people without asking for too much from any one person.
One of the problems I am having is that a task that might take me 5 hours could be done by someone with the skills in under 30 minutes. If I were to achieve the creation (of the app) at the cost of all else; It would be fastest to ask one of my skilled friends to do it for me. But then I don't gain any skills, and pretty soon my friends get sick of me asking favours.