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XiXiDu comments on More intuitive programming languages - Less Wrong Discussion

4 Post author: A4FB53AC 15 April 2012 11:35AM

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Comment author: XiXiDu 15 April 2012 11:55:00AM *  1 point [-]

I'm not a programmer. I wish I were. I've tried to learn it several times, different languages, but never went very far. The most complex piece of software I ever wrote was a bulky, inefficient game of life.

For how long? I've been able to solve the first 5 Project Euler problems after 2 days of Python, and I'd probably be able to solve more, but that isn't programming.

I doubt you can become anything that would deserve the label "programmer" in under 3 years, as long as you are not a genius.

Comment author: Will_Newsome 15 April 2012 12:24:27PM 2 points [-]

I doubt you can become anything that would deserve the label "programmer" in under 3 years, as long as you are not a genius.

I know at least two people that got $70k+ programming jobs after only about three months of study. Not sure what "genius" means in this context.

Comment author: Jayson_Virissimo 15 April 2012 12:35:43PM 2 points [-]

What did they do before programming?

Comment author: Will_Newsome 15 April 2012 12:41:37PM 4 points [-]

One was a physics grad student, the other a mathematics grad student. Both had some prior experience with basic Bash.

Comment author: [deleted] 19 April 2012 04:30:43PM 1 point [-]

This makes it much less surprising. Anecdotally in my social circle it seems that people who have had studied math or physics seem to easily pick up programming.

Comment author: komponisto 16 April 2012 12:31:02AM 1 point [-]

I think that's exaggerated. From what I understand it was more like one $70k and one $40k, after something like 6-8 months of study.

That said, anyone with anecdotes like this is invited to share them. They sound cool, and give one hope for this world.

Comment author: Will_Newsome 16 April 2012 03:32:06AM 0 points [-]

The 40k one wasn't the one I had in mind, but I'll accept your correction re the 70k one.

Comment author: XiXiDu 15 April 2012 12:57:28PM 0 points [-]

I know at least two people that got $70k+ programming jobs after only about three months of study. Not sure what "genius" means in this context.

I know very little so it is hard to judge for me. I would be impressed by someone with no programming experience who could write a post like this, after three months of study, without a previous math or computer science background.

Comment author: lavalamp 15 April 2012 01:57:39PM 2 points [-]

That author's level isn't necessary to make a living at computer programming.

Comment author: gjm 15 April 2012 10:20:56PM 1 point [-]

And (for the avoidance of doubt) that author doesn't in any sense lack "a previous math or computer science background", although he says he's a programming beginner. He's a first-rate physicist and the author of an important book on quantum computing. So I'm not sure what XiXiDu is saying here; that Nielsen's level of insight is what it takes to deserve the label of "programmer"? (No.) Or that Nielsen is a genius? (Maybe, but so what?) Or what?