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When I started asking for help with programming, I had some idea that it would be similar to like... asking for help with a dance move, or how to do a thing in photoshop. Sure, there's different techniques, but not a *lot* of them; ask an expert, get a fast answer. 1/

350

Aella

@Aella_Girl

Aug 30, 2022

but when asking people who are really good at programming a question about 'how to do this thing,' a surprising amount of the time they *don't know*, and have to go google it. And when I ask multiple people, they often give me radically different answers. 2/

232

Aella

@Aella_Girl

Aug 30, 2022

I think I thought programming was much narrower than it was, but it's actually extremely broad; even if you're familiar with the same language, you might not be with the same library, or the *type* of thing I'm trying to do. It's a huge landscape with many right answers.

289

Aella

@Aella_Girl

Maybe this is very obvious, but I didn't know that being a good programmer doesn't mean having all the vocabulary words memorized, but rather having a good grasp of grammar and syntax that allows you to do more efficient 'figuring out.' The answers are often not preloaded!

5:49 PM · Aug 30, 2022

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studying latin is the closest thing i've done to programming!

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and

How cool that you are! What inspired you to do this?

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Creativity and problem solving is seeded into the depths of every skill set, no matter how “structured” it seems from the outside looking in

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It’s kinda similar to being a lawyer in that regard

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yup, Ive quickly realized that knowing code makes you a good programmer in the same way knowing the alphabet makes you a good writer

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That’s part of why it’s more an art than a science

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Part of the reason I got out of coding and into Infosec, Infosec is easier

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This is why calling them programming *languages* is so apt. There are so many things you can do with language--the combinations and possibilities are near endless.

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Ya. Its hard to explain but there's like 5 (ish) families of computer languages. Once you know 1 language in each family you can mostly figure out any other in a few hours of googling. Then it's a little bit like this with a little more syntax.

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There is also a difference between a programmer, a software engineer, and a computer scientist. They may all use the same programming language, but they approach problems in very different ways and their expectations about the end result similarly vary.