How Should a Non-Techie Learn Programming?

CurtMonash writes "Nontechnical people — for example marketers or small business owners — increasingly get the feeling they should know more about technology. And they're right. If you can throw up a small website or do some real number-crunching, chances are those skills will help you feed your family. But how should they get started? I started a thread with the question on DBMS2, and some consistent themes emerged, including: Learn HTML + CSS early on; Learn a bit of SQL, but you needn't make that your focus; Have your first real programming language be one of the modern ones, such as PHP or Python; MySQL is a good vehicle to learn SQL; It's a great idea to start with a project you actually want to accomplish, and that can be done by modifying a starter set of sample code (e.g., a WordPress blog); Microsoft's technology stack is an interesting alternative to some of the other technology ideas. A variety of books and websites were suggested, most notably MIT's Scratch. But, frankly, it would really help to get more suggestions for sites and books that help one get started with HTML/CSS, or with MySQL, or with PHP. And so, techie studs and studdettes, I ask you — how should a non-techie go about learning some basic technological skills?"

Comments

Re:Why should a non-techie learn programming?

[Kral_Blbec]

Very good point. I contest the claim that "If you can throw up a small website or do some real number-crunching, chances are those skills will help you feed your family. " IMO its more likely to just be a black hole of time and resources.

Re:Don't

[johnlcallaway]

I've been programming for 30 years, and have never had those problems. I keep up to speed on new technology, am never afraid to pitch in even when I don't know something, and have always made sure my various bosses know that I will do whatever it takes to get the job done. I get jobs based on contacts with friends and don't send resumes to HR, I get them to the manager. I'm smart and curious, and make sure that I present those skills because anybody that is a decent manager knows that they want someone who is smart more than someone who is certified. And anyone that is any good knows they don't want to work for a manager that hires based on certifications.

So if someone is having the problems noted above, maybe they need a different attitude. Whining never solved anything. And when I hire people, I don't want excuses, I want someone who will dig it and get the job done.

Any decent programmer can learn a new language after they have been programing for years, it's just not that difficult. Unless someone isn't that good to begin with. Because no matter how much they tell you, basic programming really hasn't changed in 30 years. Oh sure, we use IDEs instead of card punches, and they'll talk about object oriented programming and the new paradigm, but it's really not much different than the old paradigm when you look under the covers. Computers still do things the same way they always did. Unless someone changed how binary works.

If someone doesn't want to be a programmer .. don't start. Unless you are just curious. There is nothing worse than someone with no programming experience writing code. Not because they can't write code. But because they don't know enough about how NOT to write code and how to identify and correct syntax errors and how to debug and test. And will need to spend the next 10 years making the same stupid mistakes we have all made, but without the oversight of someone who knows how NOT to write code that will laugh and gently explain to them why myString+=anotherString sometimes is OK, but sometimes isn't. Why even though it works, sometimes there is a better way to append two strings and other things that aren't in the manual.