I honestly never really understood the value of Reddit. It's basically usenet, with a more centralized infrastructure. The only thing that accomplishes is that the assholes don't get groups for themselves, spill into other groups and troll there.
Oddly enough, nobody ever threatened to kill me. Not even in jest. And yes, I do moderate a few boards. None of them the size (or toxicity) of Reddit, but... well, pick and choose your battles well would be my advice here...
The first mistake here is to call it "coding". Writing the code is the last step of a long way, and arguably the least difficult one. A parallel you could give to the non-techs is building a house, coding would be the bricklaying part. Yes, it has to be done, but it's arguably the part that earns the least amount of money. What comes before is planning, designing, logistics and probably a lot more steps that I, as someone who doesn't build houses for a living, won't even think about. Programming is quite similar.
With the main difference that writing the code isn't a big enough part that you would usually hire people to even do it and instead you just do it yourself.
The next problem is that people only see the likes of Torvalds or Brin and think that all they really do is push a few buttons and "write code", and that it should be possible to simply teach this. What they omit is that not only is "this computer stuff" way different than law or economy, fields where rote learning does actually get you somewhere. Unfortunately, since solving problems that have already been solved is useless in this field (unlike the aforementioned economy or law where solving the same problems over and over is pretty much a staple of the field), you actually have to understand what you're doing. At least if you want to make it big.
And that's the next problem people omit. Those that really strike it big don't treat this as a 9 to 5 job, where they drop the pencil (or the keyboard) at 5, go home and never think about computers until the next day at 9am when they have to again. We don't have to think about computers. We want to. We enjoy solving mathematical problems and coating them in code. We enjoy watching a well written program execute and do its job. We don't think "when is that project finally done" but "hope I have some time left to improve this bit here".
THAT is the difference. That differentiates those that won't from those that can and do.
And that is not different from any other field. A surgeon will not be a sought after specialist if he doesn't constantly improve his skills, in his spare time and at his own expense. A star lawyer isn't someone who does the same shit every day but someone who takes every new law that he comes across and ponders long and hard how to abuse. And a great marketing guru isn't the guy that runs the same campaign over and over but someone who understands trends and uses them to put his product on top of it.
THIS is the key to success. Not studying the flavor of the month field because this is where the money is. The money is, and has always been, in being one of the few really GOOD ones in your field.
It's Seehofer. Germany's version of a deep-south republican senator.
To be honest, we're happy he can talk in a way that conveys what he means. When I think of the infamous "Transrapid" speech of his predecessor... Even as a German native speaker you were left wondering what the fuck he was talking about.
I think we were in phase 1 back then. Some maybe even in phase 2. But as I said, it doesn't matter, no matter what phase you're in, you needn't do anything.
My guess is that the other 50% are composite with 20% coming from the bible studies fanatics you mention, 20% are deadbeats that don't give a fuck and the remaining 10% are parents that actually have an idea what programming is like and what's needed for it.
Programming languages are a tool. At best. Knowing a language does not make you any more a programmer than knowing how to hold a hammer makes you a carpenter.
Doc, I have a problem. I have this medication that says "take a teaspoon with some water before dinner". I did that for two weeks, now I'm out of teaspoons and my tummy aches.
A couple years ago, everyone had to be a doctor. Your kid had to study medicine, or at least law, to have a chance later in life. And yes, we did need a couple qualified doctors back then. Lawyers not so much, but they come with the territory. Now we're sitting on a pile of mediocre quacks and shysters. Are all of them unqualified? Not at all, we also have a bunch of really awesome medical geniuses and star lawyers that can turn black into white and back with only a few words. But these people would have chosen those careers anyway, and we'd be better off, in total as well as those now sitting on basically useless degrees, if these people who had zero aptitude for medicine and law would have studied something else that's more their speed.
Today, the same applies to STEM. Kids are forced into STEM fields whether they have any qualities that qualifies them for them or not. And we'll get the same result. A few brilliant programmers and mathematicians and a truckload of cargo-cult programmers and other worthless degree holders that somehow, eventually, finally, kinda-sorta managed to get it and will now peddle from one employer to the next, always getting hired based on degree and fired based on not being able to do anything meaningful.
This is already a problem. We already have that kind of people by the truckload. And it's gonna get worse.
The kid doesn't stay a kid forever and at some point in time I would expect him or her to do just that, write a FFT program, a closed-loop sim or a database program.
Else torturing the kid with learning how to program is kinda pointless. It's like torturing me with geography. A worthless endeavor that served no purpose in my professional life.
C'mon, is it really asking too much to set up a VM with a Windows box for the guy? I mean, he's just doing his job and it's hellish funny to hear him explode after messing 30 minutes with a VM that you rollback in a second for him to start over if he so pleases.
Slashdot Mirror
I honestly never really understood the value of Reddit. It's basically usenet, with a more centralized infrastructure. The only thing that accomplishes is that the assholes don't get groups for themselves, spill into other groups and troll there.
When have you been banned?
Oddly enough, nobody ever threatened to kill me. Not even in jest. And yes, I do moderate a few boards. None of them the size (or toxicity) of Reddit, but ... well, pick and choose your battles well would be my advice here...
Even if I was paid, receiving a death threat with zero backup from above to deal with it is a good reason to quit.
If I was not even paid, why even wait for backup from above?
You didn't hear about "Bavaria One", I get it? Same party, different goofball.
Similar to Germany's problems with Russia. Differences over how much Germany has to pay for the gas.
Yeah, that GDPR bullshit really cut into our bottom line.
---signed, foreign security company.
Yes, and Germany apologized long and deeply for the chancellor boring the CIA out of their mind, could we already let it rest?
Then again, why did they have to wiretap her, to know this all you really had to do is to listen to one of her speeches...
The first mistake here is to call it "coding". Writing the code is the last step of a long way, and arguably the least difficult one. A parallel you could give to the non-techs is building a house, coding would be the bricklaying part. Yes, it has to be done, but it's arguably the part that earns the least amount of money. What comes before is planning, designing, logistics and probably a lot more steps that I, as someone who doesn't build houses for a living, won't even think about. Programming is quite similar.
With the main difference that writing the code isn't a big enough part that you would usually hire people to even do it and instead you just do it yourself.
The next problem is that people only see the likes of Torvalds or Brin and think that all they really do is push a few buttons and "write code", and that it should be possible to simply teach this. What they omit is that not only is "this computer stuff" way different than law or economy, fields where rote learning does actually get you somewhere. Unfortunately, since solving problems that have already been solved is useless in this field (unlike the aforementioned economy or law where solving the same problems over and over is pretty much a staple of the field), you actually have to understand what you're doing. At least if you want to make it big.
And that's the next problem people omit. Those that really strike it big don't treat this as a 9 to 5 job, where they drop the pencil (or the keyboard) at 5, go home and never think about computers until the next day at 9am when they have to again. We don't have to think about computers. We want to. We enjoy solving mathematical problems and coating them in code. We enjoy watching a well written program execute and do its job. We don't think "when is that project finally done" but "hope I have some time left to improve this bit here".
THAT is the difference. That differentiates those that won't from those that can and do.
And that is not different from any other field. A surgeon will not be a sought after specialist if he doesn't constantly improve his skills, in his spare time and at his own expense. A star lawyer isn't someone who does the same shit every day but someone who takes every new law that he comes across and ponders long and hard how to abuse. And a great marketing guru isn't the guy that runs the same campaign over and over but someone who understands trends and uses them to put his product on top of it.
THIS is the key to success. Not studying the flavor of the month field because this is where the money is. The money is, and has always been, in being one of the few really GOOD ones in your field.
Well... what would rather come to my mind is that "in the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed is king"...
It's Seehofer. Germany's version of a deep-south republican senator.
To be honest, we're happy he can talk in a way that conveys what he means. When I think of the infamous "Transrapid" speech of his predecessor... Even as a German native speaker you were left wondering what the fuck he was talking about.
I think we were in phase 1 back then. Some maybe even in phase 2. But as I said, it doesn't matter, no matter what phase you're in, you needn't do anything.
Yes. I stopped caring.
My guess is that the other 50% are composite with 20% coming from the bible studies fanatics you mention, 20% are deadbeats that don't give a fuck and the remaining 10% are parents that actually have an idea what programming is like and what's needed for it.
Critical thinking and problem solving skills?
I hope you're homeschooling. Or at least have something planned to undo the damage public schools do in those areas.
Programming languages are a tool. At best. Knowing a language does not make you any more a programmer than knowing how to hold a hammer makes you a carpenter.
Doc, I have a problem. I have this medication that says "take a teaspoon with some water before dinner". I did that for two weeks, now I'm out of teaspoons and my tummy aches.
Well, it ain't rocket science...
C'mon, how could you resist the pun "It took me a while to find out wend isn't a word"?
This is basically the problem.
A couple years ago, everyone had to be a doctor. Your kid had to study medicine, or at least law, to have a chance later in life. And yes, we did need a couple qualified doctors back then. Lawyers not so much, but they come with the territory. Now we're sitting on a pile of mediocre quacks and shysters. Are all of them unqualified? Not at all, we also have a bunch of really awesome medical geniuses and star lawyers that can turn black into white and back with only a few words. But these people would have chosen those careers anyway, and we'd be better off, in total as well as those now sitting on basically useless degrees, if these people who had zero aptitude for medicine and law would have studied something else that's more their speed.
Today, the same applies to STEM. Kids are forced into STEM fields whether they have any qualities that qualifies them for them or not. And we'll get the same result. A few brilliant programmers and mathematicians and a truckload of cargo-cult programmers and other worthless degree holders that somehow, eventually, finally, kinda-sorta managed to get it and will now peddle from one employer to the next, always getting hired based on degree and fired based on not being able to do anything meaningful.
This is already a problem. We already have that kind of people by the truckload. And it's gonna get worse.
The kid doesn't stay a kid forever and at some point in time I would expect him or her to do just that, write a FFT program, a closed-loop sim or a database program.
Else torturing the kid with learning how to program is kinda pointless. It's like torturing me with geography. A worthless endeavor that served no purpose in my professional life.
No! We need more programmers! And the worse the better!
I am in IT-Sec. I call them by the endearing pet-name I have for those cargo-cult programmers: Total Job Security.
If you ignore the demand part of "supply and demand", it would actually be that way.
Come back when you learned economics 101.
Why would their government work against them?
C'mon, is it really asking too much to set up a VM with a Windows box for the guy? I mean, he's just doing his job and it's hellish funny to hear him explode after messing 30 minutes with a VM that you rollback in a second for him to start over if he so pleases.