When I entered the university to study computer science I'd never written 1 line of code. I'm wondering if that would have made me a better software engineer? I think not. For me it is all about abstract thinking.
In my opinion you do not need to know how to program a computer, but how to solve a problem in a structured manner. Knowing a programming language (or architecture for that matter) very thorough can even make you narrow minded: thinking only inside that box.
In other words: what makes a great novelist: mastering a language very thorough? Or having great ideas and thoughts to write about? Probably both, but which is more important? Only mastering the language very well -> very dull books
What I'm trying to say is that every practice has different layers of depth, only in the field of software engineering those layers are not very clear yet. An engineer designing a bridge should be an iron worker as well?
Furthermore: wrong habits are hard to loose. Teaching your self to program stuff helps you to understand a lot of things, but can also learn you some bad practice.
BTW: do you think today's lawyers were spending their childhood wrestling through legislation? Or were they playing with other children?
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When I entered the university to study computer science I'd never written 1 line of code. I'm wondering if that would have made me a better software engineer? I think not. For me it is all about abstract thinking.
In my opinion you do not need to know how to program a computer, but how to solve a problem in a structured manner. Knowing a programming language (or architecture for that matter) very thorough can even make you narrow minded: thinking only inside that box.
In other words: what makes a great novelist: mastering a language very thorough? Or having great ideas and thoughts to write about? Probably both, but which is more important?
Only mastering the language very well -> very dull books
What I'm trying to say is that every practice has different layers of depth, only in the field of software engineering those layers are not very clear yet. An engineer designing a bridge should be an iron worker as well?
Furthermore: wrong habits are hard to loose. Teaching your self to program stuff helps you to understand a lot of things, but can also learn you some bad practice.
BTW: do you think today's lawyers were spending their childhood wrestling through legislation? Or were they playing with other children?