Ask HN: Why haven't you learned to code yet?
The usual excuses are "i'm too old", "i don't have enough time", "i'm not talented"... Well you're never too old to learn something new, and as for time at first you only need an hour a day to get into coding, i don't recommend throwing yourself into it, at first just start slow. And trust me its true that some people are talented in coding, but the people that make it are the ones that love it and work at it everyday until they master it.
Now comes the part "What should i learn?" Well it really depends on you, coding has multiple domains, but i always divide it into 3 big categories Software development, Web development and mobile development. All of them are good domains, and you can start in anyone of them and then specialize. For example if you choose web development you can either continue as a frontend, backend or a fullstack developer...
Learn to code. It will change your life for the better.
21 comments
[ 10.4 ms ] story [ 141 ms ] threadI have a good grasp on HTML/CSS and a bit of PHP and JS, but everything else (despite taking a few C++ classes years ago) feels almost like a brick wall.
I've tried reading up on Swift and some other languages and it just hasn't clicked for me again yet.
I plan on trying and trying, because I would really like to go into either programming or web dev instead of doing support like I am now. It would pay more, be less frustrating, quieter, and more satisfying.
Maybe I'll get there eventually. Trying a few new things online (ebooks/etc regarding Python and other languages). I think it's just not a focused-enough effort from me yet.
TL;DR - I want to learn but I am standing in my own way and still working on that
A well structured class will largely help you climb the "brick wall", as some fundamental programming concepts may be hard to grasp at first.
That said, you've responded, and your response is valid even if the OP could have been worded a little better. Thus, I reply. :P
What kinds of things in computing interest you? What do you spend most of your time doing? What specific aspects of technology that you['ve] interact[ed] with irritate you the most?
Now, to answer your questions. If I recall correctly I had a nice introduction to the Java Programming language, saw a few beginner data structures, and did some regular student assignments.
I would not be able to answer what kind of computing interests me clearly. I would have to dwell deeply into some aspect before I decide I have a lasting interest in it.
Most of my time nowadays is spent playing around with different distros and trying to make sense of the linux landscape. Java was OK. These days I played around with HTML,CSS, Javascript but they didn't really fulfill me as much as working only with code so I've been slowly trying to read more C code and I'm making my way through the C Programming Language, a few pages every night at full-concentration mode. The Linux From Scratch project captured my attention a few days ago but I'm still on the fence about how productive that would be, although the idea of seeing how the sausage is made is really exciting to me.
Things I find irritating: -- cluttered UI -- cumbersome/complicated code (I love www.suckless.org and most of the things they do. Because my thoughts when it comes to code and programming are pretty much the same as theirs. I use way too many of their tools (surf, st, etc).
I'm not sure if I'm learning what I should be learning. Ultimately this is a just a hobby to give me peace of mind when dealing with computers. I tend to get side-tracked very easily and doubt my abilities too much. I realized that when I've been trying to teach myself things I tend to read and re-read the basics endlessly because I'm not sure when is the time to move on to more complicated things. I've read the first 10 pages of kernighan and ritchie at least 200 times, I shit you not.
Uh... no, you do not. You might want to consider taking your own advice.
i always divide it into 3 big categories Software development, Web development and mobile development
I'm going to stress my latter statement even more.
That's sorta what happens when you don't follow things to completion. I have a "working knowledge" of C/C++/Java/Python/HTML/CSS/Javascript/jQuery/Bash/Powershell. The problem is I use very few of them daily within my job, and hence the only thing I'd consider myself truly "fluent" in is Bash, with C being a distant second on the level of "I can read it pretty well but I don't actually have to write it".
Hence, whatever else I scrape together in my free time is usually just examples taken from books or e-learning courses, but very few practical examples or projects to reinforce what I've learned.
Learning to code won't get you 60k a year.
I find this post incredibly insulting. Some people have real problems interfering with their goals. This wasn't a sincere question. It's just godawful, in so many ways.
Seeing this just makes me really angry.