As someone who spends time programming, I of course find myself in conversations with people who aren’t as familiar with it. It doesn’t happen all the time, but these discussions can lead to people coming up with some pretty wild misconceptions about what programming is and what programmers do.

  • I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences. So, I thought it would be interesting to ask.
  • NeonKnight52@lemmy.ca
    40·
    9 months ago

    That there’s something inherently special about me that makes me able to program…

    … Yes…patience and interest.

    • FlumPHP@programming.dev
      34·
      9 months ago

      The things that make me a good programmer:

      1. I read error messages
      2. I put those errors in Google
      3. I read the results that come up

      Even among my peers, that gives me a leg up apparently.

    • stoly@lemmy.world
      162·
      9 months ago

      Don’t underestimate what having the necessary intuitions do engage with mathematics does for you. A significant portion of the population is incapable of that, mostly because we have a very poor way of teaching it as a subject.

      • kaffiene@lemmy.worldEnglish
        81·
        9 months ago

        Funny you should say that as I was thinking that the idea that math has anything to do with programming is the biggest misconprehension I encounter.

        • datelmd5sum@lemmy.world
          9·
          9 months ago

          Hey we did all sort of crazy shit with linear algebra, vectors matrices and shit in college programmlng. Now I sometimes do some basic arithmetic in work life. E.g:

          n = n + 1

          • groucho@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
            4·
            9 months ago

            Sometimes, very rarely, I tell my squad that today’s our unlucky day and we’re actually going to have to do math to the problem.

      • NeonKnight52@lemmy.ca
        6·
        9 months ago

        This is very fair. Math has always come fairly easily to me. So math intuition plays a part in my interest and ability to learn to program.

        I think most people, even smart people, assume they couldn’t do it though because I’m some kind of genius, which only a few programmers actually are.

        • stoly@lemmy.world
          4·
          9 months ago

          Agreed. Few geniuses, it’s mostly driven people with slightly above average intelligence and a good bit of opportunity.

    • MIDItheKID@lemmy.world
      11·
      9 months ago

      I met a friend of a friend recently and they asked what I did and I told them I’m a computer systems engineer and they were like “oh you must be smart” and I was like “I like to think that I’m good at what I do, but trust me. I am not smart”

      • NeonKnight52@lemmy.ca
        3·
        9 months ago

        Like stoly said above, I think programmers are probably slightly above average intelligence overall, so don’t sell yourself short there. But yeah. We’re not geniuses