What I Wish I Knew About Computer Science in High School | Hacker News Reader

What I Wish I Knew About Computer Science in High School

codexjourneys.com

As someone who has transitioned into becoming a developer via 'the computer guy (change ram, install windows ..etc)' -> 'sysadmin' -> 'scripter' -> developer path, these two points resonated well with me:

  > I went back for a technical master’s degree but shied away from pure
  > Computer Science because I was afraid. Afraid I couldn’t compete with
  > people who’d been coding since they were 12, who majored in CS at college
  > the first time around, who were wizards.

  and

  > I didn’t realize that intense difficulty is normal in CS. No one told me
  > that *everyone goes through it*...

IMHO, programming is for everyone -- with the caveat that the person needs to be willing to work at it even if they just want learn it; as opposed to some other skills where one has to work hard only when one wants to master it although learning the basics is relatively simpler, eg: mathematics or playing an instrument.

I still believe that programming is not for everyone. There's experimental evidence that programming classes have two bell curves--the ones who think right and can succeed, and the ones who don't. More personally, I've tried to teach CS at various levels, from primary school to university level, and the divide can be very clear. It isn't about ability or intelligence or background, some people simply seem to be unable to think in the right way, like the mental model in their head is trying to match on the wrong criteria for this specific area.

> There's experimental evidence that programming classes have two bell curves--the ones who think right and can succeed, and the ones who don't.

Do you have a link please? Because "Camels and Humps" has been retracted. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8059900

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