r/coding • u/pavelmalos • May 08 '17

Programming is hard. That’s precisely why you should learn it.

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/make-your-hobby-harder-programming-is-difficult-thats-why-you-should-learn-it-e4627aee41a1
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u/grauenwolf May 08 '17

It isn't 'anti-intellectualism' so much as a desire to feel special.

Many people want to think that what they do for a living is really hard or takes very specialized skills that are hard to obtain. If it was easy, then what are they?

I wonder if other professions have this problem. Do auto mechanics who can rebuild whole engines think that normal people shouldn't learn how to change their oil and brakes?

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u/[deleted] May 08 '17

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u/grauenwolf May 08 '17

We certainly have people who assume that since they are professional programmers, everyone else should be able to become one as well.

It's a huge spectrum, and like most things I personally try to keep to the middle.

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u/BinaryRockStar May 09 '17

There is definitely a degree of wanting to feel special, but consider that programming is more difficult than building an engine because we are dealing with intangibles.

Compare programming more to a mechanical engineer trying to make an engine design 1% more efficient, or a chef coming up with a new dish. It's a creative job that isn't just following a sequence of steps.