diff --git a/client/src/blog/posts/4.js b/client/src/blog/posts/4.js index 2d522c3..234dd9a 100644 --- a/client/src/blog/posts/4.js +++ b/client/src/blog/posts/4.js @@ -12,31 +12,30 @@ let body =
{teaser} -

A response to {l("Please don't learn to code", 'http://techcrunch.com/2016/05/10/please-dont-learn-to-code/')}; plus many online and in-person debates I've had with fellow developers. Code is easy and lucrative, and if you disagree ("that's naive", "that's missing the bigger picture") you are wrong. My argument's strength is first-hand experience.

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I was once a Mormon missionary, from which I learned skills in evangelism. I've used that skill to convert friends to code. These friends were waiters, fruit-canners, baristas - even my wife, a nurse. I've never deigned to convince friends content with their jobs, or at least on a path (coffee-runner in their field). But when friends were making lousy cash for a lousy job, I say "you can make much more, possibly work at home (or even travel). If you hate code, trust me - you'll hate it less". My convincing worked; said friends learned code nights and weekends; said friends landed jobs, averaging $40/h. Actually $40/h, I'm not making that up to prove a point. I attend meetups where I met aspiring devs from code camps and online courses; most times they're already working. I once hired a {l('kid','https://github.com/paglias')} who was dabbling - code wasn't his interest, and he was our best programmer! Most - I repeat most - colleagues from my previous jobs had studied some dead-end degree and sold out, teaching themselves enough to pass an interview. They were great developers. {l("You don't need school","https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/2zhlmt/what_kind_of_webdev_is_better_for_a_nomad/cpvqjxd")}. You can learn online for free. So when people say "you need algorithms / data-structures; the competition's stiff; you have to keep up with an impossibly-fast industry" - my eyes bulge and I point at him, her, her, him, her, him and say "they did it." Then I give you the bird, because you're just regurgitating what you heard online. Or you had a harder time of it yourself (maybe you picked the wrong tech stack). Or you resent your expensive degree being pissed on. So let's tackle these ridiculous myths.

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A response to {l("Please don't learn to code", 'http://techcrunch.com/2016/05/10/please-dont-learn-to-code/')} (+{l('v1','http://blog.codinghorror.com/please-dont-learn-to-code/')}); plus many online and in-person debates I've had with fellow developers. Code is easy and lucrative, and if you disagree ("that's naive", "that's missing the bigger picture") you are wrong. My argument's strength is first-hand experience.

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I was once a Mormon missionary, from which I learned skills in evangelism. I've used that skill to convert friends to code. These friends were waiters, fruit-canners, baristas - even my wife, a nurse. I've never deigned to convince friends content with their jobs, or at least on a path (coffee-runner in their field). But when friends were making lousy cash for a lousy job, I say "you can make much more, possibly work at home (or even travel). If you hate code, you'll hate it less than __". My convincing worked; said friends learned code nights and weekends; said friends landed jobs, averaging $40/h. Actually $40/h, I'm not making that up to prove a point. I attend meetups where I met aspiring devs from code camps and online courses; most times they're already working. I once hired a {l('kid','https://github.com/paglias')} who was dabbling - code wasn't his interest, and he was our best programmer! Most - I repeat most - colleagues from my previous jobs had studied some dead-end degree and sold out, teaching themselves enough to pass an interview. They were great developers. {l("You don't need school","https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/2zhlmt/what_kind_of_webdev_is_better_for_a_nomad/cpvqjxd")}. You can learn online for free. So when people say "you need algorithms / data-structures; the competition's stiff; you have to keep up with an impossibly-fast industry" - my eyes bulge as I point at him, her, her, him, her, him and say "they did it." Then I give you the bird, because you're just regurgitating what you heard online. Or you had a harder time of it yourself (maybe you picked the wrong tech stack). Or you resent your expensive degree being pissed on. So let's tackle these ridiculous myths.

You need algorithms, data structures, design patterns

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Nope, you don't. You really, really don't. Using JavaScript? Lodash has your algorithms covered. Data structures and design patterns are covered by your framework of choice - React, Angular, etc. I hear you scoffing, I see your red face - "you need core principles!" Ask yourself truly, when did you last write (or even use!) a binary tree? A binary flipping tree, that's Computer Science 101. I've only ever heard the phrase "Pumping Lemma" once ever - you know where? College. It was the primary focus of the course. Sure there are useful patterns - Flux, MVC, etc - but you'll learn them as you go. My wife is a designer now; CSS, HTML, JavaScript / React. We had coffee with a friend who asked "but how did you get the job if you don't know basic algorithms?" to which she responded "what's an algorithm?" I never told her! *Face-palm* silly me! New and aspiring coders aren't learning to build search engines and AI; they're learning to cobble together a quickie in Wordpress or React for a buck.

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Nope, you don't. You really, really don't. Using JavaScript? Lodash has your algorithms covered. Data structures and design patterns are covered by your framework of choice - React, Angular, etc. I hear you scoffing, your red face, "Frameworks? You need foundations!" Ask yourself truly, when did you last write (or even use!) a binary tree? A binary flipping tree, that's Computer Science 101. I've only ever heard the phrase "Pumping Lemma" once - college. It was the primary focus of the course. Sure there are useful patterns - Flux, MVC, etc - but you learn them as you go. My wife is a designer now - CSS, HTML, JavaScript. We had coffee with a friend who asked "but how did you get the job if you don't know basic algorithms?" to which she responded "what's an algorithm?" I never told her! *Face-palm* silly me! New and aspiring coders aren't learning to build search engines and AI; they're learning to cobble together a quickie in Wordpress for a buck.

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You have to keep up with a fast-paced industry

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Yep. 1h/day of reading, big whoop. I've had 1h/d of education on my {l('daily checklist','https://habitrpg.com/')} for years and years. I've always been right on the edge and highly competetive for that 1h, no more no less. Books, video-courses, whatever. You fall behind, well - it bites ya. That 1h is an investment in the bigger bucks you're making, so no skin off your back.

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Yep. 1h/day of reading, big whoop. I've had 1h/d of education on my {l('daily checklist','https://habitrpg.com/')} for years and years. I've always been right on the edge and highly competitive for that 1h, no more no less. Books, video-courses, whatever. You fall behind, well - it bites ya. That 1h is an investment in the bigger bucks you're making, so no skin off your back.

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The competition is too stiff

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Only if you're using the wrong job-sourcing media. Bid on Upwork and you're competing with $5/h pros offshore; apply to Google and you're competing with Computer Science PhDs. There's a middle ground. Let's break this down.

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Many freelancers I know say they're drowning in competition and low rates. Always, always they're using some content-mill bid board like Upwork or Freelancer. Duh! That's exactly what those boards are for - hiring cheap work! I use them myself for hiring cheap work. On the other side are devs striking out at big San Francisco companies' white-board code tests. First off, if you're doing this for easy cash, freedom, and maybe some big idea you have rattling in your head - don't apply to these companies. That's Computer Science territory, and this article is not for those people. Me, I'm done with companies that require a code test. I investigate early on and bow out. They can take a very long time (15h once!) and can be very difficult for even those with a degree.

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Many freelancers I know say they're drowning in competition and low rates. Always, always they're using some content-mill bid board like Upwork or Freelancer. Duh! That's exactly what those boards are for - hiring cheap work! On the other side are devs striking out at big San Francisco companies' white-board code tests. First off, if you're doing this for easy cash, freedom, and maybe some big idea you have rattling in your head - don't apply to these companies. That's Computer Science territory, and this article is not for those people. Me, I'm done with companies that require a code test. I investigate early on and bow out. They can take a very long time (15h once!) and can be very difficult for even those with a degree.

Those are two extremes - target somewhere in between, see my list of job boards. Apply to medium-sized companies.

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Conclusion

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Thing is, my wife actually started making cash before knowing the definition of "algorithm". Experience is people who disagree do so on principle, not evidence. Their example is some offshore-borked project (compared to American artisanal code) and their mustachios quiver with rage. If you disagree, ask yourself - are you a hipster? Maybe it's the "Uncertainty Principle" as my real-life examples I partially coach. Perhaps striking out on your own without a helping hand is a different story. But I keep hearing the same thing over: "you need the fundamentals," and I keep seeing that actually proven wrong. Evidence speaks louder than theory.

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You don't have to be the best to succeed in this industry. Not everyone need be an engineer; some can be coders. You don't need countless years' experience in substack languages, understanding pointers and registers or a framework's history to succeed. Those nuggets will help you absolutely, but they're not strictly necessary. Am I encouraging mediocrity? Of course not, but the barrier to entry is lower than the nay-sayers say. You'll learn what you need as you go, and you have to start somewhere. Start here!.

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