On Mon, May 14, 2001 at 09:49:28AM +1000, David wrote:
> the biggest problem with learning on your own is having no one to bounce
> problems off. You can look at something for a week and not see the answer,
> but see it immediately you try to explain it to another human being.
>
> The biggest problem I have with all computer issues, be they sysadmin or
> coding or whatever, is being on my own. Maybe others are different?
Ahh there's a nice trick I learned for this. I think it's
something they used to do in tutorials at MIT but I never got around to
trying it at UNSW. It's the classic thing you start explainging your
problem to somone and then half way through it's like don;t worry I
worked it out.
MIT's solution to the problem was the following. Every computer
Lab had a teddy bear sitting in one corner (substitue with
penguins/daemons) where apropriate. If you were a student in the class
and had a problem you had to go an explain it verbally to the teddy bear
first, only then could you ask the tutor :)
>
> David
>
> On Mon, 14 May 2001, Umar Goldeli wrote:
>
> > Mr. Squirrel,
> >
> > Best way to learn how to code is to sit down, think about a project that
> > needs to be done, and do it in the language of your choice (after deciding
> > on the suitability of that language for your task).
> >
> > If you're relatively bright, this is the *only* way to learn. ;)
> >
> > Code a few more projects... then come back to your first project and
> > review the code and pick out the nasties and perhaps rewrite it.. perhaps
> > in another language altogether or with a completely different structure.
> >
> > Uni will teach you methodology - not code.. and even so, comp sci at uni
> > is a bit of a luxury, you can learn *almost* everything at home from books
> > and your own development platform.. you will miss out on different
> > approaches and the "peer review" process (i.e. other kids laughing at your
> > code) though.. however with the OS model, especially working on "public"
> > projects, you'll get plenty of input from other coders soon enough! ;)
> >
> > If you're considering uni for this, then consider a double degree like
> > Electrical Engineering/Comp Sci... because you'll find out quite soon that
> > manufacturing semiconductors in your bedroom doesn't work all that
> > well.. not to mention that with Elec Eng, you should at least have a solid
> > physics/chem background (and these too - at high levels - are not easy to
> > learn without explanation)..
> >
> > So quite simply, learning to code at home is feasible,
> > neurosurgery/photovoltaics development/biomed engineering/<insert
> > disciplines which require specialist equipment etc here> aren't.
> >
> > Oh, and you'll learn to drink beer on campus too.
> >
> >
> > //umar (who has gone back to uni part-time to do a hobby
> > Economics/Accounting degree which he will never ever utilize in the
> > workforce.. but hey, the environment is fun and it has nothing to do with
> > what I actually do for a living! ;)
> >
> >
> >
> > > Hello,
> > >
> > > What does everyone here think of
> > > getting professional training in
> > > programming (and programming in
> > > general) vs self study ?
> > >
> > > I'm considering taking a 40h course
> > > or similar to learn how to program
> > > "the right way" and get help in the
> > > mean time.
> > >
> > > Who might offer such services ? I'm
> > > having difficulty finding companies
> > > that offer this, i've tried Spherion
> > > for example - there programming courses
> > > are pathetic.
> >
> >
> > --
> > SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
> > More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
> >
>
>
> --
> SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
> More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
--
John Ferlito
Senior Engineer - Bulletproof Networks
ph: +61 (0) 410 519 382
http://www.bulletproof.net.au/
--
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More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
