Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ttidcc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!linus!philabs!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe From: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) Newsgroups: net.singles Subject: Re: Re: the "programmer" title Message-ID: <143@ttidcc.UUCP> Date: Fri, 7-Feb-86 19:32:57 EST Article-I.D.: ttidcc.143 Posted: Fri Feb 7 19:32:57 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 11-Feb-86 04:43:51 EST References: <1711@ittatc.ATC.ITT.UUCP> <461@hoptoad.uucp> <128@ttidcc.UUCP> <1712@ittatc.ATC.ITT.UUCP> Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) Distribution: net Organization: The Cat Factory Lines: 38 Summary: In article <1712@ittatc.ATC.ITT.UUCP> yoda@ittatc.ATC.ITT.UUCP (Todd C. Williams [Jedi Knight]) writes: > The most important factor to the ability of a programmer is *NOT* >education, (technical programming education included), but rather it is >something called PROGRAMMING APTITUDE. [ cf. "You either have it, or you >don't" ] Some people just don't have *ANY* aptitude for programming: you >can teach them all you want, but it don't sink in; the lucky others need >little education to excel. Some years ago the U.S. military did a study on just this point. They wanted to determine who, among the new recruits, would be most likely to make good programmers. Their findings: The best candidates for programmer training were _musicians and mechanics_. I know it's fashionable to knock the military, but the truth is they've done some psychological studies in the past that remain classics in the field. Not surprising when you consider the money and captive subjects they've got to work with. To add some anecdotal support to their findings: I'm a licensed Airframe and Powerplant mechanic, among other things, and I play about a dozen instruments (mostly variations on guitar (-: ). I got my first DP job as a self-taught, entry-level programmer and I've been doing it ever since -- mostly in positions with "senior" in the title. I'd bet many others on the net have similar stories. Anyway, as someone noted, this has strayed a long way from the usual net.singles fare. I've a dandy controversy waiting in the wings, but I'm going to wait a week or so to see how some personal aspects work out before tossing it on the fire. 'Til then ... -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe) Citicorp(+)TTI 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. Geniuses are people so lazy they Santa Monica, CA 90405 do everything right the first time. (213) 450-9111, ext. 2483 {philabs,randvax,trwrb,vortex}!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe