What happens after 10 years?<p>I have been a software developer for more than 25 years. It is getting boring. Any "new" problem is just the same old problem with a new layer of abstraction. Look at this new language/framework that is so great! You could do all that with the previous language if you cared enough to learn it.<p>Anyone has experienced the same frustration?<p>I now use my spare time to learn to draw. I found it way more exciting and I see a challenge that I do not find in coding anymore.
"Get interested in programming, and do some because it is fun. Make sure that it keeps being enough fun so that you will be willing to put in your ten years/10,000 hours."<p>This is a great definition of talent.
You don't need to spend 10 years to become a fantastic programmer. Many people are clueless when it comes to how to learn things (this is why the question "how do I learn X" is so popular even when it has been answered many times before).<p>Quickly identify the best resources to begin with for whatever topic, which is very easy to do, and work through them. This will get you much more value per time spent than opting for the easier "get rich quick option". For the C++ example, this is the difference between the learning C++ in 24 hours book, and The C++ Programming Language.<p>I think someone dedicated and mildly intelligent could become very good at programming within two to three years, and outdo the vast majority of programmers with 10+ years of experience.<p>It's not a bad thing to want to go fast, which is why I disagree with the premise of the article. Just make sure you go as fast as possible <i>without</i> sacrificing quality of learning.
Amature hobby programmer here . . . yeah Im not going to do what the author suggested. I have no plans on working in the field. I dont care about functional programming or abstraction. I just see a task or project I think will be cool, google what language or framework best fits my goal and learn just enough to do that while using stacks and tutorials for those frequent times when I get stuck. Yes its slow but I dont care Im not on a deadline. I don't want to learn programming, I just recognize that it lets me do neat things and want to lean just enough to do whatever neat thing I have in mind. Its not about learning to program for me, and I assume for people like me. Its about wanting to accomplish a task and seeing programming as a necessay setp in accomplishing that task.
I don't understand. Nowhere in there did I see anything about the job interviews/hazing of his own company, and companies that mimic it.<p>(Which decidedly don't test for that 10 years of experience, but rather test for who spent their time reading the coding interview prep books, drilling for the 'coding' test questions, formulating acceptable personal answers for what the books coached on behavioral questions, and wearing kneepads.)
Ten years sounds about right. The bootcamp fad seems to have faded but anyone thinking about joining one should take this article to heart and think twice about it. Even learning programming in high school / university is not much more than groundwork.
Teaching yourself to program as a self fulfilling exercise isn't a bad idea. (remember that this sort of programming is generally more isolating than many other hobbies.)<p>If you're trying to get hired as programmer then don't bother, literally the only thing most companies (at least in the US) care about is whether or not you have a degree (it doesn't matter what the line employees think, HR will step in and stop things.)