How To Think Like A Programmer

Learning to program is hard because programming feels different than other skills. But programming isn't about the languages - it is about the way one should think.

SPEAKER:
Andy Harris

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[AndyHarrisProgramming]

Hello. I'm Andy Harris - the speaker in this video. I taped this talk at the IndyPy meeting on election night 2016 (yeah, that election night.) I had no idea this video was going to take off like this. Thank you all for your kind comments. (Even the not-so-kind comments, thanks for watching.) I had fun doing this talk, and I'm thrilled if it might help somebody else.

[rafihasan]

People coming from The Odin Project: Congratulations 🎉 you are going strong, I'm really proud of you!!

[fephilosophy]

Starting #TheOdinProject you saw hundreds and hundreds of people cheering each other on in the comment section of YouTube videos recommended for reading material. As the course went on and on you also noticed less people talking in the comments because there were less people who made it this far. You may not think you did much yet but trust me we have. We made it this far and we can keep going.

Make it to the end and continue your journey.

[bloodypommelstudios]

"You need to learn to be as mind-numbingly stupid as a computer"
I think I can manage that.

[lefxxwill]

"Code is there to explain the comments to the computer" hits different

[diskographi]

Thank you, Will Ferrell, for teaching me how to think like a programmer.

[aymanjd]

"The secret isn't code, the secret is algorithms and data" that changed my entire mindset, thank you sir.

[Perfidion]

That was really good. The hardest part for me isn't the coding, it's the 'where the hell do I start with this?' stage prior to breaking things down into workable chunks. You have to train yourself to stop making assumptions. The computer doesn't make assumptions. It just does exactly what you tell it to do. Learning to dial back all that logic leap stuff people normally do is fairly tricky.

[lancejensen]

If you're here from the Odin Project, congrats on getting here! We're almost there! Keep pushing!

[yukiyuka]

Me before coding: perfect grammar
Me after coding: give me that thing in the fridge is not Apple

[Giraffinator]

I refuse to believe that the python logo isn't two dudes with jacked-up chins.

[soriano]

"I want them to fail, but I want them to be able to overcome that failure." Very well said, sir. Great presentation 👏🏽

[yesweet]

After 3 years coding, I continually nodded during his talk, kind of flashback for all my experiences.

[abstractapproach]

11:28 underrated statement, "first of all you hated math class, I'm not sure you've met math"

[ephilihp]

As a coder for over 20 years and professionally for over 15, this presentation is 100% great advice for anyone who wants to pursue it! Thank you for making and publishing this.

[Irzani]

Watching for 2nd time.
Trying to restart my programming journey.

[aiero-hx]

- Computers are not smarter than a shoe. Programming is about explaining things to the idiot computer.
- Computer languages have about 100 words. The syntax is painfully rigid.
- The secret isn't code, the secret is algorithms and data.
- Write out the concepts first, then convert them to code.
- If you're lost in coding, it's probably because you shouldn't be coding yet.
- First you need to understand the problem you're trying to solve. Don't jump straight to coding without understanding algorithms.
- Having goals is good, but if goals lead to inevitable failure and defeat, maybe pick something else...
- No matter what, do not feel like an idiot.
- Comments are not there to explain the code to programmers, code is there to explain the comments to the computer.
- The coding part is the easy part. The algorithm part is the hard part.
- If you're really confused, find someone that feels comfortable and make them uncomfortable.
- Did you tell it to do it incorrectly, or did you tell it to do the wrong thing?
- Don't start with a solution. Don't try to solve a problem you don't understand.
- Beginner? Python.

Not all, maybe not the main, just some points.

[marzappel]

I love how enthusiastic this speaker is

[yoonseok]

I came here cause after having 4 years university degree in SE, I still suck at coding to this day, I still couldn't believe when he said that C++ isn't a language to be taught first to beginers, because it was the first language we were taught in class in our first semester, and from that onwards I built up the fear of ever learning programming.

[Big__Thicc]

"The real problem is they don't really understand the problem they're trying to solve"

I can relate to this in so many ways. Every time I try to code something without thinking it through, there is no way I can do it. But when I stop and just think about the problem and I come to the solution, its almost like the code writes itself, it becomes insanely easy once you figured out how to solve the problem.