This is exactly the reason why most folks will never program; not because they don't have the capability to be competent, but because we have this odd culture around programming. There's this belief that CS is something that you have to start when you're young and be obsessed with your whole life to even do.
In any field- math, bio, art, music, the people who are best at it are those types- the start-early would-do-it-for-free types. But there's a whole lot of people milling around who could be second best. In other fields, being second best or not that into it is acceptable.
In computer science it's not. And more importantly, because programming and computer science are often equated, this prevents a whole lot of people from programming.
And who needs to program? I'd argue that the time is past where only computer scientists need to program. Everyone needs to program; biologists, mathematicians, linguists, social scientists... (maybe not the English majors, but w/e) and this idea that programming can only be done by people that started when they were 5 year old boys is a huge loss.
In any field- math, bio, art, music, the people who are best at it are those types- the start-early would-do-it-for-free types. But there's a whole lot of people milling around who could be second best. In other fields, being second best or not that into it is acceptable.
In computer science it's not. And more importantly, because programming and computer science are often equated, this prevents a whole lot of people from programming.
And who needs to program? I'd argue that the time is past where only computer scientists need to program. Everyone needs to program; biologists, mathematicians, linguists, social scientists... (maybe not the English majors, but w/e) and this idea that programming can only be done by people that started when they were 5 year old boys is a huge loss.