in reply to Frustrations with newbie questions

To my mind there is another aspect to the newbie questions that is as apparent as the 'now','now','now' attitude is the complete lack of comprehension of the basics of programming: specifically 'how to test'.

They read a problem, write a solution (sometimes!), run it, and if it doesn't work they're lost. No understanding of how to break the problem down, no understanding of any testing or debugging techniques. Grrr.

Sometimes I think that the IT industry should become a proper profession like accountants or doctors and membership of a professional body is a requirement for employment. Then again, the industry is fast moving and constantly changing, leading to qualifications that are out of date before the ink's dry.

rdfield

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Re^2: Frustrations with newbie questions
by adrianh (Chancellor) on Nov 12, 2002 at 11:39 UTC
    They read a problem, write a solution (sometimes!), run it, and if it doesn't work they're lost. No understanding of how to break the problem down, no understanding of any testing or debugging techniques. Grrr.

    It's because they're newbies (okay - some of they are arrogant f**kwits - but some of them just don't know how :-)

    I've taught programming, and introducing people to testing and debugging is harder than teaching them how to code. That process of breaking a problem down isn't innate - it has to be learned.

    Sometimes people aren't trying because they don't understand how to try.

[reply]
      Exactly.

      rdfield

[reply]

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