You don't give yourself enough credit. It's not just new programmers who are stubborn. In Stubborn as a Saint, I pointed out how I tend to take the first answer and run with it. I've seen plenty of other programmers do the same thing. Stubborness, I think, is not a function of ability. Rather, it's a function of false pride. When someone is willing to let go of an unworkable position, that person becomes a better programmer (and possibly a better person, too -- I'm still working on that aspect).

Cheers,
Ovid

New address of my CGI Course.
Silence is Evil (feel free to copy and distribute widely - note copyright text)