Some excellent points, Marian.
I'm a little disappointed that you didn't include Architecture in your
listing of "practices"; even more so by computer science's use of the
term architect in various aspects of the work to be done. Actually,
following my involvement with computers, I became a much better
Architect due to several realizations. I've mentioned this before,
elsewhere; but I believe it is worth mentioning again. In my earlier
days as an Architect, I found myself procrastinating, being unwilling
to actually start work on a project; mostly by being overwhelmed with
the magnitude of what needed to be done.
Once I started breaking things down, solving "little" bits and pieces,
the project started to be less imposing. Then it even started to be
fun. But I always felt guilty about the earlier procrastination. After
spending some time trying to program Macs, reading a lot of books on
many programming languages, making a whole bunch of false starts, I
came upon the concept of breaking the problem down into small,
resolvable pieces; solving what I knew how to solve; and researching
how to do the things that I didn't already know how to resolve.
Unfortunately, this was never taught "specifically" at U.C. Berkeley
where I got my architectural degree. Maybe it was implied, since we
did spend an enormous amount of time with preliminary designs and
working with "programs" for projects; however, the programs for the
projects were always handed to us as a part of our assignments, with
no realization of the process. Had I been studying Computer Science,
that would have been one of the first things I would have be taught.
(I think!) I learned this very quickly when I started writing Handlers
and Functions for my computer programs.
I now apply this mentality to Architecture, and have come to realize
that "procrastination" (but by a different name) is part of all
problem solving. It is during this "procrastination" process that we
digest the requirements of a project, and start breaking it down into
"aha! I can solve that" bits and pieces. The time is not wasted.
Sometimes it even saves time by coming up with a better approach than
might have been taken had we plunged right into "doing it".
Incidentally, this list is a great resource for that "procrastination
process", and then for the subsequent "researching" process. I only
wish Architects had a similar resource, but I'm afraid we're too
egotistical to admit that we don't have all the answers ourselves. You
never hear an Architect self-label themselves as "newbies". (enormous
smile!)
Joe Wilkins
On Mar 16, 2008, at 10:57 AM, Petrides, M.D. Marian wrote:
At the risk of opening a can of worms, I offer the following as a
synopsis of the sentiments underlying the posts about the "Learn
Programming in One Day" ad. The common thread seems to me to be that
programming, like any other profession, is not so much taught as
practiced. Just as medical or law schools teach the rudiments of
the profession, the real learning takes place in the day-to-day
practice. Without lifelong learning, no lawyer, doctor, or
programmer will come close to achieving his/her full potential.
Someone once told me in my first year of medical school that
"medicine is a personal philosophy, tempered by science and
experience, and put into practice." It seems to me that the
statement applies equally to programming. My 2 cents.
M
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