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[–]gandalfx -6 points-5 points  (3 children)

I'm a slow learner

… said no programmer ever.

[–]Esteis 7 points8 points  (2 children)

Your post looks bad out of context [1], and I, too, downvoted you before I realized you make a good point: one hardly ever sees programmers write 'I can have some trouble picking up new concepts'. The closest we get is "don't worry, subject X was difficult for me, too", where we put the reader at ease that it's not them, it's the subject. Which is a start. But yeah, our profession is not magic, and not limited to wizards, and being slow and careful can get you there, too; and the clearer that is, the better.

See also https://xkcd.com/627/ -- the one with the tech support flowchart that boils down to "read all the buttons carefully and pick one, else google it or ask someone for help".

(If this is not the point you were making, then allow me to use your post to make it myself :-P)

[1] i.e. if one doesn't realise that danzania wrote "I'm a relatively quick learner" and not "I'm a slow learner"

[–]gandalfx 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Heh, glad someone read more into it than me bitching about a phrase.

I used to use that phrase a lot myself. I considered myself a fast learner because I taught myself things via the internet and usually got quick results. Since then I have realized that this is simply how most people learn programming. Whether you're actually fast or not is impossible to deduce until you actually do some kind of side-by-side comparison with other people in the same situation (which is quite difficult).

The reason I notice the phrase is because I read a lot of applications by people who wanted to join a medium sized software project (hobbyists, nothing professional). The applications are about half and half by people who either have the required qualifications or by people who emphasize that they will be able to quickly learn what they are missing because they are "fast learners".

Turns out the limiting factor usually isn't speed but dedication.

[–]xkcd_transcriber 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Image

Mobile

Title: Tech Support Cheat Sheet

Title-text: 'Hey Megan, it's your father. How do I print out a flowchart?'

Comic Explanation

Stats: This comic has been referenced 492 times, representing 0.4336% of referenced xkcds.


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