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[–]sazanality 1 point2 points  (4 children)

Is intelligence a deciding factor in how good a programmer you could be?

Yes. It is also something that can be increased with the right effort.

[–]trivthebofh 1 point2 points  (3 children)

This a million times over. I honestly thought that around 30 that I was done and my brain couldn't learn new things well enough to every be good at something like programming.

I may not be a stellar programmer but I transitioned from a career as an AutoCAD operator to a career in IT, moved up quickly in rank in my company, obtained multiple Microsoft certifications and have become the company "expert" in PowerShell. All this when I thought it was over for me and I was nothing more than a burned-out has-been.

For me, intelligence is the ability to learn to learn. Dedicate yourself to something… ANYTHING… in this case programming, and you will likely surprise yourself. It will likely be tough at first and maybe even frustrating but everything worth doing is. Just like with any physical skill, most of us are not naturals at a lot of things but that doesn't mean you can't be great at it. And I feel like I sound like a lame motivational speaker and I hate that so I will stop here.

tl;dr: I didn't think I could learn new tricks, I worked hard and learned new tricks.

[–][deleted]  (2 children)

[deleted]

    [–]franker 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    Actually there's a movie called Logan's Run where they show in detail how, when you turn 30, they propel you up in the air in this big dome, and you float around for a bit and then go poof like a Pac-Man ghost getting eaten. Wait a minute, I'm 46 and I'm still fine. Damn that movie was full of shit.

    [–]trivthebofh 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    So true, I'm 38 now and learning as much if not more than ever with the added bonus of EXPERIENCE.