From f48b8e0810a1314d66da9f32619f74e27b4afd7d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Craig Maloney Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2018 11:34:32 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] Talking about learning --- chapter06.md | 9 +++++++++ 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+) diff --git a/chapter06.md b/chapter06.md index ffebff9..0c61059 100644 --- a/chapter06.md +++ b/chapter06.md @@ -1,3 +1,12 @@ # The map is not the territory Discuss the ever-changing facets of programming and how keeping current with it all is both a challenge and a myth +## The changing landscape of programming + +The one constant about the field of programming is that it is always in flux. Programming languages come into prominence and the fade away over time. What once was a given is now considered obsolete (or even "harmful", as many essays will point out). + +When I graduated college we learned Pascal, Modula2 and Ada. When I started my first "professional" programming position Perl was the language of choice (partly because Perl could be easily transformed into the ubiquitous CGI scripts of the era). As of this writing I'm using Python as my main development language, and I foresee that at some point I'll likely have to look into the other languages that are becoming more common. + +Programming requires flexibility. It's difficult to just learn one way of doing things and make that stick for over 20 years. Think back to what the technology was 20 years ago and you'll no doubt notice that things are quite different now. + +Instead of learning specific methodologies and technologies we programmers are better served by learning how to learn. That sounds simple: once we've cracked how to learn effectively then we'll be set. Unfortunately there isn't currently a foolproof way to learn that works for all people. -- 2.31.1