I thought I would learn to code... what was I thinking?
In magazines, definitely in social media streams, and even in a best selling tome... in one form or another, we have all seen this:
"The 10 things you need to know to be successful!"
I was reviewing a list a while back, because hey, "we all want to be successful" and one of the suggested "success points" in this particular list was to learn computer coding*. The reasoning was that with the continued personalization of computer programs to manage our daily activities, having a basic understanding of how to code will be crucial.
This actually made great sense to me.
I should mention that before three weeks ago I had never taken a computer course, a logic course and had always avoided making "macros" in Excel because it was something so foreign to me... a little reminiscent of when I decided to learn to ride a motorcycle. Coincidentally, it seemed a good friend of mine had also read the same "Top 10" and was already into his online lessons. He is in finance and his motivations were slightly different than mine... he wanted better insight into the basics of computer programming so he would know if his IT people were bullshitting him about costs, deadlines and the such. My reasons, besides being more successful, were slightly different.
I've been at it for about three weeks now** and below you find the code I put together for a simple "Pig Latin Translator"... when you enter a word it moves the first letter to the end of the remaining word, and adds "ay". It really works !
print 'Welcome to Pig Latin Translator"
pyg = 'ay'
original = raw_input('Enter a word:')
if len(original) > 0 and original.isalpha():
print original
word = original.lower()
first = word[0]
new_word = word[1:len(new_word)] + first + pyg
else:
print 'empty'
What am I really getting out of this?
Do I have a goal to ultimately be competent with basic "Python" code and able to program at a basic level? Yes!
Is that my only reason? No way... in fact there are many reasons:
- Trying something new offers me the opportunity to connect and network with new people... I find myself constantly looking for people "in the know" and am introduced to people I would not normally connect with. And based on my humble experience, they are very interesting people.
- I am forced out of my comfort zones, my habits, my routines and into something unknown. I have to switch off my "autopilot" and think differently. This is the simple formula for discovering wonderful new things.
- New things compliment old things. In the case of coding, proof reading the code itself, the indentations and the colon placement is making me a better proof reader when I write with "good ol' letters"
- What I am doing contributes to that Top 10 List for Success because as you know, "constant learning" is always close to the top of that list.
And one last thing,
As my finance friend mentioned, "It's a sign we haven't given up... not by a long shot." He is very smart by the way.
iamgpe www.gpestratagem.com
PS: Let me know if you see something wrong with my code.
* I understand that in some circles there is a debate as to whether the appropriate word is "coding" or "programming. In my world, I am using the word "coding" because it has less letters to type.
** I am using CodeAcademy (on-line) and I really enjoy their approach; as modest as it is, I am leaning something. I am constantly forgetting to indent and add a colon, but am told this is all quite normal and "to keep at it".
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Comments
Graham🐝 Edwards
7 years ago #11
Thanks for the comment Ren\u00e9e Cormier and I appreciate the encouragement... Let's see how much I like this "coding" in three months... lol
Graham🐝 Edwards
7 years ago #10
Thank you very much for your insight Goran Svensson. I can already see that a lot of upfront thinking is needed with the simple online modules. Let's see where this takes me but I will say I do enjoy it.
Graham🐝 Edwards
7 years ago #9
Your initial point was very much appreciated Phil Friedman. One of the reasons I started with Python, which was suggested was one of the easier platforms, was it was something I had never done before... there is part of this where I also want to see how far I can take it before my head explodes. lol
Graham🐝 Edwards
7 years ago #8
Thanks for the comment Randy Keho. I think at the end of the day you still need someone to write the code to drive all the advancements... but then again I am still trying to figure all of the out.
Graham🐝 Edwards
7 years ago #7
Thanks for the comments Robert Bacal. Between me doing Python and my friend doing JavaScript we should be able to "rule the coding world"... well more like talk about it over beers but still. : )
Graham🐝 Edwards
7 years ago #6
Thanks for your comment Robert Cormack and I totally agree with you. Now I will admit computer coding really gets my adrenaline going. lol
Phil Friedman
7 years ago #5
If I understand your point, Randy Keho, I agree. Python is a very high-level programming language, higher level than the various forms of Basic, Pascal, C, and C+ we used when I learned "coding". I've been working with mirco-computers and programming in business and technical applications since the time of the Apple+, and I have to say that personally I would not put too much emphasis on the term "coding" when using a higher level, object oriented programming language such as Python. As to other very high level programming languages, anyone who denigrates, for example, the capabilities of Excel, when combined with the complex formulae, look up tables, and the full variety of formatting and automation tools available to, and used by template developers, is simply woefully ignorant of what developers and true power users can accomplish with it as a programming language. One can even create automated templates that execute without the need to be running Excel. Of course, with the contemporary shift to interest in mobile apps (versus micro-computer programs) the need to employ a programming language such as Python is obvious. My only point to Graham Edwards was not to sell himself or his prior experience short -- for the fact is that good programs are designed from the front end back, and therefore "coding", while important, is not in itself anywhere near sufficient to assure a successful end product. Cheers!
Randy Keho
7 years ago #4
Robert Cormack
7 years ago #3
Graham🐝 Edwards
7 years ago #2
Thanks for the comment Phil Friedman. To your point I have put together my fair share of excel spreadsheets which have primarily been around sales, marketing and business forecasting (revenue and expense) and I never needed to get into the advanced functionality of Excel (for good or bad). The type of "coding" I wanted to challenge myself with was more basic coding that would allow me to develop "apps" (if I ever get got enough) and decided to tackle Python basic coding... at the very least it is "undiscovered country" for me, and taking me out of my comfort zone to learn something new. I appreciate you reading.
Phil Friedman
7 years ago #1