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0 pointsnightski16y ago0 comments

For the typical programmer, maybe. But that is like saying mathematics is a means, not an end. Which is true, but that does not mean there is no value in studying and advancing the field of mathematics!

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7 comments · 1 top-level

tewks16y ago· 6 in thread

That's going to be true for any technical discipline. The majority of any engineering or maths curriculum is available on Wikipedia and mathworld in great detail.

Why CS is different is due to less of a need of verification of skill. Many don't mind giving an informally taught programmer a job because his/her work can be verified by reading or executing code. That isn't possible in civil engineering, for example.

moultano16y ago

>The majority of any engineering or maths curriculum is available on Wikipedia and mathworld in great detail.

I'd love to believe that someone could do this, but I haven't seen it happen. Most of the course-like learning I've been able to do "online" has been because some professor was nice enough to put a pdf of their textbook on their university page.

That said, I've created a subreddit specifically for people who want to read long articles that teach them something important. http://www.reddit.com/r/learnit/

tewks16y ago

Sorry, but which topics in particular do you find lacking on Wikipedia or mathworld, for example?

The math and physics articles are generally pretty good, include derivations, background on the subject, and you can then click to learn about the personalities who discovered the idea. There are no problem sets, however.

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anonymousDan16y ago

My god, thanks for that, I found this link: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/04/how-to-get-up-right... ...it could be the solution to a major problem of mine!

hugh316y ago

Exactly. This is also why programming is the only adult professional skill which is regularly self-taught by, say, nine-year-olds.

NEPatriot16y ago

What about painting? Or any art form?

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liedra16y ago

I think a lot of things are self-taught by nine-year-olds: the basics of engineering (I know a nine year old who built a potato gun!), sports, arts and crafts, networking, animal care, and these are just the things off the top of my head :)

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