Harsh Truths No One Tells You About Programming

last one: if you love to do it then it's easy and fun, don't worry about the rest

20+ years in Unix OS dev, I'm still learning.

I would add another harsh truth: every language should be treated individually... While some languages can be close to others, you should never say 'oh that feature is like that in the other language'. People get into the rut of doing direct comparisons or wondering why it doesn't work the same as in other languages instead of truely understanding how that language is meant to work properly. You wouldn't use a hammer to put in a screw - the same applies to computer languages!

Good points in the video. Speaking as a software engineering executive, one thing I would suggest for folks just starting is finding an open-source project you are passionate about and contribute. You can use that knowledge and experience to land a job faster than just building dummy projects because real-world code is often more complex than a simple Todo app. This can showcase to potential employers that you have a better understanding than just a simple Todo app.

In addition, you'd be amazed at the contacts you can get over time being part of any such community, especially if your contributions are seen helping push things forward. Many OS projects have local meet-ups or a network of people that get together at larger conferences. This can often be an excellent pathway to finding a job through people who know you, rather than just a random interview.

I fail 100 times a day. That one time i dont fail, i commit and take the rest of the day off. Key point, you will fail 99.9% of the time. You ok with that? Cool, welcome to programming.

thank you I am hoping to bring a electronics background to tech. I was just a different kind of tech. I can trouble shoot electronic circuits and design some basic instrumentation. WHAT languages lend the selfs best to IOT. what is the path as i should go. I laughed out out load when you said "don't feel bad about wanting to quit" . Thanks I don't know how to quit but i sure feel like it some days.

Coding is easy. Understanding problem domains is so much harder.
As someone who has interviewed many people (technical side), I found experience working as a bartender or server is a big plus in jobs that require multi-tasking.

Also Try to adopt a clean code methodology in DEV. Yeah dev code works but is dirty A/F Make life easier for yourself and write clean code from the start...

Best thing to do is to get some open source commits under your belt. Don't worry if you don't have the best social skills, linkdn networking abilities, most employers know the type of people they are interviewing

Art major switched to IT here... yah the mind shift in programming can be hell lol

I can add to some harsh truths from the other side as someone with 35+ years experience ( Hint: I am not employed as a programmer anymore )
Being a programmer is the most brutally biased ageism industry I have worked in. Most TL's are mid 30s to mid 40s. So, if you are older than that, forget about getting hired as someone with more experience than the manager. Ego/insecurity comes first, and it will be rare if you get hired. Which leads me to the next point. The programming industry is full of nerds. Yes, I am one too. But many of them are the socially inept, no confidence kind. Worst type to work with. So if you are seen as some kind of threat, prepared to be back stabbed at every opportunity. Forget about progressing within the company unless your good at brown nosing. I'm sorry, but brown nosing is a far more important skill than technical skill. I have witnessed this phenomenon in many jobs. That's the harsh truth about being a programmer. Mediocre is OK as long as you know where to put your nose.

Also when applying for a programmer's position they will give you some dumb test. Why do I call it dumb? I'll tell you. These tests are based on memory recall, not experience or problem solving. A 25 year old with 1 language will always do that test quicker. More senior people with half a dozen languages and countless frameworks in their head find an adjustment period to switch to giving an answer. It takes time. It's just too much trying to remember everything you've learned over the decades. So you fail. But these tests fail in that they don't test a person's ability to 1. work in a team 2, learn new things 3. be reliable and 4. be motivated. Most managers are shitty now and they judge a person's worth on some shitty test. So all that experience you have won't help you get a job.

I've gone from Cobol to c to c++ to c# of which half of that was CAD. Now I'm packing shelves at the local supermarket doing python/go/html/css in my spare time. I've got a python web app in the works and it's starting to look good with my poor css skills. Thank you bootstrap!. It's my first web project and I've just been given the go ahead for a grant to continue for the next year. So here is my finger to the IT industry.

I never gave up or asked myself why I even bother doing programming. It’s my calling. But also I do have down phases where I don’t feel to Plan and code new or existing projects further. That’s when I get out official certificate preparation books, read and code along through them. In these phases I like the guidance in advancing or just practicing stuff they provide. Sounds not like fun at all. But it’s kinda relaxing and I always end up energized to take on the real world problems afterwards.

A bunch of good tips. I have recommended a bunch of times to others to ones in which I was teaching was to do [people] networking, and not just among the technical. I absolutely hated it myself when I was getting started since it was not (and probably still isn't) my forte. It is apparent that you know this, but just to expound for others, most of a programmer's "customers" are non-technical, Fortunately the majority of them are not to the point of the stereotypical "pointy-haired boss." Networking allows for them to evaluate you and thus build up trust, which is important for landing a position.

As for the portfolio, as Ms. Tiff stated, it is not necessary for it to be complicated or novel, but it should be straight forward enough to show usage of skill. If it isn't original, the extension or modification should be significant. If one uses tutorials for building it, the tutorials should be for completing specific tasks, and not for the project as a whole, i.e., using a tutorial to learn how to create a schema in a database is a good addition as it demonstrates the ability to apply research, where as using a single tutorial for step-by-step of building the program should be left out since it does not demonstrate design or problem solving. In addition to the suggested to-do list (which is a very good suggestion), I have seen individuals make various things such as online diaries with a local client, inventory system, book card catalogs, a recipe ingredient scaler (.17 egg was quite funny), a Pokédex, or recreate an old game such as Gorilla.bas, Space Invaders, blackjack, or guess-the-number.

I also agree about learning multiple languages, but please do pay attention to what type of work you intend. Java, C++, Ecma/JavaScript, Python, and others have different problems for which they are used to solve. Java is used a lot in "enterprisey" stuff, but can be used in game development and mobile development, C++ is used a lot in system development, but some high performance games also use it, Python is used a lot in general scripting, but, once again, it is used in game/3D development and, in addition, is popular in machine learning. There are also other semi-platform specific languages such as C#, Swift, Objective C, and Apex, other "era specific languages" such as COBOL and Fortran, and medium specific or domain specific languages such as PHP and SQL. Having a variety of tools in the toolbox increases the opportunities available. That said, I know of a few programmers that have been very successful by hyper-specialization, but be aware that niche specializations, while often worth a premium, will sometimes SuddenlyGoAway™ if there is a paradigm shift.

Harsh truth: Yes, you can get a job coding without a degree but having a degree in Computer Science makes it an order of magnitude easier to get a job.

100% yes, to all of this!

Haha, Harsh #3 (Giving up and thinking, why I could ever started with programming) - after over 30 years in programming I still ask me that sometimes. ;-)

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ha you were in the modelling industry? your look totally verifies that!

Hi Tiff. Great video, thank you. What is hard for me is finding out what I can actually do with programming. My direct interest is to practically automate everything I do in my current job. My question is, what is the substantial thing I can do by learning programming?

The hardest part of being a programmer is putting up with business people who don't know their own business but tell you how to code.

Well said, TIT. Keep it up.

Thanks for this! Just found you and wish I would've earlier! I've been spending the past few months learning Python and have been trying to land an entry-level role with no luck. It's become clear that I need more than one language under my belt, so I'm now learning CSS, HTML and JS. It seems web development has a lower barrier to entry, and having this stack will make it easier to transition into tech. I REALLY wish I would've realized that earlier so I could be nearer to my goal. I'm hoping my deeper understanding of Python will help me stand out when I am ready to make the move in a few months. Looking forward to learning more from you!

Thank you for your advice. I rather see harsh truths with advice on how to deal with it. Advice that I can apply and make my own as well. On a side note, I love the Spider-man shirt. Spider-man was my favourite childhood hero.

The benefit of having a university degree is that it kind of counts as some background. My dad went from spackling to being a software developer within three or four months after graduation, and for that I decided to go to college, and am less than a week from finishing up my degree program.

I wouldn't consider myself the best programmer as of right now, but I at least don't need insane amounts of help. When I'm learning something new, I know which direction to go in.

Plus, I realize now that I like cyber security more. I don't know how that happened, but three of my last clases were about cyber security, and I'm just insanely interested. Probably going to shoot for software development, and continuing building other skills. Because tech is an insanely specialized field, so why not, anyhow.

i wanna give up fk programming id rather do something else, anything else

I want to thank you for this reality check. You are the best ❤

The worst thing about programming is the constant indecision from management and customers. Do this! Oh wait! Do that instead! Wait a minute - forget all that, do something else!

Bootcamp for 3 months? Wow that seems short. Mine is 7-8.

i got here at the start of 2022

Great video! Absolutely felt #3. 2 days ago I felt like a complete idiot. Like I should just quit. Took a day off, then came back today and I was able to humble myself and stick with the program I'm doing atm. And I finally was able to work through it given time and reflection. I will for sure feel like I'm not cut out for this again, but I'll keep trying. At least until I can start building some simple games.

Thanks for this Vid ( I needed It)

when you get into a fight between programmers of different industries you did not know before you set foot, your friends may fight you. like if you start learning Solidity, your banker friends may try to discourage you first, and then they'll trash your blockchain ideas.

I am about to finish a masters degree in Computer Science and I still don't know how to google properly to find questions about roadblocks when I get stuck

Another harsh truth is that you will run into fat, scary back stabbers if you program in a group

Great content, thank you Tiff

most beautiful teacher ever

Should have a tiff in programming group at Facebook. Where we can all chat. Yes, Facebook.

Harsh reality of being a programmer, is learning and understanding programming concepts first, learning how to simplify thought processes , breaking down apps into steps.

Just for fun, I started learning assembler. The harsh reality was trying to find a good book on that topic.

Coding is actually easy. Learning the fundamentals of any language takes time. That is the harsh reality of it all..

Flow charting while understanding programming concepts helps. Break it down to the why and how and build back up and apply .

Hi, I'm offering petroleum engineering in the university but then I realized I'm the introvert who would rather sit behind his computer all day so I started learning programming along the way. I really want to be a programmer but I fear starting university all over would be a waste of time. I also get worried if I'd ever get a job involving programming since I don't have any CS background 🥺🥺🥺

Oh and one more thing. I'd really appreciate it if you could be my coach or something 🙏🥺

Awesome video
Actually, this truth is never tell by anyone

Neat insights! Leveraged the odds for me at least!

Another hard truth, have a backup job, because the proportion of people companies are looking for vs. the amount they hire is abysmal.