In defense of doing it the “hard way”
accidental/ninja » In defense of doing it the “hard way”.
I’ve been intrigued by the higher level of education resources that are out there for programmers. I hadn’t noticed that many of them pitch their resources in such a light that they’ll make you a fantastic developer by the time you complete a course, but I can see why some people might fall under that impression.
I think, in this case, the people may be a bit of the problem, and I think that’s what Richard is touching upon here. Development is both a hobby and a trade, you don’t find many people writing code “because they hate it but they’re good at it so they’re stuck”. Very often we all love what we do, but there are other factors (read: money
If someone is taking a programming class with the primary goal of becoming a genius programmer to make a bucket full of cash from the App Store then of course they’re going to be disappointed with even modern education courses. It doesn’t work that way. Development takes more than the content provided in a class, and in a way I see that as a great way to filter out those getting started just to make a quick buck.
Money always has a way of deterring creativity. When it’s a primary driver, then I think many people jumping into this industry will be frustrated, not because there isn’t money there, but because this industry moves so fast – that you have to love what you do and be passionate in order to keep up. Money will only take you so far.
I’m sure you would agree, the inverse is better. Do what you love and are passionate about, and the money is a byproduct of that.