r/Glasgow Tools

Title
Author	meepmeep13
Comment	I don't think these arguments are incompatible - for example, you wouldn't assume that anybody who wanted to would be able to turn their hand to carpentry and make a professional career out of it? So yes it's not unique to computing but as with any field you need to consider if you have the right foundation to succeed in it. Having taught computing, it requires an analytical and problem-solving mindset that is able to deconstruct and handle abstract problems. This doesn't mean you have to be a nerd/genius, but I would agree it requires a way of thinking that not everybody has. I've met plenty of students who might be otherwise intelligent but are fundamentally incapable of understanding what a variable is, who simply cannot think in abstract terms. So if someone is considering a career in computing, I would always first ask them how they got on with mathematics in school. Not that you need to be a good mathematician to work in computing, but if that person completely disengaged with maths in school and like many people dumped it as early as possible, that's a red flag they're likely to feel the same when it comes to learning how to code. (of course that isn't universal - there are plenty of folk who later discovered a love for maths as a result of having a meaningful application for it via computing) I'd also argue that a not insignificant minority of people graduating in IT/Computing will never make it as professionals, because you definitely can muddle through an IT degree even if you don't have that capability. I'm sure recruiters would back me up on this.
Reddit Link	https://www.reddit.com/r/glasgow/comments/181lv26/what_has_your_career_been_like_after_studying/kafu260/
Created	Thu 23rd Nov 2023 2:07pm
Status	normal ()

I don't think these arguments are incompatible - for example, you wouldn't assume that anybody who wanted to would be able to turn their hand to carpentry and make a professional career out of it? So yes it's not unique to computing but as with any field you need to consider if you have the right foundation to succeed in it.

Having taught computing, it requires an analytical and problem-solving mindset that is able to deconstruct and handle abstract problems. This doesn't mean you have to be a nerd/genius, but I would agree it requires a way of thinking that not everybody has. I've met plenty of students who might be otherwise intelligent but are fundamentally incapable of understanding what a variable is, who simply cannot think in abstract terms.

So if someone is considering a career in computing, I would always first ask them how they got on with mathematics in school. Not that you need to be a good mathematician to work in computing, but if that person completely disengaged with maths in school and like many people dumped it as early as possible, that's a red flag they're likely to feel the same when it comes to learning how to code.

(of course that isn't universal - there are plenty of folk who later discovered a love for maths as a result of having a meaningful application for it via computing)

I'd also argue that a not insignificant minority of people graduating in IT/Computing will never make it as professionals, because you definitely can muddle through an IT degree even if you don't have that capability. I'm sure recruiters would back me up on this.