

Ask HN: how to become technical in 2-3 years? - Sabrosa

Hey HN, I have a different spin on the old “how do I learn how to program” question:<p>How do I learn how to program, launch, maintain, and update a web application? Measure this in years.<p>My story:
I had an amazing idea for a business. I spent 6 months researching it and laying out exactly how it will work. The site isn't very technically-complicated, but it's not a blog either.<p>So I decided I could easily teach myself programming (with little prior experience) in ~6 months and then launch the serious, heavy-hitting product. If it were successful, I’d hire a technical guy to run the technical stuff while I manage everything else.<p>Am I correct in thinking that this was a bit shortsighted? I’m slowly starting to realize that there is a lot of technical (and non-technical) knowledge to be had: programming the site, system admin, business administration, etc. etc.  More importantly, that it may be too much for me to learn all at once, seeing that I’m a computer-savvy (but not math or programming-savvy) twenties-something guy. I can’t really get a cofounder, because at the moment I don’t have any actionable skills (if anything, I’m a “hustler” / designer).<p>Revised plan:
Start small and work my way up to the big beastly idea. As in, slowly learn the ins-and-outs of entrepreneurship, programming, and the web by working on small, manageable projects.<p>At the moment, I’m working on a content-oriented site built on WordPress: I merely have to write articles and learn basic SEO and site administration. I'm also starting a small t-shirt sales company (not printing).<p>After this, I’d like to make some simple web apps. Rinse and repeat until I’m immersed enough in the web ecosystem to have a clue.<p>Thoughts? On both “what to learn and how” and my plan in general?
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lincolnq
Learning to hack is not too hard. PG says 6 months to a year.
(<http://www.paulgraham.com/raq.html>) I tend to agree.

A friend is working through "How to Think like a Computer Scientist" --
<http://openbookproject.net/thinkCSpy/> \-- which happens to teach Python, and
then he will learn Django (<http://www.djangoproject.com/>) and build Web
applications and be most of the way to the level of technical skill it takes
to build a prototype Web app and attempt to get funding.

In addition, I would suggest that it's a good idea to get your feet wet in
actually building stuff quickly, rather than reading and designing all the
time. Your designs are probably going out the window rather quickly once you
start showing people a working prototype.

~~~
Sabrosa
Hmm. Perhaps I was not as over-optimistic as I initially thought.

~~~
civilian
You weren't :)

I took two night classes- the first was 10-week course on an introduction to
python (which used exactly that book) and the second 10-week course was on
internet programming. We learned other stuff in that class (REST, CherryPy,
HTML protocol) but I spent most of the time going through the django tutorials
& docs. djangobook.com provides a good alternative source for django
documentation. And then after 5 months of study, I was hired as a
python/django web dev. But I got lucky and I was serious during that time.

If you want any more tips or hit any roadblocks, feel free to hit me up:
civilianjones gmail com

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Sabrosa
Wow, a developer job? Impressive. What was your background before then?

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civilian
I was doing data-entry _vomit_ and I had a degree in biochemistry. I had taken
two years of programming in high school (like 6-7 years ago) which helped give
me a basic understanding/foundation.

~~~
tumes
Ha, as someone with a degree is chem with a similar programming background who
has been studying rails for 6 months, you give me hope and make me feel like a
total slacker! Seriously though, that's awesome!

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brk
It depends.

Different people take naturally to different tasks or skills, often associated
with their being "left brained" or "right brained".

How analytical are you? What's the closest thing/skill you've done that is
similar to programming? What's the least and most amount of time you've spent
learning some new skill or foreign language? Did you enjoy it?

IMO, by far the best way to learn to program is to have a goal. That way you
are researching and solving small tasks (how do I setup a database schema, how
do I make a registration page) and stringing them together towards a goal.

But, with only knowing you as a short wall of text on the Internet, I can't
say how long it would take YOU to become technical. I can't even say if that
is truly the best use of your time/skills.

It seems like you have the right generalistic approach and determination
though.

~~~
Sabrosa
1\. I would say that I am more of a creative person (right brained). I almost
went to design school a few years ago (switched to philosophy at a state
school.) I'm terrible at math. Yet, somehow I am really, really good at logic.
Perhaps I just don't think in numbers.

My memory skills (specifically, spatial memory) are also top-notch. I've never
set out to learn a language, other than Spanish years ago in high school. I
also used to be a very good chess player.

My parents were computer consultants (programmer and biz dev/design) so I've
always been great with computers. Just not from the programming angle.

2\. That makes sense and echoes what I've read/heard, thanks.

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aditya
These might help:

Teach yourself programming in 10 years: <http://norvig.com/21-days.html>

and: <http://innonate.com/hope/>

~~~
Sabrosa
Thanks. 10 years is a bit too long, but very useful nonetheless!

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whizkiddd
you don't think by the time 6 months rolls around, there won't be 5 companies
doing exactly what you are trying to do right now? With the way startups
spring up everyday, I suggest you find a tech co founder to get things going
while you work on your own tech skills.

~~~
Sabrosa
Well, yeah, I'd like to get out there ASAP. But there is nothing out there
like my idea, and more importantly, it's not a new problem. So I don't think
an extra 6 months will kill me - if it were that hot, someone would have done
it already.

~~~
Hisoka
An extra 6 months won't kill you at all. Plus, I think finding a technical co-
founder, or CTO will take longer than expected. Those 6 months are pretty much
a sure bet if you devote enough time to learning, and you'll have the skills
to do it yourself. Finding a technical person is a risk

