A level student thinking of becoming a coder.

[eek]

I would totally agree with you but with a 22 and an 18 year old ive learnt it just doesn't happen now. I was staggered to see the number of kids coming to the end of their A levels without a clue what they want to do. A couple did but that vast majority had little idea and no passion as you say.

Apparently it's the way it is now, not like back in our day.

It's the same everywhere at the moment.

For the 18 year old off to university next year GCSEs and A' levels have taken the joy from all the subjects she is taking. She's found a course she wants to do (Film music at LCOM) but Mrs Eek thinks it's not a proper university. My viewpoint was it puts her in a position where she will know if she will succeed at it or if she needs to head home and do teacher training (she would get a place without a problem as she currently "leads" one of the Year 9 music classes).

[minestrone]

I would totally agree with you but with a 22 and an 18 year old ive learnt it just doesn't happen now. I was staggered to see the number of kids coming to the end of their A levels without a clue what they want to do. A couple did but that vast majority had little idea and no passion as you say.

Apparently it's the way it is now, not like back in our day.

I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do after I graduated. Someone phoned me up out of the blue and said "I'm looking for a engineering graduate that can program, is that you?"

"ehh, well I've done a bit.."

"you're hired!"

And that was that.

[hairymouse]

Why a raspberry pi? Just get a laptop and let him do what he wants.

Raspberry pi's a great if you need hardware for particular reasons but they need a screen for work by which point you may as well get a laptop and use that.

Then Python, Javascript or even the Power Platform (if he is the sort of person who wants to see things appear quickly).

You are right that you can code just was well on a laptop and I probably wouldn't have suggested a Pi to learn coding, but NorthernLad asked about it specifically.

There are some advantages to the Pi, like io pins that allow you to interact with sensors and motors to make the results of your code more interesting.

I usually VNC into my Raspberry Pi and appreciate the fact that I can do anything to it and the worst case scenario is just reload the os.

[Zigenare]

You are right that you can code just was well on a laptop and I probably wouldn't have suggested a Pi to learn coding, but NorthernLad asked about it specifically.

There are some advantages to the Pi, like io pins that allow you to interact with sensors and motors to make the results of your code more interesting.

I usually VNC into my Raspberry Pi and appreciate the fact that I can do anything to it and the worst case scenario is just reload the os.

VNC?

Learn to use a command line!

[DoctorStrangelove]

I would totally agree with you but with a 22 and an 18 year old ive learnt it just doesn't happen now. I was staggered to see the number of kids coming to the end of their A levels without a clue what they want to do. A couple did but that vast majority had little idea and no passion as you say.

Apparently it's the way it is now, not like back in our day.

From years of observation of Ye Esteemed Customers at Ye Olde Sloughe of Desponde, very few have any real passion or innerest in Electronics or programming*.

As someone once observed, you only remember the very good and the absolute crap ones, the ones in the middle are like ships passing in the night.

It must be said that I remember far more crap ones but that's down to the status of the institution (free strait jackets available) and the abilities of most of the students.

As opposed to those few, those very few, that band of brothers and sisters, who go on from getting an HNC/HND to doing PhDs at rather more prestigious universities.

*This discounts Games Programmers who are universally detectable from a distance by their aversion to personal hygiene and soap.

[GhostofTarbera]

From years of observation of Ye Esteemed Customers at Ye Olde Sloughe of Desponde, very few have any real passion or innerest in Electronics or programming*.

As someone once observed, you only remember the very good and the absolute crap ones, the ones in the middle are like ships passing in the night.

It must be said that I remember far more crap ones but that's down to the status of the institution (free strait jackets available) and the abilities of most of the students.

As opposed to those few, those very few, that band of brothers and sisters, who go on from getting an HNC/HND to doing PhDs at rather more prestigious universities.

*This discounts Games Programmers who are universally detectable from a distance by their aversion to personal hygiene and soap.

That’s a very smellist post


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[edison]

I would totally agree with you but with a 22 and an 18 year old ive learnt it just doesn't happen now. I was staggered to see the number of kids coming to the end of their A levels without a clue what they want to do. A couple did but that vast majority had little idea and no passion as you say.

Apparently it's the way it is now, not like back in our day.

Hmm, not sure I agree, I think it's long been like this. Back around the early to mid-90s, over half of jobs open to graduates didn't specify a particular degree subject. 18 is still too young IMHO to really know what you want to do with your life. Especially teenagers today who might have to work to 70 plus.

My wife works with a lot of teenagers as a careers adviser and highlighted that due to the often soulless way subjects are taught at school with a focus on league tables etc, a lot of kids find GCSE onwards quite dull. This has really accelerated in the last 2-3 years.

[DoctorStrangelove]

After the tedium of A level Physics (pre SI so full of CGS, MKS, and Imperial units: I still know that 30mph is 44 ft/s), the biggest mistake was going to university rather than doing an apprenticeship (a proper one not the nonsense using the same description these days).

The sheer disappointment of a degree course in the early 70s is with me still.

I made the mistake of thinking that an Electronic Engineering degree might involve some electronics rather than being 90% Economics, Maths, Thermodynamics, Optics, and Mech Eng, with tech fecking drawing thrown in for good measure.

[ladymuck]

I've never had a definite idea of what my career should be and I don't think I'm unique in that. I've bumbled along doing what took my fancy at the time and managed ok. If I'd have had more drive or found a passion I may have been brilliant and changed the world! I'm happy to settle for being mediocre.

[DoctorStrangelove]

I'm happy to settle for being mediocre.

I'm not even mediocre any more. Ho hum.