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

16 points by Sabrosa 15 years ago | 13 comments

Hey HN, I have a different spin on the old “how do I learn how to program” question:

How do I learn how to program, launch, maintain, and update a web application? Measure this in years.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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).

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.

Thoughts? On both “what to learn and how” and my plan in general?

lincolnq 15 years ago |

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 15 years ago | |

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

civilian 15 years ago | | |

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

brk 15 years ago |

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 15 years ago | |

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.

aditya 15 years ago |

These might help:

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

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

Sabrosa 15 years ago | |

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

whizkiddd 15 years ago |

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 15 years ago | |

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 15 years ago | | |

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