Do you really need to take classes in CS to learn how to program?

failure622
Sun, 30 Jun 2013 20:40:25 +0000

I think being in class definitely works better… I spent a lot of years learning on my own or out of textbooks, and it was stressful. There were a lot of things that I used to do the long way, or simply didn’t understand why some methods were better than others. Having formal instruction means learning how to do things the right way. It also means you learn things beyond how to just hack code together. In 61C, you learn about how to access assembly from C to make your code run 10x faster. In 61B (and later 170) you get introduced to Big O notation, and what different measurements of efficiency mean and how to calculate them. Sometimes, when you’re learning on your own, you find something you don’t understand, so you can kinda just skip it and go do something else. Being in class forces you to learn things correctly and thoroughly. Also, especially at Berkeley, all the tricky projects and being surrounded by so many people who are smarter at you simply makes you a better programmer.

Can you learn to program on your own? Sure. Is it the same (or as good) as being a CS major? Not even close.