this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023
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Programming

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I've always flunked at math; and knowing how intertwined programming is with math, I'm skeptical of my ability to learn how to code. Can someone be too dumb to learn programming? If it helps, I'm mostly interested in learning Common Lisp.

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[โ€“] Synthead 27 points 11 months ago

You'd be surprised how little math is involved in programming that doesn't require it. A significant majority of programming is simply managing conditionals. For example: "when the door opens, turn on the light."

Math comes into place when you need it, and hardly ever comes as a surprise. Additionally, solved problems are generally kept in libraries. For example, you don't need to calculate a sum; simply tell it to calculate a sum for you, because this is a solved problem.

What you're already running into is called "impostor's syndrome." You believe that you are not capable of something to some degree, even though reality says otherwise. You haven't tried your hand at programming, so why worry now? You're inventing problems for yourself before you even got a chance to start.

Just go for it and see what you think. If you don't enjoy it, no biggie. If you do enjoy it, keep going. No obligations ๐Ÿ‘Œ