Here’s Eric Raymond’s Secret to Be a Better Coder

"Computer science education cannot make anybody an expert programmer any more than studying brushes and pigment can make somebody an expert painter." Eric Raymond

Who is Eric Raymond?

He is an American software developer, open-source software advocate, and author of the 1997 essay and 1999 book The Cathedral and the Bazaar. He wrote a guidebook for the Roguelike game NetHack. In the 1990s, he edited and updated the Jargon File, currently in print as The New Hacker's Dictionary.

So why share this quote?

The big idea here is that if don't want to or can't go to college that's ok.

The skill set is built in writing code not knowing every single theory of computer science.

Just because you may not go to college does not mean you are doomed.

Keep practicing, keep reading other people's code, and don't give up.

Don't spend too much time learning deep concepts of computer science before your first job.

Focus on being able to code and prove you can do the job.

Oh, by the way...

If you're one of those Aspiring Programmers who is ready to turbocharge this process, may I suggest that you check out the handbook I created (link below).

This book makes it easy for you to be a better coder and get a programming job without wasting a ton time studying deep computer science.