I definitely think that it does matter. I’m positive that for most people, it’d be far easier for an interested individual to start young.
I also think that you could probably learn competency at any age.
I shall refrain from adding my opinions to the success/perfection/etc comments because OT
I started basic web (HTML/CSS) when I was 15 or 16. Didn’t do much more than that in the actual web development field other than extremely basic websites for (clubs, organizations, later for small businesses I was working for) until I was employed in the same building as a marketing company who needed some side web work at… 22 maybe? Then I started into some javascript, and then into PHP/MySQL…
In answer to whether it matters what age you are. Yes in general it will. The next question is to what degree. Some people have an affinity for learning certain skills quickly others will almost never be able to comprehend. The older you get in general the slower you will be able to create new pathways in the brain. Not impossible but slower.
Also depends what age you start to learn and what you have learnt before. For example a bi-lingual older person may have a better chance of learning software coding than a mono-lingual person of the same age as their brain has been pre-wired to accept a new language. But there are so many variables it is hard to know.
Like physical strength/skill the brain is just another physical attribute of a person. Some work better than others and in the same way that someone might be a better marathon runner due to muscle structure rather than a sprinter, the brain may be better for maths over logic etc
My brother for example is 100x better at maths than i am, and i know however hard i learn i will not be good at maths. But i am good at logic which helps with the coding i do, i am also much more artistic than he is.
We are not all capable of learning at the same speed, learning information, or processing that information. Some people can hold information but do nothing with it other than repeat it, others can take the information they know and formulate new ideas. Some people can’t do either very well.
almost forgot to say i started web coding at 23-ish and had to teach myself from tutorials and asking questions. I have a science degree in Env science but had done little to no computer work before learning to build web sites. When i was 25 i started learning Greek, which i think was helped by learning coding languages as i primed my brain to learn rules. But maybe i would have been able to learn Greek regardless, i will never know
I started in 2000 with basic HTML (3.2) and JavaScript (1.1, I think.) I was 33, at that time. Before learning web development, I was a PC technician and network admin. I like to think that the knowledge and experience I acquired as a tech/admin has helped me to learn web.
One thing that I have noticed: of the developers (regardless of proficient dev language) that I personally know and interact with, almost every one of them “thinks” like a computer, it seems. But my question is: Is the thought process what leads us to development? Or has development caused us to think like that?
For me, I can see myself doing it more and more in real life situations as I progress in my career. Sometimes I have to take a step back when tackling a real life problem and say to myself “it’s not a computer”.
But I think that ability to break problems down into steps or procedures is something inherent in programmers and can only be learned to a certain extent. I’m not musically talented at all, but I’ve heard that it’s one of the reasons why good musicians often end up making good programmers since music works in a similar way.
Still has not been answered and we can only speculate .
I’m of the opinion it’s environment, but obviously some people can pick certain things up quicker than others (genetics). They probably have a higher ceiling as far as their skill level.
i would argue it is both. A child capable of learning raised in an environment where they are not taught will not likely be as advanced as they could have been in a learning environment. But that is not always the case
Genetics also plays a big part. Some people have common sense, but are not academically clever. Some people have no common sense but are academically clever. some people have both and some people have neither.
Take something such as Downs syndrome where learning is extremely hard. My Mums friends daughter is 40 yrs old but has the equivalent of a 14 yr old level of understanding. Downs syndrome is a genetic disorder with a recognized gene defect, but there is no reason that other genes cannot play various parts in learning and one person may be more or less capable of learning because of it.
I’ve read a few bits and pieces that put this down to the ability to create new pathways in the brain quicker. But older people with experience often can use previous experiences to solve problems that a younger quicker brain, which lacks previous knowledge, cannot.
I was 18. I learned in my college and are already making the first half of the program since three and i think age not too important to learn code although your age is still 10 or 50.
Thanks
