Hi, Fun topic. I got into programming about 35 years ago because I wanted to solve specific problems (in music) -- so I was drawn in not by programming itself, but by a sustaining passion. I believe that a focused hunger is needed to get through the thousands of hours of frustration that programming can require. Find a project you care about. Take a course. Most hackers I have known taught themselves, but a course will expose you to basic issues and techniques. If you work at an institution, sign up for the intro course. Bear in mind that programming is a dying art, computer programs just keep getting bigger and more complex, and humans can't keep up. Computers already write computer programs, SkyNet is already here. A minor correction: computers are not eco-friendly, and paper books, in comparison, represent a better use of resources. They are more durable, portable, and efficient. Put a tablet on a shelf for 50 years and see if it gives you anything. Good luck :) peter On Fri, Dec 16, 2022 at 9:55 AM Shearer, Timothy <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Chiming in. > > Erich's advice and perspective are spot on from where I stand. > > For my part (though I'm in a different part of my career) developing code > (or being a sysadmin, or being a metadata person, or...) in an academic > setting, specifically in libraries, is super rewarding professionally and > personally. The challenges are endlessly interesting, the mission is a > constant source of energy, and the stuff you work with is almost always > delightful. And the folks you run into are the kinds of people who like to > work with fun stuff, are mission driven, and who are called to solve > complex problems. That is to say the folks are pretty great. A nice way > to spend time and earn a living. > > +1 (x n; n=infinity) on the regex advice. It's a super power and one that > gets endless use. > > Best of luck! > Tim > > -----Original Message----- > From: Code for Libraries <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Hammer, > Erich F > Sent: Friday, December 16, 2022 9:40 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Circulation clerk learning to code. > > Patrick, > > I commend you on expanding your knowledge and skill. Creating, modifying > or even just understanding computer code can be very satisfying. While in > some sense it doesn't really matter what kind of code you learn as a > beginner, you may want to start thinking about what direction you want to > go with your coding. Web design, app development, gaming graphics, AI, > administrative scripting, and many others are all very different coding > paths. Be prepared no matter which direction you go in IT/programming to > always be learning new things. It is a fast and ever-changing world. > > Personally, I like working in a library (as a sysadmin who writes a fair > number of scripts) because there is so much variety and surprising > complexity and the people I assist are generally friendly, intelligent > (even if they aren't "techies"), and interesting. If you are more of a > tune-out-the-world-and-grind-through-a-specific-problem-without-concerning-yourself-with-the-bigger-picture > person, a larger, corporate coding environment may be more to your liking. > > If I can give one single piece of advice that I tell to anyone who will > listen... Learn regular expressions ("regex"). Even if you decide that you > hate writing code, knowledge of regexes can be beneficial in ANY job > requiring general computer use. It is my firm belief that -- like learning > to swim or to tie a few useful knots-- *nobody* regrets learning basic > regular expressions. > > That's my $.02. Good luck! > > Erich > > > On Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 18:09, Patrick Pletcher eloquently > inscribed: > > > Hi, this is my first time posting to a list like this. I am a > > circulation clerk who is learning to code at freecodecamp.org. Right > > now I am studying html and css, but I plan on going through all the > > lessons on the website. I enjoy working in libraries, and I also enjoy > > writing code. I am not sure where I am going with this. Do I stay in > > the library field, or do I go off in a completely different direction? > > I would appreciate your input. I think I would like best to work for a > > company that provides access to eBooks or audio books. I like print, > > but I don't see people using ink printed on dead trees 50 years from > now, with all of the environmental issues the planet is facing. > > > -- Peter Velikonja Head of Research, Koios LLC http://www.koios.co *Let's reconnect public libraries with the public.*