The world of programming is very large and beginners like me always have a problem with knowing where to start.. sometimes you make up your mind to start with a particular languages and before you know it, it feels like the language you choose is not the right one to start with.

I believe that the school will provide a structure, and curriculum that will aid the student to start from a beginners level to advance.

I use to feel that been enthusiastic and determined is not enough, I started with html, css and javascript, my dream is to be a mobile app developer so now am learning Java. Am an architectural student. my question is this, can someone, can I, be good in programming, without getting a degree in computer science?? Am really determined, I have a good mathematical problem solving skill, and am creative.. please I'll appreciate any contribution, especially from programmers that did not study Computer Science in the University.

yes... what matter is your passion... forget getting money from programming for like 2years.

You don't even need to go to University if you want to be good at Programming. But also focus on your course as your learning. Udemy will be very useful to you.

Yes you can.

Just be focused and dnt go for a cheap programming language.

Why not... You don't need theology to be a pastor

yes, of course. most people abroad only study via online like; treehouse.com, udemy, w/o study computer bs etc. just should you want dat classroom teaching and learning method or beta still tutorials on youtube will help greatly. just pick up a language today. it all depends on d area you want to specialize. web app and designs-html5,ccs3, little javascript's lib, php- dia is python or ruby on rails for web app development/for mobile app dev for android & ios devices-c# only on xamarin, java with kotlin for android only. dia is swift 2's apple own for ios only or angular with ionic for android & ios/ for desktop softwares u can use, java only or c# parsing with lua, or c++ with python, or c# only, u can also use python, or c++ only, or microsoft's own visual basic++. for game dev + designs-c++ only, or c# only or java only for mobile android, or python only or pick a game engine like, use c# with unity3d, cryengine 5, etc or c++ only for cryengine 5, unreal engine 4, marmelade, cocos2d, godot, frostbite,

You can be a good programmer, but I'm not sure about an excellent one w/o significant study in the realm of Computer Science. To be an excellent programmer, I believe that studying Data Structures & Algorithms is necessary.

Fulaman198:
You can be a good programmer, but I'm not sure about an excellent one w/o significant study in the realm of Computer Science. To be an excellent programmer, I believe that studying Data Structures & Algorithms is necessary.

I agree with this. Going to the university to learn CS won't teach you how to program but will make you smarter in programming

you can.
take a look at snapchat's founder! he didn't study computer science in uni.
what of reddits' founder? he was an art student.
it just doesn't matter the field u are you can be good if u are serious and dedicated to it.

datoms:


I agree with this. Going to the university to learn CS won't teach you how to program but will make you smarter in programming

Correct it is always a good starting point to teach yourself, but to become an expert, you do need to go to school for it. Run-time complexity is relatively important (despite the fact that we have extremely powerful computers today). But stuff like Machine learning, parallel processing, etc. School definitely helps there.

chinedubrazil:
you can.
take a look at snapchat's founder! he didn't study computer science in uni.
what of reddits' founder? he was an art student.
it just doesn't matter the field u are you can be good if u are serious and dedicated to it.

One of the people, he co-founded Snapchat with did do Computer Science in one of the top universities in the world (Bobby Murphy). So that is not necessarily true my friend. To create something that has as much abstraction as Snapchat, you would need to understand how back-end and front-end technologies work.

Fulaman198:


One of the people, he co-founded Snapchat [red]with did do Computer Science[/red] in one of the top universities in the world (Bobby Murphy). So that is not necessarily true my friend

but do that mean that u can't be a good programmer while in other field?

chinedubrazil:


but do that mean that u can't be a good programmer while in other field?

I'm not trying to say that my friend, what I mean is that often sometimes these guys start ideas with people with the technical background. So for instance, when I schooled in America, I had friends who wanted to start a business with me (I politely refused). They did not have a technical background, so they wanted me to do all the technical work (programming for both backend and frontend) which is a TON of work. That is why I refused. Often people without the technical background don't realise how difficult/time-consuming it can be for one person to do everything.

@Op, you may. Actually, this question is a subtle one. It is also very difficult to answer so allow me the liberty of expatiating on what you are really asking.
You are saying CAN I DO X?
some ppl will say NO, YOU CANT DO X others will say YES,YOU CAN.
On quora, ppl ask, CAN I LEARN MATHEMATICS ON MY OWN TO THE LEVEL OF A FIELD MEDALISTS?
CAN THEY? CAN THEY NOT? Nobody can answer this questions. Some professors and phd's say. No they cant
99% of the rsponses say , No. Then they give reason. All plausible. Then a lone ranger says YES, you can.
Winning a fields medal or learning the equivalent of a phd without school training is simply put, mind boggling.
BUt the question really is CAN YOU DO IT AND CAN IT BE DONE.

So let's not say yes or no. Let's look at the issues more objectively.
Your mind is the seat of understanding. It's like a house or a computer,
can you put a television in your house or can you put a new fridge in your house?
CAn you go to the shop buy an object and carry it into your house by yourself? Yes.
Carrying the fridge etc indoors will be harder than getting the seller to bring it in and connect it itself,
but once its in, its in. Your formerly empty house now has a new object - a fridge or chair etc.

With knowledge its the same. Once you understand something, you know it as well (to the degree you understand it) as any one else (who understands it to that degree). It doesnt how you attained the understanding. It's agnostic of source.

To understand something , knowledge has to feed to the mind. Then the mind must grasp the concepts in the data (knowledge) and see the interconnectedness (that's when a light pops up in your mind) and you say
"aha, I see", or "i now get it".
data->digestion-> understanding/or no understanding.
it's like eating. only tht, sometimes, the data(knowledge) may stay undigested or not in your mind.
Some concepts,you'll grasp, others, you may never grasp. But you'll grasp morethan you thought.

The issue then is how do you get the data to feed your mind:
Simple- through materials- books/videos or a human teacher.
Since your self learning, you'll need books. Then you'll go thru a process of trial and error until you find that
material that can teach you at your level of understanding that you can grasp. It's time consuming.

From there you grow.

Can it be done. Yes /maybe
How long will it take? a long time. Possibly longer than it would take in a forml setting working the same schedule as formally taught students.
You can vary the rate by increasing the input.

So, in summary, what i'm saying is can you UNDERSTAND a concept without a physically present teacher?
Yes.
Any Concept? if you can grasp it. Concepts are interconnected and complex concepts build on simpler one.
You cant understand all but you may understand many. Nobody knows it all.

How far can you go ? i.e how much can you understand? Nobody knows.
Can you go as far as winning a fields medal or nobel prize? This is actually saying how far can you go?
They might be hindering limitations , but the limitations arent limitations of the quality of your mind entirely besides the fact that nobody knows it all (meaning, some concepts are weighty enough to confound even the smartest of collection of the smartest of all men). This underscores that concepts like physical things hav properties - one of which is WEIGHT or dimension. e.g just like you have a mouth and eyes , concepts, abstract objects, have weight. how much can your mind lift? Nobody knows. See the connection?
Your mind is like a muscle? How much can it lift? It depends. You've got to feed it, rest it, exercise it. Then refresh it. As it goes thru this processes, it gets stronger and stronger but u have to start at the right level and be patient.
Asking if you can know x, is like asking if you can lift weights,without a gym instructor?

Anoda example:
dyu know ppl who learnt how to drive without formal training?
Do they know how to drive? You can't argue that.
Do they have some bad habits acquired because they didnt have an instructor - most likely
Can they drive as well as formally instructed people? Probably. In some cases far better.
How were they able to do this? They got knowledge (data) - processed it - got understanding.
Then, that understanding is lodged in their minds. With that understanding , they can deploy the skill,
anywhere they go. With or without some state issued certificate saying that they have it.
Driving as a concept is less WEIGHTY THAN most computer science concepts (so as a consequence,it takes less time for the mind to grasp (lift) it) but the principle is the same.
Once you hav understanding, you can deploy it and be on par with any1 who has that same understanding!!

so can you grasp cs/programming concepts? I dont know.
But only you know. ONly you can answer that question. And you can only answer it objectively , after you've tried you utmost best.

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asalimpo:
@Op, you may. Actually, this question is a subtle one. It is also very difficult to answer so allow me the liberty of expatiating on what you are really asking.
You are saying CAN I DO X?
some ppl will say NO, YOU CANT DO X others will say YES,YOU CAN.
On quora, ppl ask, CAN I LEARN MATHEMATICS ON MY OWN TO THE LEVEL OF A FIELD MEDALISTS?
CAN THEY? CAN THEY NOT? Nobody can answer this questions. Some professors and phd's say. No they cant
99% of the rsponses say , No. Then they give reason. All plausible. Then a lone ranger says YES, you can.
Winning a fields medal or learning the equivalent of a phd without school training is simply put, mind boggling.
BUt the question really is CAN YOU DO IT AND CAN IT BE DONE.

So let's not say yes or no. Let's look at the issues more objectively.
Your mind is the seat of understanding. It's like a house or a computer,
can you put a television in your house or can you put a new fridge in your house?
CAn you go to the shop buy an object and carry it into your house by yourself? Yes.
Carrying the fridge etc indoors will be harder than getting the seller to bring it in and connect it itself,
but once its in, its in. Your formerly empty house now has a new object - a fridge or chair etc.

With knowledge its the same. Once you understand something, you know it as well (to the degree you understand it) as any one else (who understands it to that degree). It doesnt how you attained the understanding. It's agnostic of source.

To understand something , knowledge has to feed to the mind. Then the mind must grasp the concepts in the data (knowledge) and see the interconnectedness (that's when a light pops up in your mind) and you say
"aha, I see", or "i now get it".
data->digestion-> understanding/or no understanding.
it's like eating. only tht, sometimes, the data(knowledge) may stay undigested or not in your mind.
Some concepts,you'll grasp, others, you may never grasp. But you'll grasp morethan you thought.

The issue then is how do you get the data to feed your mind:
Simple- through materials- books/videos or a human teacher.
Since your self learning, you'll need books. Then you'll go thru a process of trial and error until you find that
material that can teach you at your level of understanding that you can grasp. It's time consuming.

From there you grow.

Can it be done. Yes /maybe
How long will it take? a long time. Possibly longer than it would take in a forml setting working the same schedule as formally taught students.
You can vary the rate by increasing the input.

So, in summary, what i'm saying is can you UNDERSTAND a concept without a physically present teacher?
Yes.
Any Concept? if you can grasp it. Concepts are interconnected and complex concepts build on simpler one.
You cant understand all but you may understand many. Nobody knows it all.

How far can you go ? i.e how much can you understand? Nobody knows.
Can you go as far as winning a fields medal or nobel prize? This is actually saying how far can you go?
They might be hindering limitations , but the limitations arent limitations of the quality of your mind entirely besides the fact that nobody knows it all (meaning, some concepts are weighty enough to confound even the smartest of collection of the smartest of all men). This underscores that concepts like physical things hav properties - one of which is WEIGHT or dimension. e.g just like you have a mouth and eyes , concepts, abstract objects, have weight. how much can your mind lift? Nobody knows. See the connection?
Your mind is like a muscle? How much can it lift? It depends. You've got to feed it, rest it, exercise it. Then refresh it. As it goes thru this processes, it gets stronger and stronger but u have to start at the right level and be patient.
Asking if you can know x, is like asking if you can lift weights,without a gym instructor?

Anoda example:
dyu know ppl who learnt how to drive without formal training?
Do they know how to drive? You can't argue that.
Do they have some bad habits acquired because they didnt have an instructor - most likely
Can they drive as well as formally instructed people? Probably. In some cases far better.
How were they able to do this? They got knowledge (data) - processed it - got understanding.
Then, that understanding is lodged in their minds. With that understanding , they can deploy the skill,
anywhere they go. With or without some state issued certificate saying that they have it.
Driving as a concept is less WEIGHTY THAN most computer science concepts (so as a consequence,it takes less time for the mind to grasp (lift) it) but the principle is the same.
Once you hav understanding, you can deploy it and be on par with any1 who has that same understanding!!

so can you grasp cs/programming concepts? I dont know.
But only you know. ONly you can answer that question. And you can only answer it objectively , after you've tried you utmost best.

thanks a lot

GameKartel:
yes, of course. most people abroad only study via online like; treehouse.com, udemy, w/o study computer bs etc. just should you want dat classroom teaching and learning method or beta still tutorials on youtube will help greatly. just pick up a language today. it all depends on d area you want to specialize. web app and designs-html5,ccs3, little javascript's lib, php- dia is python or ruby on rails for web app development/for mobile app dev for android & ios devices-c# only on xamarin, java with kotlin for android only. dia is swift 2's apple own for ios only or angular with ionic for android & ios/ for desktop softwares u can use, java only or c# parsing with lua, or c++ with python, or c# only, u can also use python, or c++ only, or microsoft's own visual basic++. for game dev + designs-c++ only, or c# only or java only for mobile android, or python only or pick a game engine like, use c# with unity3d, cryengine 5, etc or c++ only for cryengine 5, unreal engine 4, marmelade, cocos2d, godot, frostbite,

thanks a lot for this, I really don't know about kotlin, I think I have to start searching for the material