Chapter 3: Think Chess
You wouldn’t think you’ve learned chess once you know how all the pieces move.
You don’t know chess until you can think like a chess player.
This principle is even more true for programming. The important part of becoming a programmer is learning to think like a programmer. You don’t need to know the details of a programming language by heart, you can just look that stuff up.
The treasure is in the structure, not the nails.
Feel Chess
Part of learning to think like a programmer is learning to feel like a programmer. Using and creating software are emotional experiences.
Much as we’d like to think that our rational thinking is the important part, the reality is that emotions dominate.
Being a good programmer is as much about emotional strength as intellectual strength.
Your first brush with programming was most likely a negative experience. Don’t let that define your relationship to it.
Take Time
You didn’t learn to ride a bicycle or a skateboard in one day. You’ll not learn to program in one day. It takes time. Relax.
We may say most aptly that the Analytic Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves.
— Ada Lovelace
