I am stuyding the JavaScript Bible by Danny Goodman with Michael Morrison
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In the first chapter, there is a quote that I really liked. To put it in context, Goodman is talking about his dismay in 1995 that Java was to derived from C and C++ and meant for experienced programmers.

“I would have preferred a language that casual programmers and scripters who were comfortable with authoring tools, such as Apple’s once-formidable HyperCard and Microsoft’s Visual Basic, could adopt quickly. As these accessible development platforms have shown, nonprofessional authors can dream up many creative applications, often for very specific tasks that no professional programmer would have the inclination to work on. Personal needs often drive development in the classroom, office, den, or garage.” (emphasis mine)

I am also reading right now to the authorized Steve Jobs biography, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. He said something quite similar when he was starting with Pixar:

“My view is that people are creative animals and will figure out clever new ways to use tools that the inventor never imagined. (page 241)”

I think that thess two quotes provide a valuable lesson about computers and information technology. Even though you might not have the formal training, that does not mean that you cannot make meaningful contributions to yourself, your employer, your clients, and the programming world at large. I am not sure that I would have come up with my idea about using areas of VBA classes to store and manipulate data if I had been more formally trained.

Related books picked – and if possible read – by me. Sponsored by Amazon Associates.