WHAT IS WRONG?

PUT YOUR FEAR ASIDE!

How many people drive a car without knowing how the engine functions? How many people use the telephone without knowing the conversion process of voice to digit or vice versa? We use many machines daily without understanding how they work. However, people have different expectations when it comes to learning about computers; they want to understand it all. People have heard and seen so much about computers that they expect superior intelligence from them in every situation. They are curious to explore this unknown machine while at the same time are frightened to cause a malfunction. If the computer is not working properly or it is not “friendly” enough, the user assumes that they are not good or intelligent enough to learn about computers or programming. 

You don't have to know it all at once. If you start learning little by little you will overcome the fear. The learning process is just like watching a movie: you don't have to read, listen to, or see everything on the screen to understand or appreciate a movie. You just have to focus on the important things. The problem beginners have is that they can’t distinguish what is important from what is not; they mistakenly think everything is important. You don't have to be mathematically or scientifically gifted to understand computer programming. Whether you are a child or an elderly person, you can program. All you need is to combine awareness with effort, and you can make your way through programming.

It may be silly to ask these questions, but do you remember how you learned to walk, tie your shoelaces, ride a bike, or drive a car? Isn't it true that through a series of attempts and failures you finally got it? Have you seen a child ice-skate professionally? The combination of fearlessness, continuous practice, and enjoyment is the key to success.

My mission in writing this book is to instill confidence in you so that you can gain practical skills in programming. I am going to spend a great deal of time emphasizing how important it is to put your phobias aside and not to give up. Remember that no one is born with the ability to program. Programming is a skill you learn through the process of trial and error. You must have the desire to go for it. 

The pace of learning varies from person to person: some learn faster than others, some learn slowly, but retain the material learned longer. Some people must try harder than others, especially when unexpected situations arise. This may seem like a barrier to learning, but in the long run it is a valuable experience that will provide additional benefits. As experience builds, you will see there are many alternative ways to reach your goal.

The computer is now a pervasive force in our society and our daily lives, and we have little choice about whether we want it or not. Society is divided into two segments: those who know the computer and those who do not. With the emergence of the Internet, programming skills are increasingly valuable, not just for those pursuing a career as a professional programmer. Learning programming enables us to better conceptualize what is happening, and provokes critical thinking on how things are done or might be done. It gives us control over the otherwise overwhelming bombardment of information directed at us from seemingly everywhere in contemporary life. If you take the first step to learn programming, you may find that your creativity will take you further than you imagined. In fact, many accomplished programmers never dreamed of achieving their present success.