JustDoIt

This posting is in English as I am referring to a recent oral examination in the HIS-M.Sc. that is taught in English. After failing in the oral exam about Pattern Oriented Software Architecture, I asked the candidate whether he had any experience in programming (OO) at all. I do this routinely because I made the experience that many of the failed students never actually programmed any of the patterns themselves. He nodded. I said: “Really?” “Yes, I programmed all patterns.” I said, quite frankly that I did not believe him a word. Then he responded: “Well, actually, I did not really do it myself.” I was puzzled: “?” He said, that he watched other programmers explaining (programming) the patterns on Youtube. Wow!

Here is one advice, folks: Watching other people in a video on the internet doing intersting stuff is not a good way to learn interesting stuff. In fact, it is not a good way to learn anything in life! Rather, if you want to learn something, you have to do it yourself. And practice. A lot. Quite a lot. As you learn how to play an instrument only by playing, you learn programming only by programming. And Pattern Oriented Software Architecture is sort of a meta-philosophy of programming. Not comprehensible, if you do not know the basics, which is programming. So better do it! (It enhances your employability btw, too.)