- #1
aqueoushaze
- 1
- 0
"intuitiveness" of EE/ME versus SE
I am trying to figure out whether I possesses the mental prowess to become an engineer of any sort. This spring I attempted to take a Java programming class at my community college and had to drop after the first week because I was so lost. I was previously an English student but I am bored with writing and I would love to work for a company like SpaceX one day, in what capacity i have no idea.
I feel like, looking at a diagram of a circuit I can understand the signal flow on some intuitive level. Or an engine, same thing. It is somewhat clear where things start and where they go from there, at least in the beginning. But the relativistic nature of the syntax of different programming languages makes me feel completely stupid from the very start. It just feels completely impenetrable, and I worry that once I get deeper into either EE or ME I will begin to run into things that are just as unintuitive to me as programming is and then I will fail. I have never taken any engineering or physics classes, but programming already feels so just, wrong on some deep visceral level and I worry it is a sign of trouble to come.
This is apparently an example of good, clean code:
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/nov06/pollice/listing2.gif
"leadersGames" seems to move around a whole hell of a lot depending on the line it's on. Also " wins the set " must have spaces between the parentheses and the words for some reason. God forbid you type "wins the set" and you'll get a syntax error and the whole thing will crash. I know there are very good reasons for this in the world of programming. I accept that I am woefully ignorant of the nuances of the language, honestly. But I just can't help it. This just looks like a mess to me. Why is nothing lined up? What's with the arbitrary number of spaces present/not present between characters? It offends me, almost.
Okay so here's a circuit diagram:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SPwX1vYEKqg/TOw6xGknOFI/AAAAAAAACFA/HCHFbvSfuV0/s1600/700synt.jpg
This looks absolutely beautiful to me. Complex, yes. May take me a minute to wrap my head around it, but there is a clear logic to it's layout, at least to my layman eyes.
What is it about SE? Is it just me? Are my struggles with programming a sign of a deeper problem with my intellect? I just worry at some point, after community college as a junior or senior no matter what field of engineering I pursue eventually I'm going to hit a wall, because something will come along like programming that is just so alien and counterintuitive to the way my brain works I'm just going to pull my hair out and eat my hat.
I am trying to figure out whether I possesses the mental prowess to become an engineer of any sort. This spring I attempted to take a Java programming class at my community college and had to drop after the first week because I was so lost. I was previously an English student but I am bored with writing and I would love to work for a company like SpaceX one day, in what capacity i have no idea.
I feel like, looking at a diagram of a circuit I can understand the signal flow on some intuitive level. Or an engine, same thing. It is somewhat clear where things start and where they go from there, at least in the beginning. But the relativistic nature of the syntax of different programming languages makes me feel completely stupid from the very start. It just feels completely impenetrable, and I worry that once I get deeper into either EE or ME I will begin to run into things that are just as unintuitive to me as programming is and then I will fail. I have never taken any engineering or physics classes, but programming already feels so just, wrong on some deep visceral level and I worry it is a sign of trouble to come.
This is apparently an example of good, clean code:
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/nov06/pollice/listing2.gif
"leadersGames" seems to move around a whole hell of a lot depending on the line it's on. Also " wins the set " must have spaces between the parentheses and the words for some reason. God forbid you type "wins the set" and you'll get a syntax error and the whole thing will crash. I know there are very good reasons for this in the world of programming. I accept that I am woefully ignorant of the nuances of the language, honestly. But I just can't help it. This just looks like a mess to me. Why is nothing lined up? What's with the arbitrary number of spaces present/not present between characters? It offends me, almost.
Okay so here's a circuit diagram:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SPwX1vYEKqg/TOw6xGknOFI/AAAAAAAACFA/HCHFbvSfuV0/s1600/700synt.jpg
This looks absolutely beautiful to me. Complex, yes. May take me a minute to wrap my head around it, but there is a clear logic to it's layout, at least to my layman eyes.
What is it about SE? Is it just me? Are my struggles with programming a sign of a deeper problem with my intellect? I just worry at some point, after community college as a junior or senior no matter what field of engineering I pursue eventually I'm going to hit a wall, because something will come along like programming that is just so alien and counterintuitive to the way my brain works I'm just going to pull my hair out and eat my hat.
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