Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt

Removing all doubt | Linktree

The first semester had one class specific to the major - "Computer Programming".

It used Pascal to teach the principles of programming. The textbook was "Programming in Pascal" by Peter Grogono.

I still have it in my bookshelf. That was the very first challenge - the book is in English...

As it should be abundantly clear by now (this is the second post!), English is not my native language and in 1986 I had a very limited vocabulary.

When I open the book now, I can see my handwriting where I was methodically writing the translation of all words I did not know.

But above all, starting to think programmatically was a phenomenal experience. So much fun to finally be able to express logic and art into functional work deliverables that are actually useful.

Because programming is about logic but also about art. There are so many ways to express the same logical concept. And over time, your brain starts to develop a sense of "aesthetics" - what feels a right way of expressing concepts.



Programming in Pascal

Where I grew up, you have to pick your major before being admitted to college (and it was really hard to change it afterwards).

That is a tough decision to make when you are seventeen. 

Ever the logical person, I just used the data in front of me to make the decision. I knew I wanted to do some form of exact sciences. To narrow down which one I would pursue, I looked at the written tests I would have to take to be admitted. 

All engineering degrees required 4 tests - language, math, physics, and chemistry. 
Computer Science, on the other hand, only required three - language, math and physics. 

I hated chemistry (especially organic chemistry), so Computer Science it was:) 

I did not know at the time (1985) how lucky I would be to have found my true passion. 

How it all started

Removing all doubt

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Removing all doubt

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt

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