[nfbcs] Blindness and Computer Science RE: (no subject)

[Tami Jarvis]

Hi, and welcome!

Like you, I got into programming along the way of my career and made a 
career switch of it starting about the time I got to be legally blind. I 
just happened to have the opportunity to pick up a project no one else 
wanted, which led to a more advanced project, which got me hooked. I 
could also see the advantage of having those skills for the future 
because the technology was coming along that would make it possible to 
continue to do it as I lost the ability to read along the way. Back 
then, it was a real advantage to be able to read print because there 
wasn't the equivalent wealth of accessible reading material there is 
now. Stuff happened, so I'm happy all that material I need to read is 
available in the formats I need now to get back up to snuff and advance 
my skills. Whew!

Oddly, the new stuff I'm learning nonvisually from the get go is 
actually proving easier than what I'm re-learning that I learned 
visually and now have to totally reconceptualize, especially for 
programming. That doesn't prove a thing, but I thought I'd mention it 
anyway. /smile/ The stuff I used to need a pencil and drawing pad for on 
the design end is dratted difficult, but since I know blind people who 
do it and have picked up some hints of how from them, I'm beginning to 
make headway even there. Whew!

As for the bit where you need "a solid foundation in computer science" 
... Generally, it is people who *aren't* in the field who come up with 
that one. Real programmers these days seem to be more of the opinion -- 
and so am I -- that you can get going and accomplish quite a lot without 
actually knowing all the nitty gritty underlayers between your program 
and the machine.

That being said, it wouldn't hurt to read up on the machines themselves 
if you don't already have a general idea of how they work below the 
surface. Programming is really communicating with the machine in a way 
that makes sense to it. Most modern programming languages enable you to 
do that by using existing compilers that translate your instructions 
down to the machine itself. So if you learn Java, say, you can focus on 
what is there and let the Java compiler take care of the rest. If that 
makes sense. But for learning purposes of *how* to use Java to do more 
than send greetings to the world or make balls bounce colorfully, I 
think it would be a strength to understand how and why at least in a 
general way. But that could be just me. /smile/

Er... If you haven't really gotten started yet, I will translate my last 
attempt at humor: "Hello, World!" That is the first program you will 
ever write in any programming language. /lol/ Then you will probably 
give greetings in colorful text and... Well, it's a start, and I'm doing 
more tutorials, and it's still there.

Tami

On 02/18/2013 08:28 PM, Zeeshan Khan wrote:
> Hi Nicole,
> Yeah sorry about that, I realized I hadn't included a subject after I sent
> it.
>
> I am looking to establish a solid foundation in programming whether it be
> in programming for the computer or the internet. I really want to start out
> learning the basics and work my way up to being good enough to land a job
> hopefully.
>
> What I hear many people say is , if you don't have a solid foundation in
> computer science, it doesn't make sense to jump into different languages if
> you are a beginner.
>
> On Mon, Feb 18, 2013 at 8:15 PM, Nicole Torcolini
> <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>wrote:
>
>> What kind of programming are you thinking about? There is programming that
>> runs on the computer itself and there is programming that works on the
>> internet. Both have high level and low level languages.
>> Also, on a side note, please include subjects in your emails in the futures
>> as emails without subjects are often suspected of being spam or a virus.
>>
>> Nicole
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Zeeshan Khan
>> Sent: Monday, February 18, 2013 8:09 PM
>> To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [nfbcs] (no subject)
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I am trying to learn programming and I am an absolute beginner. As a
>> legally
>> blind person I want to ask you all if anyone has learned programming and
>> computer science as a blind person. The things is I have already gotten my
>> degree in economics about 3 years ago, so I am not sure if I am too late to
>> the field. So how did any of you learn computer science/  programming? What
>> resources did you use? how long did it take you to become a decent
>> programmer, or at least good enough to land a job? I am not trying to go
>> back to school and get a Bachelors as it own't really help me, plus I don't
>> have the time as I am working. I really want to learn computer science as I
>> am looking to make a career change, and the future is in technology. I am
>> aware of many online resources, like codecademy, coursera and other free
>> things online, but not sure if I should get into these, as I lack a
>> foundation in computer science. What is the job market like , in your
>> opinion?
>>
>> I really look forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences, Thanks,
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Zeeshan Khan
>>
>> ToiBooks
>> www.toibooks.com
>> http://www.facebook.com/ToiBooks
>> _______________________________________________
>> nfbcs mailing list
>> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nfbcs:
>>
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/ntorcolini%40wavecable.co
>> m
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nfbcs mailing list
>> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nfbcs:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/zeek786%40gmail.com
>>
>
>
>