I used to think you needed to be a math genius to code until a barista in Seattle changed my mind

I was working on a simple Python script at a coffee shop last Tuesday, and I must have looked stuck. The barista, who was wiping down the counter, just said, 'You know, I started learning by making a program that tells me when my sourdough is ready. It's just a timer with some if statements.' That one comment, about baking bread, made it click for me. I realized coding is just about breaking down everyday tasks into steps a computer can follow. Has anyone else had a moment where a totally normal example made programming seem way less scary?

3 comments

3 Comments

noah_sullivan2mo ago

That barista and @fisher.diana are making a timer sound like rocket science.

grant_palmer4d ago

Oh man, I had a buddy who tried to explain how to use a toaster oven to his grandma once. He said it took her 20 minutes to ask if the toast was done yet because she kept getting distracted by the buttons. She finally just said "I'll wait till I smell it burn" and walked away.

fisher.diana2mo ago

Breaking down everyday tasks" is exactly how I learned with my dumb coffee maker.