Questions About Coding

[FayetheADHDsquirrel]

I've had phases where I enjoyed using some photo editing software. At least I think that is the proper term. There was no coding involved on my part though. You just do things like cropping, tilting, removing background, adding text, ect. The buttons for those functions are already present on the screen. You just kind of experiment with it and learn what the various emblems do.

 

[Judge]

I've had phases where I enjoyed using some photo editing software. At least I think that is the proper term. There was no coding involved on my part though. You just do things like cropping, tilting, removing background, adding text, ect. The buttons for those functions are already present on the screen. You just kind of experiment with it and learn what the various emblems do.

You might LOVE Photoshop then. Sadly though it's no longer an uber-expensive program you purchase with a license, but now you can only rent it at an uber-expensive price.

However there are a handful of other decent bitmap graphic programs out there that can help you to learn and hone your skills. "Photopea" as an example is one you can even download for free. It even can manipulate native Photoshop .psd files.

Though seriously, you need a laptop or desktop computer to effectively use them. Photoshop in particular, needs a good amount of memory to run properly. Newer versions can struggle on 8GB, but will work far better with 16GB or even 32GB.

The weird thing now is to see advances in AI that can do things in seconds that would have otherwise taken me hours to implement using a 27 year old version of Photoshop. But then much like web design, the advance of programs can do things the easy way instead of the hard way.

Reminds me of watching what you can do with an iPhone in their tv commercial where the guy instantly takes the cat out of the image, only to bring it back because his wife didn't like it.

https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-adobe-photoshop-alternatives#

 

[FayetheADHDsquirrel]

What kind of coding (or other tech skills) are supposed to help you get on at a library? I am still hoping to get a science job and I am still leaning very strongly towards forensic science, but I need some job while I get my degree. In fact, I need a job before I even start a degree program of any kind. My Mama and I both think that I would enjoy working at a library because I love to research topics and it would likely also include opportunities to incorporate my artistic talents due to the crafts classes and such at the library. I have tried and tried to get on at the local libraries, but apparently am not qualified even though the director of one of them said that I was adept at library work after a certain program allowed me to try working at one for two hours. I caught on to the cataloging system rather quickly and I think that is what he was referring to.

 

[Judge]

What kind of coding (or other tech skills) are supposed to help you get on at a library? I am still hoping to get a science job and I am still leaning very strongly towards forensic science, but I need some job while I get my degree. In fact, I need a job before I even start a degree program of any kind. My Mama and I both think that I would enjoy working at a library because I love to research topics and it would likely also include opportunities to incorporate my artistic talents due to the crafts classes and such at the library. I have tried and tried to get on at the local libraries, but apparently am not qualified even though the director of one of them said that I was adept at library work after a certain program allowed me to try working at one for two hours. I caught on to the cataloging system rather quickly and I think that is what he was referring to.

Duck Duck Go AI "Search Assist":

"Librarians increasingly need coding skills to enhance library systems, improve user experiences, and create new services. While not all librarians must be expert coders, a basic understanding of programming concepts and languages like XML, HTML, and JavaScript is becoming essential in the field."

I have to almost laugh at this myself, given such publicly funded public-sector jobs probably don't pay well and are so subject to cutbacks in staff and even total closures. Not worth the effort to learn such skills that would pay so much more elsewhere, IMO. When I switched careers from insurance to web design, I got quite a jump in pay. Though in all fairness it was many years ago when the web was still brand new to most folks.

Perhaps you should look at another similar line of work: archivists. More complex skills required.

"Archivists increasingly need coding skills to manage digital collections, with programming languages like Python and SQL being particularly useful for tasks such as data cleaning, file management, and digital preservation. Familiarity with command line tools and regular expressions can also enhance their ability to process and manipulate large datasets efficiently."

Again though, to learn website design start with HTML and CSS. Not any kind of scripting like Java Script. Otherwise that's "putting the cart in front of the horse" in terms of properly learning website design. And if HTML and CSS vex you, that's a sign to walk away from it all, having avoided investing so much time in actual programming skills.

 

[FayetheADHDsquirrel]

Do I need to go back to retail? Having to carry heavy items up ladders for back stock, unloading trucks and all that really wears on your musculoskeletal system plus dealing with all the bullying. Small shops rarely hire anyone. It was really wearing on me both physically and mentally. Over the years, I had got to where I rocked back and forth a lot and had almost daily laughing fits. I have recovered so much being out of there, but where else is there for me. Trying to learn coding languages is so stressful and monotonous. I don't understand why so many people enjoy it. If people know you are "smart", they tend to automatically assume you are some sort of tech expert and when it turns out that you are not it seems as though other knowledge, talents, or abilities are deemed useless. I was bullied throughout childhood because of my brain yet now I wonder if I was ever truly smart at all. All those kids that bullied me for my knowledge of science facts, and my extensive vocabulary and ability to recite lengthy passages word for word can most likely work circles around me on a computer.

 

[Judge]

Do I need to go back to retail?

As an autistic person, I can't honestly in good conscience recommend much of anyone in this community working in retail sales. Not given the consistent amount of interaction between co-workers and customers.

I did retail as a salesperson and cashier working in a small hobby shop. It helped that I was familiar with a lot of the merchandise, but dealing directly with people on an impromptu basis was certainly taxing for me.

My older brother was in retail almost his entire adult life, other than enlisting in the Navy. Where he learned skills that would have paid far more than standing behind a counter. But he spent a lot of effort not trying to work hard, and less than graciously accepted living along the poverty line doing only retail as a store clerk.

To this day he bitterly resents his younger brother who studied hard and chose much more difficult lines of work, to live a much better lifestyle in comparison. As a result, we don't speak to one another any more.

Your intellect is suited well beyond retail. Besides when it's a job reference more than ten years old, it won't likely carry much weight with prospective employers. Shoot for something higher that's worth the effort. Especially those jobs with fewer human interaction that can allow many of us "breathing space" we might not otherwise have for our mental health.

 

[717]

I am starting this thread in response to a suggestion on my profile by @Aspychata . I don't know what to learn or if I even need to. What is coding even about apart from building a computer from scratch or developing a website? It seems like a lot of job descriptions claim that knowing how to code is a plus and it doesn't always make sense to me that it would be. There are so many coding languages. How do you even know where to start? How many does a person need to know? Why does a person need to know them? I've tried some lessons before, but one of the apps I was using was discontinued and I dropped out of the other program. The app was teaching something called JavaScript. The other program also had JavaScript; but additionally, it had another course where I was learning how to read binary. Where would you even use any of this in real life? Within the program you just put the JavaScript code in and it draws a picture or in the case of the binary code it had me figuring out what was wrong in a line of code that caused an imaginary malfunction and I actually got that answer correct at the time, but what do you do with it when you are not inside a training app? Where do you even input it? Why do you need to write code to draw a picture when you can do the same without writing code? I don't understand tech hardly at all. Sometimes looking at this stuff makes me feel like I am not really smart after all.

I think that more important than learning a bunch of languages is to learn the logic, ones you learn the logic then picking the language becomes a matter of preferences, features and the so... after the logic, i'd would say the next skill is to understand systems get familiar with the flowchart symbols and be able to describe any system with such symbols... ones you understand the logic and are familiar with flowchart symbols you can write down any program in the world, before you even touch down on a language... now you can pick a language, considerations for the language can be personal preferences, hardware specifications, if you are running the program on top of an OS, what OS is that... security features, libraries... and so on...

"it had another course where I was learning how to read binary. Where would you even use any of this in real life?"

I would say it does not hurt to know something like this, if it gives you better understanding of the logic, but in reality if you are not designing circuits at component level, or your computer have modern specifications, this probably will no do much for you. This sounds like the kind of thing that was a must in the 80s. If you are not programming for a Comodore64 or for a wrist watch... you probably will never have practical use of this.

"Why do you need to write code to draw a picture when you can do the same without writing code?"

I am going to assume here, based on this 2 questions that you was interested on writing games... a drawing like a character in a game takes memory, no just to store but to render, and you will make that character move on the screen and also animate... look at how they program characters in old Nintendo games, like Mario... there are plenty of videos and websites explaining how this characters where programmed to be able to run the whole game on the hardware limitations of such consoles... today it is harder to hit this kind of limitations, but you still find them, like... what is the processor of an ATM machine, and why COBOL???

 

[Hypnalis]

@FayetheADHDsquirrel

It would take years to learn all of the IT skills implied by your questions.
You need to narrow your scope.

This won't be possible if you use Job Descriptions in employment announcements or AI summaries to find out what you "need" to know.
They tend to be highly over-specified - i.e. they claim to require the skills and experience of someone who's been a professional developer for 5 years.

I'm 98% sure Librarians don't need to know all that stuff the AI suggested.
It looks like a better fit for someone responsible for developing a Library Management product - i.e. the kind of thing that a Library would deploy so they didn't have to develop one for themselves.

 

[Crabcore]

Automating a system to water plants sounds as though one would need to learn electronic and mechanical engineering as well. I don't even know what a MIDI controller is. I'm not quite sure what the next two are about or why I would need them. I send emails just fine without knowing how to code. Why would I need to know anything about a programming language to send an email. Those settings already exist.

Thankfully a lot of the internals of most things have been abstracted away, so a lot of people with even basic knowledge of computers can buy a $10 microcontroller and have a relatively easy time getting up and running, even if they just build projects other people have made and use their code, for example. Not to mention, simply getting an LED to blink for the first time is a lot of fun for a certain kind of nerd.

MIDI is just a very simple language that musicians use to interact with computers. If you've ever used a keyboard that hooks up to a computer but doesn't have an onboard sound synthesizer or any speakers of its own, that's a MIDI controller. I prototype my own variants with $5-$10 boards whenever I'm feeling like doing something weird, but the list of things you can do with them goes on.

Email automation tasks can range from everything from setting up autoreplies and maintaining email lists to filtering messages, auto-cleanup, and pretty much everything else you could imagine. A lot of this integrates nicely with web development, which is another domain that's relatively easy to get started with. HTML / CSS are probably some of the easiest languages to learn.

Even manipulating images this way can be a lot of fun. While you could very likely split bands, blur just the red channel of an image and then recombine RGB to HSV in photoshop (even though it will likely take a few workarounds), it's just a few lines of python code to do this to an image, and that's just the beginning. Batch editing opens up, automatically downloading stock images easily becomes part of the pipeline, and you've got a totally unique and powerful workflow.

Everything you use has been built with code, so this is a nice way of getting between the cracks and doing a little 'extra', especially when programs simply don't have a feature you're looking for.

 

[FayetheADHDsquirrel]

@Crabcore As for getting a LED to blink, I got a thrill out of doing that as a kid. It didn't have anything to do with programming though. It involved a battery and wires.

 

[Crabcore]

If any of this fascinates you, you might check out the wild world of modern microcontrollers! They are incredibly fun, and a lot of the cheap / knockoff boards will work great in the beginning. You can very likely get started for $4, depending on what you have access to / are willing to wait for slow shipping

 

[Hypnalis]

@Crabcore As for getting a LED to blink, I got a thrill out of doing that as a kid. It didn't have anything to do with programming though. It involved a battery and wires.

Raspberry Pi and e.g. Arduino can do this using logic.

They have the hardware interfaces to connect to sensors and actuators (and more OFC), along with a PLC (very small real-time computers - Arduino and clones) and something similar built into the Raspberry Pi.

I played with these for a while but didn't follow up.
IIRC the Arduino was coded in C (written in an IDE of some kind, and deployed to the PLC).
I was using Java on the Raspberry Pi, but might have used something else for the PLC part.

People earn good money building custom control systems in this domain. It's real IT, but not much like working with e.g. Windows or Unix/Linux.

PS - What Crabcore talked about above is almost certainly the same thing.

A Raspberry Pi cost maybe USD 200 when I bought mine (several years ago). It ran a normal-looking Linux (standard commands and utilities) and I was running a Development Environment either on it, or on a PC, and connected to the Raspberry Pi.
The Arduinos were cheap

 

[Judge]

I first started learning HTML and CSS on my own...through the Visual Quickstart Guide series of books that cover all the aspects of web design. Nice to see they are all updated and still in demand after so many years.

It would give you a concise understanding of what you need to know to implement basic HTML and Cascading Style Sheets. To get your feet wet, without getting into the more complex aspects of web design just yet.

Note the attached image below. I still cherish these books!

HTML and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide: Castro, Elizabeth, Hyslop, Bruce: 9780321928832: Amazon.com: Books

 

[vergil96]

That is why I studied JavaScript some because it was recommended as being good for graphic design jobs.

I see True, it's used for website design and user interface design

"Librarians increasingly need coding skills to enhance library systems, improve user experiences, and create new services. While not all librarians must be expert coders, a basic understanding of programming concepts and languages like XML, HTML, and JavaScript is becoming essential in the field."

I find it hard to believe. Is there a way to verify that information? I don't think anyone besides IT professionals actually deals with those.

"Archivists increasingly need coding skills to manage digital collections, with programming languages like Python and SQL being particularly useful for tasks such as data cleaning, file management, and digital preservation. Familiarity with command line tools and regular expressions can also enhance their ability to process and manipulate large datasets efficiently."

Regular expressions are a small topic and indeed useful in different data mangement systems and their search engines. I also heard about SQL being used by accountants and office workers. Python - I'm not sure if it'e used by office workers such as librarians and accountants, but it's used by non-programmers, e.g. mathematicians, physicists to run mathematical simulations and make graphs. Matlab is used too in a similar fashion.

Either way, it would be best to verify the information, what kind of systems are used in libraries, what they are actually like.

 

[Judge]

I see True, it's used for website design and user interface design


I find it hard to believe. Is there a way to verify that information? I don't think anyone besides IT professionals actually deals with those.


Regular expressions are a small topic and indeed useful in different data mangement systems and their search engines. I also heard about SQL being used by accountants and office workers. Python - I'm not sure if it'e used by office workers such as librarians and accountants, but it's used by non-programmers, e.g. mathematicians, physicists to run mathematical simulations and make graphs. Matlab is used too in a similar fashion.

Either way, it would be best to verify the information, what kind of systems are used in libraries, what they are actually like.

You might try other AI search engines to see if you get very different results. These were from Duck Duck Go. Though it was news to me as well. A bit surprising at first, but then I could see how such skills could keep librarians from being an "endangered species" altogether. At least in my country. Might be a different story across the pond.

 

[FayetheADHDsquirrel]

I don't want to put too much effort into learning advanced tech skills that the career I want to actually study for does not require. Right now I basically need a line of work that is easy to get started at so I can earn an income and go back to school. It just seems like almost every job needs some kind of special education and/or previous experience. I don't want to go back to mainstream retail and I have been told that I wouldn't be capable of doing restaurant work. I don't know what I can do, but I can't go back to school until I get some kind of job. I thought if technology was involved somehow a could study a free certificate program on my phone without using up gas money to go to a school, get qualified to do something, and then start studying for my degree.

 

[vergil96]

Maybe I'm not modern, but I meant talking to an actual librarian to verify. Job postings and information online are often divorced from reality

It just seems like almost every job needs some kind of special education and/or previous experience.

Or both

 

[Judge]

I don't want to put too much effort into learning advanced tech skills that the career I want to actually study for does not require. Right now I basically need a line of work that is easy to get started at so I can earn an income and go back to school. It just seems like almost every job needs some kind of special education and/or previous experience. I don't want to go back to mainstream retail and I have been told that I wouldn't be capable of doing restaurant work. I don't know what I can do, but I can't go back to school until I get some kind of job. I thought if technology was involved somehow a could study a free certificate program on my phone without using up gas money to go to a school, get qualified to do something, and then start studying for my degree.

The good news is that you are pragmatic about what you need first and foremost. A job, to finance whatever future you are looking for. That's quite understandable- and organized!

The bad news being the cost- and effort required to be educated sufficiently to make such an education pay off for you. Particularly if you choose to go to school after work hours. Not everyone can do it, but I knew a few in college who did.

Hint: Getting formally certified in a web design program in a then-accredited vocational school took nearly a year part time at a cost of $11,000 back in 1998. Myself and a few other fellow students already had a number of skills before entering the program. However most if not all high tech employers in the SF Bay Area at the time wanted some kind of formal certification on a resume. What was also helpful was the vocational program's curriculum. Which was "down and dirty", focusing only on the absolute requirements to master website design. Nothing taught in that program was unnecessary.

I know some occupations offer"free certificates" as such, but the idea of getting a sophisticated job based on a short stint in a public, unaccredited program may not be realistic to many employers. So it would seem you'd need to find such a program that actually has a track record of getting people hired. The kind that prospective employers would look for on your resume.

The corporate job I got as a web designer involved the most peculiar interview. If you can even call it that. The person interviewing me was the marketing department's senior public relations officer, who seemed to peruse my resume in seconds, and then ask me for my online portfolio URL. Beyond that she asked very little, instead going through my personal website with great interest. Which obviously nailed it for me. The best interview I ever avoided...LOL.

Basically for most applicants, I suspect anything in high tech and scientific pursuits demands some kind of formal education and/or vocational training. I'd think it would be pretty difficult to get around such things.

 

[FayetheADHDsquirrel]

Does anyone have recommendations on what I can do right now without additional education?

• I know very little about IT fields as I am sure everyone has well noticed.
• My least favorite subject was math throughout most of school. At least my math grades managed to stay within the average range, but it felt like a real struggle sometimes.
• My favorite subject was science and maybe foreign language, but I have jumped between languages too much to be fluent.
• I could read above my grade level and vocabulary in particular was in the top percentile as of 12th grade.
• I have forgotten some of the punctuation rules from a lack of use.
• Despite getting good grades, my processing speed is a bit slow making jobs such as restaurant work and air traffic control impractical.
• I have good visual pattern recognition and also tend to notice small visual details that others don't tend to notice.
• I communicate fine in one on one settings, but struggle in crowds.