Why are experienced programmers so hostile toward beginners?

Why are experienced programmers so hostile toward beginners?

• In other disciplines, asking questions is not a big deal. With CS, I go to great lengths to avoid asking questions because of the massive amount of shit I get every time I ask for help. I mostly mean online in various beginner forums, but it's true sometimes even in person. It's usually assumed that I haven't done my own research, which is never the case. For every helpful reply, it seems like I'll get 4-5 useless replies attempting to call me out for my own laziness. It's especially insulting when I've been in software a few years and I'm proficient in some languages, but occasionally have a specific problem with some unfamiliar language or technology. Sometimes it feels like there's some secret society of software developers hellbent on protecting their livelihood from new talent. Sorry for the rant, but as a person who likes helping others I just don't understand why the rudeness is so pervasive.

• Answer:

  People very often just ask questions without doing any work or research themselves and expect everyone else too do it for them, this is a place for learning and development and no-one learns from just being given the answer, this unfortunately happens so often that people jump to conclusions and assume things about the user, mainly because if it is a "beginners" problem then there will normally be loads of documentation that can help but people can't be bothered to go and do the research themselves, they don't want to learn they just want an answer. What you can do!!: I think rather than not asking questions just specify the previous research you have done, the work and effort you have put in to it and ensure that people know that you are a beginner but you have done a lot of research and have now asked the questions as a last stop.