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Where can I take an online programming aptitude test/exam?

Am I just not good at CS? Can anyone actually read this...?

  • I understand programming is a difficult subject to grasp. Eventhough CS wasn't my first choice, i told myself I would learn it. Im attending college majoring in the subject and thought it was quite interesting for the first two semesters. Im a senior now, and the road to learning the concepts has been a bit rocky. For the most part, I am a visual learner. Unfortunately not all CS topics can be explained through pictures so I struggled alot in my courses. Other times I understood what was going with the aid of pictures, but couldn't convert my thoughts into code. Ive always had good analytical skills and was always a bright student. It would always take me longer than the average student to understand what was going on. I dont actually hate my classes or computer science. But feel as if my progress dictates how proficient I am in the subject. Its what my university seems to stand by, so of course my mediocre 2.6 gpa and not so great grades auto label me as a failure in the field and a not so great candidate for a job. I seriously wish I could take advantage of office hours for my classes but other classes and issues get in the way, and getting help is always at the last minute so I dont go to them. My instructors probably look at me and think Im one of those students that dont care and party but Im not. I actually try, and will still get an F. Im not looking for pity or emotional validation; it seems as if thats what everyone gives me. Eventhough I really like art, i dont feel like engaging in it anymore. I dont have much interest in anything else, not even stuff i liked. Aptitude tests always give me a list of technical careers to consider. Why when Im such a crappy programmer? I have a (legit) IQ of 130. Why when I have a hard time understanding conceots in college? Apparantly doctors and psychologists have deemed me a healthy adult, so does that make me just a failure and an idiot?

  • Answer:

    If you enjoy programming I recommend you get a few books and practice writing programs on your own. You can try things like contributing to projects on github, reading books on algorithms and data structures, etc. I personally haven't found formal education to be very useful for improving my programming skills. On the other hand, if your goal is to make money, you might be better off staying in school. However, you might be happier doing work that requires less thinking (like sewing).

Felicia at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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My take on what you wrote is that you are an intelligent, and at least somewhat motivated person. You have both artistic and technical aptitude and interests. You seem a bit torn between those 2. It's often said that programming is both an *art* and a *science*. Not everyone agrees with that, but I do. Programming is a creative process, not just an engineering process. And you have a creative side to you, right? Hum... Most CS problems can be expressed visually. But the people expressing those problems may not use visuals as a teaching tool. Learn to create your own visuals. Draw things out. I do it all the time. Pencil and paper or a whiteboard. I have to draw out the solution to a complicated problem first. It's not art.. LOL... it gets very messy sometimes. But it makes writing the code easier for me. There are a lot of CS related professions where a creative person with less than rock star programming skills can do well. User Interface design, Graphics Design. Most purely analytically minded programmers suck at those tasks. But they have a hard time taking suggestions from some artsy/fartsy person on how to do it better, because that person is usually clueless about programming. Maybe you can find a niche for yourself where your artistic side and your technical side and work together? It's an employable combination. This is a bit off the wall, but humor me: Go find a copy of Gödel, Escher, Bach, and make an attempt at reading it. It's a rather old book now, 30+ years. But your school probably has a copy in the library. Or you can ebay a copy for under $10. You'll either be bored to tears, or you won't be able to stop reading. Not sure which one you are. But if you fall in the can't put it down category, it might change the way you think about programming.

Ratchetr

Hi Felicia, I'm in my final year CS and a really bad programmer. But, I look at Programming as just a part of CS. There is more to it, you can grasp a better understanding of Networking, Data Security and many other fields as you study CS, not just programming. CS with any level of programming will equip you with the necessary skills. A simple 6 months course in a specialized field will make you job ready. Contact a counellor for better guidance according to your interest and skills. I'm planning for Information Management.

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