• 14-yr-old Prodigy Programmer Dreams In Code
    151 replies, posted
I admit, I'm jealous. Not because of code, though. It doesn't seem like that would be my thing, really. It's just that I have no idea what I want to do, and I don't really feel qualified to do anything, really. I tell people, "Oh, I might like to major in art." Yeah, I'm sure that's gonna happen. I also thought I was going to be a musician a couple of years ago. And here I sit, typing this, on my new desk, next to my new flatbed scanner. Most of my Christmas gifts were art supplies. And it's great to see that my parents believe in me so much, but it gets depressing working on something for so long, only to absolutely hate how it turns out. And it's scary too. This is, like, my only chance. I am probably one of the worst students, ever. So, I figured, hey I think I'm good at art, let's focus on that. Well, guess what, asshole? Now you've destroyed any chance of you ever falling back on some career with a decent pay if this doesn't work out. And I don't really think I'm going to make it. People are like, "Oh, you're stuff's good, Shane." But I just can't see it. Yeah, I guess it's better than the average doodle a typical high school student would do, but nowhere near where it should be if I'm seriously considering this as a career choice. And I've tried sharing with the art community here at Facepunch, nobody cares. That's what really matters. If this is what I'm going to do, then I should be getting some encouraging comments from people who are actually good at art, not the guy who draws cocks on his desk for shits and giggles. I haven't drawn anything in weeks actually, because I'm actually afraid that I'm getting worse. That I'm deteriorating. And you can go ahead, and be like, "Wow, nice sympathy grab, no one feels sorry for you." But you know what? Sometimes it just feels nice to complain. And that's what I'm doing right now, complaining about my situation to take a break from all the pretending that everything's going to be okay, and that I'm actually going to be remembered when I die. All of that shit, it's just unrealistic to think these things right now. I'm sorry, but reality gets to me sometimes, and you can understand that it just feels nice to talk about things, right?
[QUOTE=ShaneAlvarado;39086901]I admit, I'm jealous. Not because of code, though. It doesn't seem like that would be my thing, really. It's just that I have no idea what I want to do, and I don't really feel qualified to do anything, really. I tell people, "Oh, I might like to major in art." Yeah, I'm sure that's gonna happen. I also thought I was going to be a musician a couple of years ago. And here I sit, typing this, on my new desk, next to my new flatbed scanner. Most of my Christmas gifts were art supplies. And it's great to see that my parents believe in me so much, but it gets depressing working on something for so long, only to absolutely hate how it turns out. And it's scary too. This is, like, my only chance. I am probably one of the worst students, ever. So, I figured, hey I think I'm good at art, let's focus on that. Well, guess what, asshole? Now you've destroyed any chance of you ever falling back on some career with a decent pay if this doesn't work out. And I don't really think I'm going to make it. People are like, "Oh, you're stuff's good, Shane." But I just can't see it. Yeah, I guess it's better than the average doodle a typical high school student would do, but nowhere near where it should be if I'm seriously considering this as a career choice. And I've tried sharing with the art community here at Facepunch, nobody cares. That's what really matters. If this is what I'm going to do, then I should be getting some encouraging comments from people who are actually good at art, not the guy who draws cocks on his desk for shits and giggles. I haven't drawn anything in weeks actually, because I'm actually afraid that I'm getting worse. That I'm deteriorating. And you can go ahead, and be like, "Wow, nice sympathy grab, no one feels sorry for you." But you know what? Sometimes it just feels nice to complain. And that's what I'm doing right now, complaining about my situation to take a break from all the pretending that everything's going to be okay, and that I'm actually going to be remembered when I die. All of that shit, it's just unrealistic to think these things right now. I'm sorry, but reality gets to me sometimes, and you can understand that it just feels nice to talk about things, right?[/QUOTE] Take college courses or get a private teacher. You'll get feedback and you'll be working to improve. You can make it in the arts, but you've got to practice a lot. You've got to motivate yourself and, I'll be honest, that's hard. The good news is that you're in control and it's never to late. Really, even if you're a senior in high school and you start practicing now, it'll make all the difference. Most people pursuing music or the arts think they can get by on talent alone, and that's far from the truth. Because of this, any amount of time you put in to consciously bettering yourself will put you ahead of the game. Also, I can assure you you're not deteriorating in skill (unless you haven't done anything with your art in years), and the feeling you get about your work is not uncommon. In fact, you can use the feeling that your art can be better to drive yourself in improving. Lastly, keep in mind, you're creating art. So many people worry about sounding professional or painting realistically. While this is an understandable want, the pursuit of these things as separate goals only serves to make your art become a shell of itself. What could have been music becomes sound, what could have been art becomes a drawing. Art has a message and carries the unique imprint of its creator. Always try to improve, but follow a vision you create - not one others have.
[QUOTE=ShaneAlvarado;39086901]And here I sit, typing this, on my new desk, next to my new flatbed scanner. Most of my Christmas gifts were art supplies. And it's great to see that my parents believe in me so much, but it gets depressing working on something for so long, only to absolutely hate how it turns out.[/quote] You only hate what you create because you have good taste and know what you want your final product to be. That's a good sign, don't give up now. As an artist stay away from being too much of a perfectionist and focus on growth. I see no reason why you should be demotivating yourself. Who cares if you're remembered after you die, find something you can dedicate your life to and do it. There likely won't be much fanfare when any of us die, the most we can do is to try and do the best we can. I feel you though, making decisions is one of the hardest things about being human.
[QUOTE=Downsider;39086635]I don't get it, I was making commercial quality 3D rendering and physics engines, rather than craptastic and basic mobile apps like checkers, when I was 14. I had a girlfriend and was a varsity athlete all year round, too, not a socially retarded asshole. Where's my fucking documentary? EDIT: ok can u guys make me a documentary pls[/QUOTE] Sorry, you aren't socially awkward enough
[QUOTE=smurfy;39085550]Many would say the same thing about someone who has 3,491 posts on an internet forum[/QUOTE] said by one who has 15,942
I....sound... like..a.. robot...
Aww their dog is cute. Also, I had a teacher from the same school. Wait a minute work for apple what the fuck
I only wish I could be interested in education as much as he is. To find it so fun would be great
His parents inject liquid motivation into his veins while he sleeps.
[QUOTE=DeandreT;39088875]His parents inject liquid motivation into his veins while he sleeps.[/QUOTE] Meth
[QUOTE=Strider*;39085271]I feel bad for being so critical. However, any time someone comes out into the public spectrum with declarations of their genius they have set themselves up for analysis. I felt even worse when it got to the segment about his apps and I burst out laughing at his tree decoration app. [editline]3rd January 2013[/editline] what are you doing? I feel like I'm reading the confessional diary of a very troubled child.[/QUOTE] No, not really. Im just trying to explain that the only reason why this kid got this far was because of supportive parents, not everyone around him bullying him, that he didnt get crammed with brain damaging pills that would eventually lead to abuse and poor tastes. Dont i have my right to envy him? Its not like it hurts for him. If i knew this kid in real life, i would proably, even though he is younger than me, look up to him. Look at that guy. Hes the most successful sperg out there i have ever seen. This guy has a fucking future and i am really happy on his ways. They did the right shit, he was bored of normal school, taken out to a school that challenged him, not putting him in a jar and storing him on some shelves somewhere. This guy might never get laid, or maybe he will(hes actually quite a charming person, remember a certain ladykiller that made the fucking theory of general relativity?) But even then it surely dosent seem like he would ever need it either. Look at his fucking face while he talks about his shit. He loves doing that. Just like i love it too, except he can actually handle the math required to do shit. Damn i want to highfive that kiddo. Just tell him how awesome he is. [editline]4th January 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Tetsmega;39088586]Aww their dog is cute. Also, I had a teacher from the same school. Wait a minute work for apple what the fuck[/QUOTE] He shouldnt work for that bullshit company, he would hate it from what i have heard of former employees. He should make his own shit. He would fit for that much better. Damn i would wish this kid was my son. [editline]4th January 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=The Rifleman;39089339]Meth[/QUOTE] Oxytoxin and Ryetaline
What a joke. I know a guy, Nullsquared. He was kind of a dick for a while in the programming section but he got better(?) He made this when he was like sixteen. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da_r9O4lTfY[/media] This kid is nothing special.
I always feel kind of bad for these prodigy kids because they'll never really experience being a teenager and being able to do stupid shit and just be carefree. or atleast I tell myself that to feel better about myself.
[QUOTE=geel9;39089794]What a joke. I know a guy, Nullsquared. He was kind of a dick for a while in the programming section but he got better(?) He made this when he was like sixteen. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da_r9O4lTfY[/media] This kid is nothing special.[/QUOTE] What the hell happened to portalized? I know there was a facepunch thread on it years ago but it just kinda faded into nothingness
[QUOTE=Alcoholocaust;39089639]No, not really. Im just trying to explain that the only reason why this kid got this far was because of supportive parents, not everyone around him bullying him, that he didnt get crammed with brain damaging pills that would eventually lead to abuse and poor tastes. Dont i have my right to envy him? Its not like it hurts for him. If i knew this kid in real life, i would proably, even though he is younger than me, look up to him. Look at that guy. Hes the most successful sperg out there i have ever seen. This guy has a fucking future and i am really happy on his ways. They did the right shit, he was bored of normal school, taken out to a school that challenged him, not putting him in a jar and storing him on some shelves somewhere. This guy might never get laid, [B]or maybe he will(hes actually quite a charming person, remember a certain ladykiller that made the fucking theory of general relativity?)[/B] But even then it surely dosent seem like he would ever need it either. Look at his fucking face while he talks about his shit. He loves doing that. Just like i love it too, except he can actually handle the math required to do shit. Damn i want to highfive that kiddo. Just tell him how awesome he is. [/QUOTE] Uhh the only difference is that this kid said that, " I find that girlfriends are a tremendous waste of time"
Being fluent in a couple dozen languages really is not difficult at all, once you learn that mostly all programming languages are the same. They all work in the same fundamental patterns, and it's the only way they can ever work, seemingly. Yeah, this kid really isn't that special, I wish I could show you guys why, but knowing a few programming languages fluently isn't the same as speaking a few languages fluently. [QUOTE=geel9;39089794]What a joke. I know a guy, Nullsquared. He was kind of a dick for a while in the programming section but he got better(?) He made this when he was like sixteen. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da_r9O4lTfY[/media] This kid is nothing special.[/QUOTE] I remember back then. Nullsquared was pretty rad with some of the things he got done.
[QUOTE=geel9;39089794]What a joke. I know a guy, Nullsquared. He was kind of a dick for a while in the programming section but he got better(?) He made this when he was like sixteen. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da_r9O4lTfY[/media] This kid is nothing special.[/QUOTE] That is awesome.
[QUOTE=CMB Unit 01;39083406]Damn, he's only 14 and making brilliant applications in C in university, yet I'm struggling to program with Visual Basic 6 in grammar school at 18. He's got some impressive motivation.[/QUOTE] His motivation isn't what's impressive. No amount of sheer motivation could get you a masters by the age of 17.
[QUOTE=CMB Unit 01;39083406]Damn, he's only 14 and making brilliant applications in C in university, yet I'm struggling to program with Visual Basic 6 in grammar school at 18. He's got some impressive motivation.[/QUOTE] Don't worry man, Visual Basic 6 is difficult for me and I've spent years programming in many languages. ( Because it's a terrible language, nobody uses it, etc.. )
[QUOTE=GeneralMoosen;39083400]One of my friends at school is a programmer. I remember one day in Spanish class he brought in this thick book about programming languages. He told me a bit about the different types and how one of them always got on his nerves because of how confusing it was. Most of it kind of flew over my head. When this kid said he was fluent in a dozen programming languages, it got me wondering what it's like to learn it. I mean I'm still struggling to learn just Spanish, how hard would it be to learn 12 programming languages by 14? Anyways yeah this kid is purrdy smart.[/QUOTE] Learning a programming language is quite different from learning a language. Once you are fluent in one programming language it shouldn't be that hard to learn another since they're all basically English, but with slightly different grammar. You won't have to relearn what all the words mean, you'll only have to adapt to the different grammatical rules. The grammar usually isn't all that different either.
[QUOTE=geel9;39089794]What a joke. I know a guy, Nullsquared. He was kind of a dick for a while in the programming section but he got better(?) He made this when he was like sixteen. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da_r9O4lTfY[/media] This kid is nothing special.[/QUOTE] Nullsquared made some really cool shit. But man he was a huge dick. I'm pretty sure he actually got banned once for being such a huge asshole at one point.
If his parents weren't rich, then he would be nothing.
What self respecting programmer would use a Mac?
My friend. Though he's a web developer/php programmer.
Wtf, why is he walking outside on his socks @ 1:04
why couldn't this guy code minecraft it won't be horribly optimized then
And jesus the eyes of his teacher. Shit is scary.
[QUOTE=Francisco;39086330]get in here: [url]http://www.codecademy.com[/url][/QUOTE] Thanks a lot's, it's real fun!
[QUOTE=343N;39090577]why couldn't this guy code minecraft[/QUOTE] because he only makes hello world iPhone applications, judging from this video he's more interested in writing readable code opposed to optimized code so he's probably still a poor choice even if he has any experience with 3d rendering pipeline, which I doubt. [editline]4th January 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Daniel M;39090524]What self respecting programmer would use a Mac?[/QUOTE] Hexxeh and swift and shift are just a couple of guys who both make incredible things and they both use Macs.
[QUOTE=geel9;39089794]What a joke. I know a guy, Nullsquared. He was kind of a dick for a while in the programming section but he got better(?) He made this when he was like sixteen. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da_r9O4lTfY[/media] This kid is nothing special.[/QUOTE] To be fair though, a lot of that was already handled by OGRE3D. [editline]4th January 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Daniel M;39090524]What self respecting programmer would use a Mac?[/QUOTE] Macs are a decent mid-point between Windows and Linux. At least as far as programming is concerned.
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