well i heard a 12 yr old nigerian got sun certification,

i was first awed by this as i always wanted to be a whizkid

but i read a marvelous book yesterday which made programming so easy and showed that anybody could program.
computer geeks are made from long hours of practise.

TO the point im trying to make, the book saya this about the whizkid:

he is someone not too appreciated by people

then he gets a computer and learns how to program, the computer does what he asks, givin him attention he needs.
it also makes him feel powerful.

he stays up late on the pc, skips schools,foods,etc. instead of fooling wt gals, he's on his comp.

his parents and teachers encourage him, at least he's doin somethin worthwile

soon he develops a huge program, we celebrate, he's probably dropped out of school by now

after 5-10 yrs, he's dropped and no one pays attention to him; he's the price of the computer revolution,

why does this happen,
its because he didn't develop career skills, and when the boss needs more than to program, he's useless.

So ajiboyet and other young programmers, beware! focus on ur education, go to 9ja varsity though its basic you'd be thot,


NB: id love u guys to see the book, and i'll try to share my xperience when less busy

You have nothing to worry about because Nigerian whizkids never drop out (they're forced to study medicine).
Career-wise, I believe that a lack of business sense is more costly than lack of a higher education.
That's the difference between say Bill Gates and the thousands of other computer whizkids who went nowhere.

its because he didn't develop career skills, and when the boss needs more than to program, he's useless.

So ajiboyet and other young programmers, beware! focus on your education, go to Nigeria varsity though its basic you'd be thot,

Once a Rock Star always a Rock Star . So I am a Doctor . Why in the hell should I also do the job of the Fire Department ? Get it ?

Lol You actually saying University Study Does count in making you a REAL Professional/Programmer ?
No . I dissagree and this is a very lame thinking .Actually I do remeber all the old Aunties speak like this . Do you know most of the Softwares and Games we use today . Arnt made by people who have a Damm Phd . They were Computer Freaks in who's blood runs the Bits .

They and the computer are like Pals . NO listen this isnt just computers . Writting a bunch of apps that do what ummmm , An Acounting Package maybe lol . Thats the type of stuff you would make if you studied Uni . This is what you would do if you studies on your own and with people who have the will to go forth into the world of Machines Netscape, Linux , FireFox, Serious Same , Back Orifice some of the best Computer penetration and computer analyst systems are created by Lonely fools . And yes We programmers can be very proud . There are many Hackers and programmers that Dint do stuff for huge money coz it was disturbing to there Computer's Ego

Indeed there is alot in Research to . Like most of our Quick Search Algortihsm were created due to Biologist . Because they needed ways to seek things out faster for there own Study .

That's the difference between say Bill Gates and the thousands of other computer whizkids who went nowhere.

When it comes to Bill Gates ? I would reccomend reading up maybe like a book on how he became so Rich ? Was it his skills for computers or the skills of Buissness that helped him ?

There is nothing wrong in Abandoning the Boredom and Pride of being a graduate . Oh yeah I will at least get a Master . humm why would I ? I need to make money and to work do crasy stuff like Java and C# lol ,

There is nothing wrong in those HLL languages you can create fine apps but Indeed you dont really know what the hell is going on . Oh yeah you wrote the Code but not the Compiler or the Kernal ? I am just saying people got to stop showing of and got to get smarter . Computers isnt a profession . Its an Art and must be respected . Well Actually real Computing is pure Art .

So you see , Doesnt matter how much you create . What really matters is if what you create is enought for that life time . Then ofcourse its Research and alot of it hehe , Sell your stuff to maybe the DOD or NSS ? Mostly thats why you dont hear about them . They are all working projects that arnt for the public or need to be kept in a secure mode so that people dont get foolish Ideas .

anyways , I study Electronics and Kernel Development . I am new to it but have been programming since 5 years now . Havt created anything Commercial coz I dont feel the need to make any money right now . Its just work work work and some more of it . Till you feel people are ready for your stuff and you dont need anyother Skill .

English that is the most Rubbish Language

Peace

Kazdax,

na wa o. e go beta make u take programming language express urself dan using english.

As per this whole geek thing,

Getting to become what people call 'geeks' is not a conscious effort. You get to love what u do, get engrossed in it and u become a 'geel'. As for sucess. You need to learn how to be succesful just like you learn how to program in a new langauge. Gates and the like of them were aware of the importance of doing business.

From my point of view, I see it from two perspectives. If what you need is the satisfaction of knowing, go for knowledge, and if your goal is to make money, go for business-orented way of learning. Whcih ever way you want it, I suggest that for u to be versed and successful, you need to become a 'geek' at first, that is, dont be in haste of making this money. Learn vigorously at first. Business Sense is easier to acquire. Trust Me.

www.codixel.com

When it comes to Bill Gates ? I would reccomend reading up maybe like a book on how he became so Rich ? Was it his skills for computers or the skills of Buissness that helped him ?

It seems as if you can't read what I wrote above, so I'll repeat it. I said it's his business sense that did it.

It seems as if you can't read what I wrote above, so I'll repeat it. I said it's his business sense that did it.

I think the Story was more like this . He had a business Sence alright in Stealing peoples Ideas . Like he Did for Apple and Finally for Netscape

When it comes to Bill Gates? I would recommend reading up maybe like a book on how he became so Rich? Was it his skills for computers or the skills of Business that helped him?

It seems as if you can't read what I wrote above, so I'll repeat it. I said it's his business sense that did it.

I disagree on that one, I believe it was both: Business and Computer skills. How can you overrule the vast knowledge and skill he had at a very young age and his achievements prior to windows etc. Even though, the windows ideas might have not been genuinely his, his overall accomplishments were not simply based on his business skills.

according to wiki
"At the end of the ban, the Lakeside students (Gates, Paul Allen, Ric Weiland, and Kent Evans) offered to find bugs in CCC's software in exchange for free computer time. Rather than use the system via teletype, Gates went to CCC's offices and studied source code for various programs that ran on the system, not only in BASIC but FORTRAN, LISP, and machine language as well. The arrangement with CCC continued until 1970, when it went out of business. The following year Information Sciences Inc. hired the Lakeside students to write a payroll program in COBOL, providing them not only computer time but royalties as well. At age 14, Gates also formed a venture with Allen, called Traf-O-Data, to make traffic counters based on the Intel 8008 processor. That first year he made $20,000, however when his age was found out they lost a lot of business."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates

The man was extremely versatile. By the way, just because he did not complete university degree program at Harvard does not mean he did not attend university - as widely misinterpreted.

Rookie. Thanks for the light.

I disagree on that one, I believe it was both: Business and Computer skills.

My simple point is that computer whizkids (title!) need to acquire business skills to make it. That means having both. I don't see why you can't say "you are right" and move on. You are arguing for the sake of arguing.

This thread is about "whizkids" and my point is that "whizkids" need to have business sense. Can't you understand that? There were many computer whizkids like Bill Gates, but his business sense placed him on top.

And who told you I don't know the entire history of Bill Gates? Please don't insult me with your cut and paste job.

naijaguru:

Kazdax,

na wa o. e go beta make u take programming language express yourself dan using english.

i must say i agree!
though to a programmer english is not efficient in the sense that it is not definite
e.g. dig could mean a lot of things

about whizkids, i keep my stand that kids should not be engrossed in programming early on
they should be allowed to develop skills in other areas especially communication

if not for his biz sense, gates wouldn't be where he is
remember he was not locked up somewhere, he was working wt his friends

whatever happened to gates partner allen, who retired early?

Yes, it was because of brain causes he had to retire
while gates was focusing on biz and relating to people,
he was busy with computers.

end result? gates is enjoying life fully and is recognised while allen is neglected,

[size=16pt]That's the end result of whizkids, [/size]

NB: can anyone create a simple BASIC game, and how do i draw bitmaps wt basic?
i already know about 0's and 1's

Seun -

My simple point is that computer whizkids (title!) need to acquire business skills to make it.  That means having both.

cool then,

And who told you I don't know the entire history of Bill Gates?  Please don't insult me with your cut and paste job.

All i did was back up my point with some quote, and i cited the source.  That has nothing to do with anyone memorizing another man's ENTIRE history

Anyways, no hard feelings,  we are all just sharing our opinions.

comrades,
this whole whizkid issue widens my pupils and am glad someone brought it up. well i don't think i totally agree with our dear moderator, apologies if this sounds more like an insult- Bill Gates, to the best of my knowledge doesn't have much of a biz skill, he works in the lab while he gets a better or is it smarter mouth to do the selling. with the amount of time one spends developing an app (less bugs free), it's not so easy but not impossible to acquire such a skill.

also. i disagree with whomever ascribes to the idea of dropping outta school, though the schools have a way of being very cagey- I was a victim, but it's also smart to get the cert and move on up with ones career or love for comp progs.

when i seat in front of my laptop, i am god!, and nothing can take that away from me, nothing i say ('cept the Almighty).
Any java/.NET guys in the room, need someone to plan and develop an app with ASAP!

Bill Gates, to the best of my knowledge doesn't have much of a biz skill

He bought an OS called "DOS" from a programmer and then convinced IBM to license it at $40 per copy instead of buying it outright. He realized the business potential of personal computers while others were busy playing with or ignoring them. He successfully defeated IBM again when their OS/2 failed to supplant Windows 95 despite being released earlier. MS Office defeated Lotus 123 and Wordperfect in the market. All due to his business sense.

I have a unique insight into this issue. My background allows me to straddle geek and business entrepreneur roles daily.

First of all, I believe whizkids or anyone that is gifted in a specific art should  focus principally on that art. The reason is simple - You excel at what you enjoy best.

However whilst it is good to be an all rounder, it is far more effective to work with people that have a gift in other complementary skills e.g. business management and business development (i.e. sales and marketing). Again the reason is simple - you get things done faster and more effectively when you get some help.

I've seen it so many times. The combination of tech geeks and biz brains working together, with each respecting the other's unique skills, works wonders. For example, a group of chaps that I worked with back in England did exactly this. Four guys - two technically astute developers, one technical architect (i.e. the all rounder),  and one business development guy (i.e. the salesman ) created and sold to BSkyB, the WAPTV WML browser that currently powers its Interactive TV platform. Needless to say, they walked off with several millions of pounds each.

I'll encourage most software developers to recognise that to be successful, you'll need a good, balanced team (a cliche, but a very true one). Not just a bunch of co-geeks. You need to work with business minded people as well. Maybe even, wait for it, some women,

My two cents.
Niyi
http://www.geeplaces.com