Why women don't study computer programming - AAR of my first class

[merithyn]

That prof is so bad with women not out of some sort of misogyny, but out of a severe lack of experience communicating with them. 

That's what made it almost tolerable. He was trying so hard to be cool about my being in the class, and failing so epically!

I wonder if he had a harder time of it because I'm an older woman and not a teenager.

[DontSayBanana]

Best way to deal with that kind of crap is just to hunker down and do the work.  Programming types tend to stop noticing the "aberration" of having female students when they're grading and don't see a significant difference in the work.  Anyway, intro to computer programming?  What are the course objectives?  You going to get to do actual coding, or are you going to have to use some nonsense applications to "learn the principles" of programming (by which I'm assuming we're talking object-oriented programming)?

[merithyn]

It's a Visual Basic 2010 class. I'm taking C++ this summer. The intro class is required before I can take the other classes that I want to take.

[DontSayBanana]

It's a Visual Basic 2010 class. I'm taking C++ this summer. The intro class is required before I can take the other classes that I want to take.

Wait, the course to teach you programming principles is a VB course?  Oh dear.

[DGuller]

It's a Visual Basic 2010 class. I'm taking C++ this summer. The intro class is required before I can take the other classes that I want to take.

Wait, the course to teach you programming principles is a VB course?  Oh dear.

What's wrong with a VB course as an introduction to programming?

[DontSayBanana]

What's wrong with a VB course as an introduction to programming?

Depends on the program objectives, but most software development programs I've seen focus on object-oriented programming, while VB's an event-driven programming language with a few quirks.

[merithyn]

Given that I'm going into Web Programming - and a ton of jobs require VB/ASP.NET, which is what this class covers - I'm not sure what the problem is.

[Camerus]

There's nothing wrong with a little socializing at first, especially if there will be any group assignments in the future.  Gaining contacts in a class can improve one's success even without group work, too.

Anyway, sounds like you may be an outcast for most of that class, not just because of your gender but because you're older.  But to be honest if I was an 18 year old boy I probably wouldn't know how to (or even want to) talk to a woman your age in my class either.   After all at university I was trying to get away from my parents.   

Boy, you sure know how to talk to a lady

Is this Languish or a dinner party?     Besides Meri can handle the truth that 18-year-olds have fuck all in common with 30 and 40+, and probably generally won't try to socialize with them.

[DGuller]

As for OP, I wouldn't read too much into instructor's comments.  He realizes that women need extra reassurances and comforting when it comes to such hard sciences, and he was just clumsy in his attempts to provide it.

[merithyn]

As for OP, I wouldn't read too much into instructor's comments.  He realizes that women need extra reassurances and comforting when it comes to such hard sciences, and he was just clumsy in his attempts to provide it.

You're such a dick.

[Jaron]

Congratulations on the first step in your new journey, Merithyn!

[Josquius]

[Martinus]

 

[Richard Hakluyt]

I'm glad that Meri is showing tolerance toward the socially-inept community 

The professor is clearly well-meaning, the young males are assholes of course but that is axiomatic........young men are assholes 

[Brazen]

I'm amazed they even tried to introduce a social aspect to programming I suspect after this introduction this sort of interaction won't even bother you when you get into doing some actual programming.

I started my IT degree in 1986, when no-one owned a home computer and the World Wide Web was still three years away, and my class was 50:50 male to female. I found the same ratio in the industry when I joined, with a leaning towards more women in software testing. It'd be sad if that had swung back the other way.

The age thing is a factor at first but soon fades. I've moved into an industry where the next in age to me in my team is 15 years younger and some of my colleagues were born in the 90s... I recommend getting drunk with your classmates.