The Learn to Code With Me Advice Column

Must I Be Good at Math to Become a Programmer?


QUESTION

“Hello my name is Darron Davis. I must say I am inspired by your career as a programmer and your work. Just a quick question:

Do you think it is mandatory to have a strong mathematics background in order to learn programming languages.”

Answer

Hey Darron,

Thanks for your question!

Is being good at math necessary to be a good programmer? Yes and no.

Programming is about problem solving and logic. Math is, too. There are definitely similarities between the two.

Being good at math doesn’t hurt…but if a person isn’t good at math, it doesn’t mean they can’t become a programmer.

Don’t let memories from high school math class scare you. This is coming from someone who “hated” math her whole life, despite scoring over 100 points better on the math SAT section than the verbal…but that’s a whole other story.

Here’s some tough love: not being good at math is NOT an excuse to not try anything, including programming.  

Everyday People achieve much more insurmountable things. Much, much more “impossible” things.

If you don’t want to take my word for it, here are some other articles on the subject:

  1. Programming Is Not Math – sarahmei.com
  2. Learning Programming: 10 Misconceptions That Are Not True – hongkiat.com
  3. “How much math do I need to know to program?” Not That Much, Actually. – inventwithpython.com

At the end of the day, know that the world of programming and development is so vast: there is something for everyone. If you are not so keen on the problem solving and algorithms, you can always focus on design and user experience (UX).

I hope this helps, Darron!
Laurence

DISCLAIMER: Thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own. Any recommendatons and/or how-to information is intended to be helpful. Also, please note that some of the links are affiliate links. Continue here to learn more about affiliate marketing on learntocodewith.me.


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