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    #76
    A level students aren't more able than btec. The ones who were good picked it up pretty quick and by the end of the 2 years were very competent.

    You don't need amazing maths skills necessarily. My maths isn't great yet I've been a professional developer for nearly 30 years.

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      #77
      Originally posted by Brad View Post
      A level students aren't more able than btec. The ones who were good picked it up pretty quick and by the end of the 2 years were very competent.

      You don't need amazing maths skills necessarily. My maths isn't great yet I've been a professional developer for nearly 30 years.
      Oh, I always was lead to believe BTEC was for the people who failed their GCSEs and couldn’t do A-levels.

      Don’t need amazing maths skills? What are we talking, A-level, GCSE, undergraduate level maths skills? It seems a subjective thing, as as a programmer you might have different definition of decent maths skills than I would. Possibly.

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        #78
        I have a GCE O Level in maths (same as a GCSE basically). That's it. I did do extra maths classes on my degree but it was barely beyond GCE level really. With that I have written software that can take 3D objects made of sheet metal and automatically "unfold" them onto a flat bit of metal, and then place as many of those objects on a given size of sheet metal as possible, filling in the gaps with things like smaller parts, washer etc. and then send commands a CNC machine tool to cut them out for real. All the trigonometry that I'd forgotten from school I just looked up, worked out how to turn the formulas into code and that's it. And that is the most maths intensive thing I ever did I think. Everything else has hardly anything TBH. IMO, maths isn't as important as most people think for most programming.

        EDIT: I failed English O Level and had to retake it before they'd let me do a BTEC

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          #79
          My 10 year old son taught himself programming with Scratch and Python. And Minecraft. Minecraft has some advanced machine code level stuff like NAND/AND/NOR gates allowing you to create amazing things. If you like games, definitely try making some machines in Minecraft with redstone dust. He also bought an Elegoo R3 kit and learnt how to make electronics by following examples and tutorials.

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            #80
            I don't know how it works these days, but when I did a BTEC (mid 90s) you needed four A-Cs, as opposed to five A-Cs for A-Levels. I had the GCSEs to get me onto the A Level course, but I did a BTEC because I wanted to focus on computers, rather than doing a variety a subjects. It got me onto a degree course; I don't think I would've been doing anything different now, had I done A-Levels.

            Anyway, back to programming. The approach I find best is not to just read the explanations, but try modifying the examples to see for yourself how it works. Set yourself small challenges. When you're learning, you need to be sat at a computer with your programming environment open, so you can be constantly trying things and you can see for yourself exactly what something does.

            It sounds like you're overthinking things. I worked out a lot of this stuff out in primary school using a handful of magazines (and some tips from my dad, who'd also learnt from the same magazines). It never seemed *that* difficult, but I wasn't worrying whether I had the right skills, or even trying to understand everything 100%, I just went ahead and did it.

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              #81
              Amstrad magazine and their coding bits kept me entertained for countless hours when I was young.
              It always ended with a syntax error where I'd typed something in wrong of course.

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                #82
                As did we all

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                  #83
                  Hah! Listen to this fool (the Penguin) saying that people here are being snidey and condescending then he drops some snotty diatribe dissing BTEC students!

                  I taught myself basic, then a little 6502 assembly language, then age 16 did a BTEC (and yes mate, I got a CSE grade 1 in maths which is lower than a GCE), passed my BTEC with Distinctions, worked for 12 years in IT with a programming sideline, then took a self paid OU degree to fill in a few gaps and to also shut up snobby twonks (like you perhaps), who believe that someone has to have a degree to do a job that they are already doing!
                  Like I said if you really wanted it, you'd be doing it now instead of complaining how it's all so hard and it's not your fault.

                  The only difference between me and you is that I got on with it instead of giving up because I hit some bumps in the road. I didn't look around me and think "we'll if those stupid BTEC folks can do it, it can't be that hard".

                  BTW: peace to all my BTEC Computer Studies brethren - didn't know we had so many here!
                  Last edited by gunrock; 08-05-2018, 07:03.

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                    #84
                    Yeah, if you find basic print and variable examples confusing just give it up. I literally just did this stuff with special needs 11 year olds and they understood it.

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                      #85
                      Can anyone recommend any good companies doing MCP courses.

                      I've started looking around at jobs and despite being able to do them, they're asking for MCP accreditation.

                      I'd like to add a new string to my bow too, so I think it's time I got some relevant qualifications.

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                        #86
                        Humble Web Development Book Bundle on now

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                          #87
                          It is grade A trolling, for sure. After 2 years hasn't mastered "numbers". That said, I'm a CS teacher and after 2 years some pupils are still at that point. Just too lazy and should never have taken the subject.

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