"I agree with Bill. From what I've seen, there's just no crossing the skill chasm as a software developer. You've either got it, or you don't. No amount of putting your nose to the grindstone will change that."
This is a very condescending look on humanity and I did not know that Jeff had said such things.
To anyone thinking the same, let me introduce you to the concept of deliberate practice (how to really improve a skill) and please, even if it wasn't published then, read "Talent Is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin. This will probably change your perception on things like excellence, creativity, so-called "talent" and whether it's true that you must be born a genius to become one.
And by the way, that does not mean that everything is an american dream and that anyone can become a self-made person. Geoff shows through many examples and studies in his book that superstars in music, sports, and science had an exceptional learning environment in their childhood. They did not suffer from hunger and extreme poverty. He also talk about a study that demonstrated that ordinary people could increase their short term memory (remembering up to 100 items if I recall correctly, no pun intended) by doing deliberate practice.
This is a very condescending look on humanity and I did not know that Jeff had said such things.
To anyone thinking the same, let me introduce you to the concept of deliberate practice (how to really improve a skill) and please, even if it wasn't published then, read "Talent Is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin. This will probably change your perception on things like excellence, creativity, so-called "talent" and whether it's true that you must be born a genius to become one.
And by the way, that does not mean that everything is an american dream and that anyone can become a self-made person. Geoff shows through many examples and studies in his book that superstars in music, sports, and science had an exceptional learning environment in their childhood. They did not suffer from hunger and extreme poverty. He also talk about a study that demonstrated that ordinary people could increase their short term memory (remembering up to 100 items if I recall correctly, no pun intended) by doing deliberate practice.