Common sense tells us that learning something (non-trivial) takes both time and practice. Yet walk into a bookstore which sells computer books and you'll see lots of books that purport to teach you how to program in this language, or all about that buzzword.
I suspect authors and publishers are catering to people who want to get rich quick. If I can learn Java in 24-hours, and hiring managers have a Java-buzzword prerequisite, then by shelling out $49.95 I can be on the path to a fabulous & wealthy career in a weekend.
Peter Norvig has written an excellent essay exploring this phenomenon (you don't, he notes, find books about "how to learn dog grooming in a few days"). I recommend anyone interested in programming or computers to read "Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years."
—Michael A. Cleverly
Saturday, January 22, 2005 at 16:36