Learn to Code or Learn to Draw? - Discuss

I’ve ‘borrowed’ this debate from DeviantArt’s Facebook, but I don’t think they’ll mind. I’m interested to see the arguments/reasoning such a mixed community could provide!

The two sides:

“Everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer… because it teaches you how to think.” – Steve Jobs, Code.org video: http://bit.ly/Xui43B

“Instead of making a resolution to learn how to code in 2013, you might make a resolution to learn how to draw.” -Auren Hoffman, #DepthRadius: http://bit.ly/Vf8zH8

Which do you think would be better and why?

Stop inclining towards famous figures / quotes and – respect your own.

I would say “everyone should take care their own family first”, but will Steve Jobs accept this?

From my experience, coding is very much equivalent to many different works (electrical wiring / circuit etc I observed the same). So to think better, one doesn’t necessarily need a computer language that created by someone else.

Also (since I experienced, I say this), there are many varieties of drawing; one can view entire world as line drawing and observe beauty and wisdom on certain things and also on can view it as painting / gradients and think/live different way. It is little stupid to ask people to do the same way someone does.

What if a famous motion graphic designer comes and asks everyone to start doing animations, as that will improve the thought process?

There is a saying which many people believe in:

If you do many things, you’re not good in any of those. Better concentrate on one thing and do it well

Well, I don’t believe in this. And especially in this case here, where we’re having two worlds crashing into another, I find it more important to be open minded and learn from both worlds.

I simply can’t say for what I stand since Coding is something pretty logical, straight forward, organised and strict. Design is more of a creative thinking, no boundaries are set, and you’re free to create stuff as you like. Of course there are also “numbers” in design and vice versa we’re having no boundaries with coding but I guess you know what I want to say.

It is like asking “Do you like Chaos or Kosmos?”

I’m going to add a “third side” – “Take the best of both worlds and you can live with both sides”

Steve Jobs isn’t talking about slapping together some HTML markup.

Hi Friends,

Considering the research of the scientist Ryuta Kawashima, the most powerful method to increase blood flow to your Brain is performing some simple elementary Mathematical calculations everyday (I know increased bloodFlow to brain doesn’t mean the individual knows how to think). When he says simple, he means it, we are talking about calculations like 4×5=?, 6×9=?, 8×7=? etc. etc. According to his research, trying to solve complicated and difficult problems (like trying to figure out some algorythm, or more importantly, trying to figure out how to divide it into smaller and simpler steps), interestingly, blood flow to your brain remains at minimum.

Image below shows the “activated” areas of our brain when performing calculations, it’s pretty interesting….



That was the technical aspect, and I also think “philosophy” is far more powerful when it comes to make people learn how to think, than any programming language.

Train Your Brain: 60 days to a better brain

^ Yeah, philosophy, idea, concepts are more stable/permanent/universal than technology, art and trends.

Regarding human brain, we are yet to settle with its the core mechanism. So physical aspects and reactions may not reflect the truth behind. There are certain theories which adds more clarity than conventional way of approach – completely different than how today’s computer / memory works:

In particular, the fact that information about an image point is distributed throughout the hologram, such that each piece of the hologram contains some information about the entire image, seemed suggestive to Pribram about how the brain could encode memories.

Thanks a lot for the read, VF.

I believe we’re overthinking about this Steve’s quote. Many people take it to the extreme, like: yes, let’s teach all little boys and girls how to code! I disagree with that. He is right about one thing and I tell this from experience from my university: many people try to learn how to code/program, but instead they don’t realize it’s not about learning a programming language, it’s about understanding how computers work and applying pure logic. In this sense, Steve’s quote is right. But it’s not like you need to teach every child how to code so that they can know how to think. It’s the other way around: teach them how to apply logic in thinking and reasoning, and they will be way better in coding.

On the other hand, I’ve never been good at drawing (my best work is drawing a Stickman ) so I can’t say anything about that.

I am 62 years old made my living my entire life as an artist, worked as an illustrator for Dungeons & Dragons in the 1980’s and had my art published as posters right along side artists like Roger Dean and HR Giger. I am doing both now…and both help the mind but, I have to admit that drawing and painting are so much more fun and enlightening. To see my drawings and paintings

mfishel said
I am 62 years old made my living my entire life as an artist, worked as an illustrator for Dungeons & Dragons in the 1980’s and had my art published as posters right along side artists like Roger Dean and HR Giger. I am doing both now…and both help the mind but, I have to admit that drawing and painting are so much more fun and enlightening. To see my drawings and paintings

Sir I adore your work !