Im about to enter the work force and don't know how to touch type. Is this a bad thing, even though im pretty fast in my own methods?
+4
A:
How fast is "fast in your own methods?" I can't imagine it is possible to hunt and peck as fast as someone can type.
You don't need to type fast to write lines of code, but you definitely could use the skill when writing documentation, answering emails, or posting questions & answers on StackOverflow :)
I would recommend starting to learn how to type. The skill will be useful for the rest of your life.
Ken Pespisa
2009-07-13 18:47:59
+5
A:
It is. Learn to touch type. If my own experience is a guide, you may not end up strictly touch-typing, instead hybridizing the technique with your own home-grown habits, but it will make you considerably faster.
chaos
2009-07-13 18:48:08
+1
A:
If your fast enough, its ok. I know several people that do not type correctly (as correctly in 10-finger-system).
I do use all 10 fingers while typing, though I do not follow the typing like it is learned.
Good and fast typing makes your work easier, but does not make you a better programmer.
BeowulfOF
2009-07-13 18:48:11
+1 Thank you for saying "it does not make you a better programmer".
Ed Swangren
2009-07-13 19:01:32
+4
A:
Generally speaking, as a programmer, your time-spent-thinking-to-time-spent-typing ratio should be something like 10:1 anyway. So No.
Michiel Buddingh'
2009-07-13 18:48:26
However high the ratio is, once you've thought out what it is you're going to type, the time it takes to then type it is pure waste.
chaos
2009-07-13 18:53:40
That just means the pareto principle applies: Optimize the 80% of the time you spend thinking/sketching/designing, not the 20% of your time you spend on other tasks.
Michiel Buddingh'
2009-07-13 19:08:06
You want to be able to type as fast as you think. Typing isn't just for writing code, it's also for composing email, writing docs, and other ways to communicate.
Michael
2009-07-13 19:09:57
Sorry, I'm with Steve Yegge on this one. OP could probably double his typing speed with a total of 900 minutes in well-known exercises. While of course we should all be trying to think better all the time, such a predictable outcome from such a minimal investment is unlikely. Improving typing speed is low-hanging fruit.
chaos
2009-07-13 19:13:07
+15
A:
You may be fast in your own methods, but you'll be even faster with proper touch typing. Every programmer should be a touch typist.
http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/09/programmings-dirtiest-little-secret.html
Michael
2009-07-13 18:48:49
A:
It depends on your job... If you're a programmer that's better to ne able to type fast, but when I look at what I'm doing right now (I'm a developer), I don't type that much. It's mostly thinking.
But being able to type fast is, in my opinion, very important. You often have to send emails, write documentation, reports, quotes... Whether you can touch type or not is not the most important. It's mostly a matter of how many words per second you can type and if you don't do too many typos. Also if you're a programmer and you have to spend 10 seconds to find some keys, it would be really weird.
marcgg
2009-07-13 18:49:20
+3
A:
I did an experiment: by my "own" methods, i.e. two-fingered hunt-and-peck, I maxed out around 25-30 words per minute.
With touch typing, I've gotten as high as 80-90 (with about the same error rate).
I could not imagine trying to program without touch typing.
mgroves
2009-07-13 18:49:24
+5
A:
If you do pair programming, your likely inferior typing skills will drive your partner mad. Try Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing or look into a typing course at your local community college.
Todd Stout
2009-07-13 18:50:10
+4
A:
Have you ever witnessed a good programmer/touch typist code in Vim?
It's astounding. It'll make you want to learn.
Ben S
2009-07-13 18:50:39
+1
A:
Hasn't hurt me in 38 years in programming, EXCEPT in those "ergonomics" keyboards!
Are you serious? Hard to believe you have coded all those years and still look at the keyboard and type with 2 fingers.
Byron Whitlock
2009-07-13 18:54:27
+1
A:
I don't believe you specifically need to be able to touch type, but you obviously be quick enough to type code, documents, etc. such that the typing isn't slowing you down.
Plus the keys we use are more than Mavis Beacon teaches you .. I don't think she includes Ctrl-V or Ctrl-Alt-Del :)
cdm9002
2009-07-13 18:51:09
+1
A:
My $0.02 worth is that it's not that big a deal if you don't touch type.
You may better off in a couple of ways:
As a touch typer myself, I often have to resist the urge to just start typing the first thing that comes into my head when dealing with a programming problem, rather than thinking it out.
It may be better for your health: I've been touch typing for almost 30 years and am dealing with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. All the other people I know who have CTS are touch typers. Also, I know a number of non-touch typing programmers, and none of them have CTS.
PTBNL
2009-07-13 18:51:51
+2
A:
I started out hunting and pecking too. I spent a few hours with "mavis beacon teaches typing", and still hunted and pecked. But after a while, I will started touch typing because it is easier than having to look at the keyboard when you are sending emails. A lot of communication is through through email so the faster one can get it done the better.
Bottom line, you might hunt and peck now, you will touch type in the future. It is inevitable.
Also if you hunt and peck, your coworkers (programmers) will look at you funny. ;)
Byron Whitlock
2009-07-13 18:53:00
+2
A:
No, fast typing is not going to get you a better chance at a job. But you will annoy less your colleagues if you learn it. There are many free tools that can help you here, but the most important is to take your eyes off your keyboard and try it :) If you're already pretty fast at typing, you should be touch typing within a few days...
mp
2009-07-13 18:54:34