[anonytrary]

> Many programmers like solving challenges to learn and have fun

If you could choose between doing a contrived homework problem and learning something VS. creating something original and learning something, you should always choose the latter, hands down. Learning on the job or while you are solving a unique problem that you have is always preferred to doing a homework problem.

[username90]

If you have the know how to create something original then this article isn't for you.

[anonytrary]

You overestimate the skill required to be original. Anyone who has the know-how to do ray-tracing, web browsers, and trading bots from scratch has a leg-up on the bootcamp coders who are getting paid $200k to work at Dropbox. Don't waste your time doing shit other people have already done. It's the best advice any of these kids will ever get, so I completely disagree with the associate professor who wrote the article. Take it or leave it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[username90]

You often get a lot of ideas when you build old things from scratch that can let you create novel things based on it. Knowing how to build it is not a substitute for actually building it.