Is programming and most of these languages mostly learned in college or is college not as useful for learning to program

Some people are talented.

I think Mark was able to do it because:

• He is talented
• He spent lots of time learning
• Hard work

Hi Hayden,

It depends on what your goals are. For example, when it comes to scientific related programming (say you wanted to get into machine learning, AI, computational science, or data science, etc) then taking computer science at a college is probably going to be really useful for you. It'll give you a strong mathematical and scientific foundation for understanding complex algorithms, physical models, numerical methods and things like that. You'd be learning a programming language like Python as you were learning everything else.

Even in other disciplines, such as engineering, physics, or even biology, you'd learn programming in order to help you solve problems. Programming itself isn't the goal, its only a means to an end. Again, you'd gain a strong foundation in math and logic. I've worked with some engineers and physicists who needed to learn fairly advanced programming concepts on the side just to help them complete their Master's and PhD theses. The stuff that they could produce was incredible, especially when you consider that they probably wouldn't refer to themselves as "programmers." But once you understand logic and algorithms to a sufficient degree then learning the syntax for any particular language is fairly straight forward.

It is my understanding that colleges and universities are now just starting to incorporate more software development into their computer science programs. I was reading a while ago that many employers were complaining that computer science graduates were very well versed in theoretical concepts but a bit light on the actual development side. So apparently this is changing.

But the great thing about web and app development as it is taught in environments like Treehouse, is that there is so much you can immediately do with it. You don't necessarily need a college degree in order to create valuable products. The key is to use the information you are learning. At the end of the day, potential clients or employers will be more interested in what you can do. So build stuff as you are learning. With more practice and immersion in programming, you'll eventually find that concepts start to make more sense and things you are struggling with now will become second nature in a short time.

To comment on Zuckerberg, I think Alex is right. He is probably talented, spent a lot of time learning, and stuck with it. Plus, I think he was somewhat gifted in school. Another thing that I would say is that people like him and even Bill Gates started really early, like in their early teens. It helps to have a passion that you cultivate from an early age. But that doesn't mean you can't be successful in your own right starting later. Just keep working at it and things will start falling into place. If you can find enjoyment in it then that's half the battle.

Good luck.

One thing to remember is Mark didn't build the facebook you see today, thousands of top class engineers did. He built a awful, ugly, social site for college kids. It took off and became much much more but that isn't how it started. It isn't how anyone starts.

Ryan brought up some great points about what college is useful for. I attend college for web development but I could easily drop out and learn all the material on my own using TeamTreehouse and other online resources. The difference college provides for me is the network of opportunities. Because of my college I have direct links to recruiters at Facebook, Google, Intuit, VMWare, Amazon, Apple, and more. You can't get those connections from Treehouse. College is a choice I am making to pursue those connections earlier in life then I would be able to do if I was self taught.