--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My approach to being a self-taught…" description: "\"My approach to being a self-taught programmer was to find out who was smart and who would be helpful, and these were - these are both men and women. An..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbe/ellen-ullman-3943_learning_my-approach-to-being-a-self-taught-progr_1399414.jpg" --- # My approach to being a self-taught programmer was to find… ![“My approach to being a self-taught programmer was to find out who was smart and who would be helpful, and these were - these are both men and women. And without learning from my co-workers, I never could've gone on in the profession as long as I did.” quote by Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbe/ellen-ullman-3943_learning_my-approach-to-being-a-self-taught-progr_1399414.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbe/ellen-ullman-3943_learning_my-approach-to-being-a-self-taught-progr_1399414.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbe/ellen-ullman-3943_learning_my-approach-to-being-a-self-taught-progr_1399414.jpg) > “My approach to being a self-taught programmer was to find out who was smart and who would be helpful, and these were - these are both men and women. And without learning from my co-workers, I never could've gone on in the profession as long as I did.” [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning from diverse colleagues, regardless of gender, accelerates professional growth. **In simple terms:** Mentors of all genders help you succeed. Key Takeaway Seek diverse mentors. Themes career learning diversity Mood encouraging pragmatic Type professional inspirational When to use this quote - coding bootcamps - team projects - career advancement Key Concepts mentorship gender equality skill development Questions to Reflect On - Who can you approach for guidance? - How does diversity improve problem solving? A Different Perspective Access to mentors may be limited in some workplaces. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Programmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programmer/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Self taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-taught/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [The messiness cannot go into the program; it piles up around the programmer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/the-messiness-cannot-go-into-the-program-it-piles-up-around-the/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [The corollary of constant change is ignorance. This is not often talked about: we computer experts barely know what we're doing. We're good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/the-corollary-of-constant-change-is-ignorance-this-is-not-often/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [To be a programmer is to develop a carefully managed relationship with error. There's no getting around it. You either make your accomodations with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/to-be-a-programmer-is-to-develop-a-carefully-managed-relationship/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [The programmer, who needs clarity, who must talk all day to a machine that demands declarations, hunkers down into a low-grade annoyance. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/the-programmer-who-needs-clarity-who-must-talk-all-day-to-a-machine/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [Computer programming has always been a self-taught, maverick occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/computer-programming-has-always-been-a-self-taught-maverick-occupation/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [The number of lines of code a programmer can write in a fixed period of time is the same independent of the language used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-j-corbato/the-number-of-lines-of-code-a-programmer-can-write-in-a-fixed-period/) [Fernando J. Corbato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-j-corbato/) > [The government does things like insisting that all encryption programs should have a back door. But surely no one is stupid enough to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/the-government-does-things-like-insisting-that-all-encryption/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [The three most dangerous things in the world are a programmer with a soldering iron, a hardware type with a program patch and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-cook/the-three-most-dangerous-things-in-the-world-are-a-programmer-with-a/) [Rick Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-cook/) > [“As a programmer, you are part listener, part advisor, part interpreter, and part dictator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hunt/as-a-programmer-you-are-part-listener-part-advisor-part-interpreter/) [Andrew Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hunt/) > [Computer science education cannot make anybody an expert programmer any more than studying brushes and pigment can make somebody an expert painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/computer-science-education-cannot-make-anybody-an-expert-programmer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You don't have to be a nerd or a programmer or a network engineer to make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-nerd-or-a-programmer-or-a-network-engineer-to/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [“I am a non-accredited, overly logical psychologist, therapist, mechanic, diplomat, businessman, and Teacher working in an industry that is still defining itself each and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ka-wai-cheung/i-am-a-non-accredited-overly-logical-psychologist-therapist-mechanic/) [Ka Wai Cheung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ka-wai-cheung/) > [At forty, I was too old to work as a programmer myself anymore; writing code is a young person’s job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/at-forty-i-was-too-old-to-work-as-a-programmer-myself-anymore-writing/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Programming is how we talk to the machines that are increasingly woven into our lives. If you aren't a programmer, you're like one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/programming-is-how-we-talk-to-the-machines-that-are-increasingly/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [As a programmer, it is your job to put yourself out of business. What you do today can be automated tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-mcilroy/as-a-programmer-it-is-your-job-to-put-yourself-out-of-business-what/) [Douglas McIlroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-mcilroy/) ## More by Ellen Ullman > [I think technical people now should learn literature, because literature teaches you a great deal about how - the depths and variety of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/i-think-technical-people-now-should-learn-literature-because/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [The web is just another stunning point in the two-hundred-thousand-year history of human beings on earth. The taming of fire; the discovery of penicillin;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/the-web-is-just-another-stunning-point-in-the-two-hundred-thousand/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [When I am writing, and occasionally achieve single focus and presence, I finally feel that is where I'm supposed to be. Everything else is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/when-i-am-writing-and-occasionally-achieve-single-focus-and-presence/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [I don't know where anyone ever got the idea that technology, in and of itself, was a savior. Like all human-created 'progress,' computers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/i-don-t-know-where-anyone-ever-got-the-idea-that-technology-in-and-of/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [You can only get a beginner's mind once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/you-can-only-get-a-beginner-s-mind-once/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [I'm a dark thoughts writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/i-m-a-dark-thoughts-writer/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [I hate to see capable, smart people out of work - young or old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/i-hate-to-see-capable-smart-people-out-of-work-young-or-old/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [“I believed my motivations were clear: to help the patient see the pattern that had been imposed upon her, this endless repetition of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/i-believed-my-motivations-were-clear-to-help-the-patient-see-the/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [It had to happen to me sometime: sooner or later, I would have to lose sight of the cutting edge. That moment every technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/it-had-to-happen-to-me-sometime-sooner-or-later-i-would-have-to-lose/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [Software and digital devices are imbued with the values of their creators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/software-and-digital-devices-are-imbued-with-the-values-of-their/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [ I've always written. I'm from an older generation of programmers \[who\] did not come out of engineering. \[A\]ll sorts of people were drawn in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/i-ve-always-written-i-m-from-an-older-generation-of-programmers-who/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [Through the miracle of natural genetic recombination, each child, with the sole exception of an identical twin, is conceived as a unique being. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/through-the-miracle-of-natural-genetic-recombination-each-child-with/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [Staring prejudice in the face imposes a cruel discipline: to structure your anger, to achieve a certain dignity, an angry dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/staring-prejudice-in-the-face-imposes-a-cruel-discipline-to-structure/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [Y2K has challenged a belief in digital technology that has been almost religious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/y2k-has-challenged-a-belief-in-digital-technology-that-has-been/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [I don't consider myself a Jewish writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/i-don-t-consider-myself-a-jewish-writer/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) [Explore all 119 Ellen Ullman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) ## More Learning quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Learning from the best, you will eventually become the best if you have the talent already, if you have that potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-orton/learning-from-the-best-you-will-eventually-become-the-best-if-you/) [Randy Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-orton/) > [Everything I do is more memorable and I understand music more than ever now. It's not a burden to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/everything-i-do-is-more-memorable-and-i-understand-music-more-than/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. (Hilda Doolittle > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [once in awhile you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look it right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/once-in-awhile-you-get-shown-the-light-in-the-strangest-of-places-if/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [Would she understand that time had stopped while she was gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/would-she-understand-that-time-had-stopped-while-she-was-gone/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [“Damen's understanding of Laurent rearranged itself, in order that he might despise him more accurately.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-u-pacat/damen-s-understanding-of-laurent-rearranged-itself-in-order-that-he/) [S.U. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-u-pacat/) [Browse all 22,300 Learning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My approach to being a self-taught programmer was to find out who was smart and who would be helpful, and these were - these are both men and women. 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