Of course, using a powerful, fun language in CS1 creates a new set of problems for us. A while back, a CS educator on the SIGCSE mailing list pointed out one:
Starting in Python postpones the discovery that “CS is not for me”.
After years of languages such as C++,…
The first institution that formally taught me CS began with C (we were the last batch, the next cohort started with Java). C scared away a few, but the vast majority stayed. Most I knew around me didn’t enjoy programming, I was one of the few exceptions. Many of my former-classmates went into careers that had nothing to do with tech after graduation.
What’s this about scaring students away again? I think it only postpones or maybe outright blocks the attainment of joy through programming.
