How to explain programming to your friends and family??????????

Question

Friends how you explain you want to pursue programming, when I try to explain programming to my family (specially Dad) & my non programming friends(they know QBASIC though) I stuck and seems as stupid.
So let me know how you explained, or is it your family & friends who told you to pursue it.

Answer 1

Program a microcontroller to do something they can see and possibly use. They will be so amazed that will pretend to be interested in what you say until they realize that they don't need to fake it anymore...

Answer 2

the problem is I read B.Sc so whenever programming topics come, my dad always say don't talk to me for other than study. Like i'm gonna drop my study that moment.

Answer 3

we can't find arduino or raspberry pi in Nepal. But anyway thanks.

Answer 4

that is right Will but i need to tell my parents also along with computer, that's the problem.

Answer 5

Start with simple things. You would be having a phone I guess, so tell them the applications and softwares the phone runs on is made by programmers by programming it. Not only that even a simple calculator works on programs. Tell them about the ATM, banks, Televisions, cars etc all runs on softwares/programs. So in lay man's term, programming is by which we tell or program a particular thing to do something, its like you teach a child to read & write so same way by programming we teach, rather program the machine to perform its task.
Hope it helps!
And I know it can be hard sometimes to make people understand what is programming and what is not.

Answer 6

Programming = Telling what a computer shall do.

Answer 7

If its important and your family and friends are interested behind the concepts fin all day examples.

Here is an example:

An array could be a row of buckets where a number is on each bucket starting at 0.

If its only about the topics you are working on then try to keep your explanations on the surface of the topic and try to explain how you want to solve the problem in theory. Dont start explaining with programming concepts.

Answer 8

If no arduino is available in Nepal start your own business by organizing an import and a workshop:
IN THE LAND OF THE BLIND, THE ONE-EYED MAN IS KING.
You can be sure your family will get interested.

Answer 9

Try a microcontroller like Arduino as @seamiki said

Answer 10

Oh sorry I didn't know, and yes, you're welcome but is it available on Amazon or some other online store in Nepal?

Answer 11

programming is about configuring a machine to complete complex tasks and ultimately solve real life problems.

Answer 12

demonstrating and explaining what can be done is the best way. and that may mean you'll have to act as a kind of teacher. from my experience:

it really depends on how much about computers they know. most of my friends for example, had studied computer science till GCSE level (many had even taken up A-Level Computer Science). I met this one person online who had only three-four friends with any knowledge of computer science. so how you'd exercise pedagogy really depends on your target audience. for newcomers, you may need lots of analogies; for those who understand computer science already may need less of it.

Answer 13

and demonstration is key. programming is a practical subject