Ask HN: Is it possible for someone to not be cut out for software engineering?
I don&#x27;t see anything in your question about what you -want- to do. That is the important question to understand.<p>It&#x27;s of course possible to not be cut out for computer science, or lawyering, or doctoring, or anything else.<p>But more than mental horsepower, the most important ingredient is desire. What do you want to do?<p>Not in terms of &quot;I want to be a programmer because it is a good career&quot; but &quot;I want to be a programmer because I love writing code&quot;.<p>It&#x27;s very important to deeply understand what motivates you, and what you enjoy doing. This might take decades to fully understand, but you must start now.<p>If you don&#x27;t love writing code, you will never be a good programmer. If you don&#x27;t love helping sick people, you will never be a good doctor.<p>Find what you enjoy. Start there. Doesn&#x27;t mean you&#x27;re going to do that for a living, but you can&#x27;t proceed without understanding that first. And be patient with yourself. It took me 20 years to realize I was meant to program. You might have to do stuff that pays the bills for a long time while you&#x27;re figuring it out.<p>But be honest with yourself, try to listen deeply to what your lizard brain is telling you, and then try to find a way to make that work.<p>Good luck.