What do most people find daunting about programming?

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I was able to pick up programming slowly over the years since I was 12 or so. I believed I could learn to program and I have written useful programs that I have released.

But programming seems like a scary thing to a lot of people. What do people find so daunting about it they will not even try to program?

I think I could learn to program if I really applied myself, but I don't have the mental discipline to see it through. I do a few exercises here and there and then lose interest.

I recently started learning Python through the Code Academy site that was mentioned in the other programming thread. It's a bit more interactive than a regular text book so that might make a difference.

I can tell you what they find daunting, most likely. I was told to learn to program iOS, you needed to know at least two program languages as a foundation. I also thought it involved a lot of math and that it was too late to start learning at my age (over 40.) Nothing could be further from the truth. In under 2 months, I'm developing a game using X-Code and Sprite-Builder and I'm getting pretty skilled. I think it takes wanting to so much, you stop listening to all the reasons why you shouldn't be able to do it.

For me it was that I've wanted to learn for a while, and what always held me back was that I would be kind of overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information combined with the fact that I had no idea where to start, and was only allowed 30 minutes on the computer a day by my parents (so I wanted to use it for things other than just trying to figure out if I even could learn to program). A couple weeks ago I still knew nothing about programming, but I completed Python on codeacademy and am moving on to HTML. Eventually I plan on completing them all and then just learning on my own after that. So for me to be honest I think it was mostly just lack of opportunity, as usually if I really want to do something I will put a lot of effort in, and when I find something that I don't understand or can't do, I take it as a challenge. I mean, I probably could have learned when I was younger if I REALLY wanted to, but I didn't think it would be worth the effort at the time.

For most people I think it's probably similar, just in general it seems like lots of information and options, and not knowing where to start with all of it.

the math.

I taught myself HTML at age 9 from a textbook. It was fun.

In college I took C+ and Java and failed horribly... the math of it just made no sense to me.

Well to really dive into programming I believe the person must have a natural desire and fascination with the entire experience. I liken it to learning how to play a guitar, many are afraid to try to learn because their desire to learn isn't high enough. Not everyone is going to enjoy programming or learning how to do it just like not everyone would enjoy studying to be a doctor and practicing medicine

Beginning programming was easy for me, but I find that I always get stuck when I try to move past the stage of creating fake "toy" programs that the CS professors give for homework. It seems like there is a lot of knowledge needed to create a real program that could be something to impress an employer, and it never gets taught in the CS curriculum.

And it seems like the people who know this knowledge gradually learned it by playing around with programming. That's my weak spot; I don't want to explore randomly and learn things by accident; I need something structured, that tells me what to do step-by-step. I don't know where to start, get overwhelmed, and give up. Then I go back months later and repeat the process.

There also seems to be a lot boring details one needs to know, like how to use a bunch of obscure built-in functions. I hate that because I can't remember that stuff. I like programming because of the logic involved, not to cram my brain with minutiae. I guess it's easier to remember if someone programs every day, but...I get overwhelmed at the mere thought of it and never even start.

Can't say I find anything daunting about programming. I've spent all my working life as a software developer. The only real challenge is keeping up with newer technologies as I get older. My CV reads like the history of computing!