Reinspiration
I honestly don't think I'll even finish the Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs. I'll read it who knows how many times, but i doubt I'll ever really be done with it. Personally I find SICP tough going sometimes, but it's time well spent.
I bought Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for myself about a year ago with the goal of working through at least the first three chapters over the next 6 or 8 months. At the same time I made the decision to stop out of graduate studies (MS program for computer science at Towson University). That decision had a lot of things that went into it, but to continue paying to have someone slowly feed me the less challenging form of the material in this book was not making sense.
Now, one year later, I've made it through the first chapter. Not because the material is too hard to continue, although it is challenging, but because I slowed, then stopped. I figured I would start quickly and then settle into a groove, but I hoped I wouldn't completely drop it. To see the message from this post reiterated so often in the programming news circles I frequent is an affirmation that I chose the right book to start with. Two of the top reviews of SICP on Amazon are by Paul Graham and Peter Norvig, after all. But it's also slightly convicting because of the time I've taken off. I've said my goal is to eventually be working for myself. Whether that means starting my own company or becoming an independent contractor isn't clear yet. I know that without the ability to extend myself in the areas that will contribute to that, my stated goal will be empty speech.
