The mind of a programmer, is computer science right for you?

I can recall my first day sitting inside Introduction to Computer Science class.  As I sat waiting for the professor to officially start, I was quietly scanning through my textbook.  Another student then sat next to me and started conversing.  He was also extremely excited to learn how to program, as he was a computer science major.  

As we continued to talk, he gave me the appearance that he enjoyed setting himself on a pedestal, as he continuously bragged about his high SAT scores, along with his high GPA and advanced high school courses he passed.  I tried to give him the appearance as if I was truly amazed at all his talents, but inside of me, I was thinking how overly conceded he was.    

                As our course went into the second week, we were given our first program assignment.  I was very surprised to see how my classmate was unable to write the code, even though he was so smart at math and science.  On the contrary, I was able to easily complete all my program assignments, despite the fact that I never even took an advanced mathematics or science courses during my high school years. 

                So what was the major difference between me and my classmate that allowed me to be better at programming? I believe I have something that I will call the “programmer’s mind.”   To me, this is a skill set that allows some computer programmers to easily think of program algorithms inside their head and be able to get the program done correctly with the least number of errors.  These individuals can think of everything in an "algorithmic fashion."  They can instantly pin point where programming errors are coming from by thinking, "if I was the program, what code is telling me to do this error?"   

While this skill can definitely be achieved by gaining experience, I believe the majority of the greatest programmers have this innate trait within them.  So if you are considering computer science as a major, how do you determine if you have this “programmer’s mind?”

                If you’re considering a computer science degree, I would highly recommend purchasing a programming book before even stepping into a computer science course.  Additionally, you can consider taking just the introductory course at a college or university and see how well you’re able to adapt with it.