Q: If I have no programming knowledge at all, will I still be accepted? What is the minimum level of knowledge required? @nishio

  • A: Unexplored Junior is adopted if one PM has the most interest in your proposal out of 100 proposals, so there is no chance that it will pass. So there is no minimum knowledge.
  • In a proposal, you suggest that it would be good to have something like this, but it is just an “idea” until you actually make and try it. Those who can write programs can improve on their “idea” by creating and testing a prototype. This is an advantage in the competition among the 100 applications.
  • The ability to implement and test one’s own ideas (conjectures) affects the quality of proposals, and an efficient way to develop this “ability to implement and test” is to implement one’s own ideas.
  • In the proposal template, you have “5. what you have done to date on this project”. So there is a lot to write here if you are actually creating and testing ideas.
  • If it is a “to apply or not to apply,” I think you should apply even if you do not have programming skills. This is because it is an opportunity to practice the skill of “using words to clearly explain what you want to create,” and this skill is also useful in programming.
  • I think it’s better to work on implementing the idea and learning programming at the same time now, rather than saying “let’s apply next year” and leaving the idea in “just an idea state”. It should make a big difference in a year’s time.

Q “I have something I really want to achieve, but I have never done any programming. I have a lot of motivation! Is it still possible for me to apply?” @kyasbal_1994

  • “Can I apply?” The answer is of course yes. However, it is difficult to find someone who says, “I have never played baseball before, but I am very motivated and want to go to Koshien.
  • There’s still time to make the deadline. Even smartphones can be programmed now. Why don’t you give it a try? If you have something you want to make and you are motivated, I am sure you can do it.
  • It is very difficult to plan something you have never done before. Especially for contests and judging, you will often need to convince people who know something about the subject.
  • I think it would be a much better proposal if you were a little more knowledgeable than you are now, or if you had more knowledge than you have now.
  • We look forward to hearing from you.

Q. How much programming must I be able to do now? @teramotodaiki

  • A. First of all, the deadline is less than a week away, so anyway, write your proposal!
  • With that in mind, there is currently no “you have to be able to do this” rule for unexplored juniors. However, the mentors do want to determine during the screening process, “Do you have enough potential to move the project forward?” We want to determine that during the screening process. Therefore, we would like you to write honestly.
  • The action that will benefit your adoption rate in this situation is to make your “room for growth” look bigger. The key is not to exaggerate your current abilities!
  • It is actually not uncommon for a person’s ability to increase dramatically after adoption. When human beings are pushed into a situation where they have to do something, they mysteriously show their abilities. This is expressed as “norenshiro” (growth spurt).
  • The growth potential can be predicted to some extent in advance. It can be imagined based on past performance and the person’s motivation. That is why the proposal has a column for “past performance” and another for “why are you doing this?” and “Why are you doing this? The mentor (or at least I) will use these two columns to predict your “growth potential” and use them as a basis for judgment. If these columns are blank or insufficient, we will not be able to determine your potential. So, please write them down carefully!

Q: “If I don’t have much programming experience, will I still be accepted if my project is good enough? nishio

  • If the project proposal is good, it will be accepted. However, it is more difficult to make a good project proposal without writing any programs at all than it is to do programming.
  • If you think of an idea only in your head and propose it, or if you actually try out various ideas, not only in programming, and refine your idea based on that experience, I think the latter is more likely to result in a good idea. Of course, there is no possibility that a great idea can be generated only by the mind.

Q. I have an idea for an application, but I haven’t thought about how to implement it. What do I need to do to apply? @ukkaripon

  • A. A prototype will make it easier for us to understand what you want to create. It also proves that we have the necessary skills to implement it.

  • unexplored junior Question box “Programming knowledge


This page is auto-translated from /nishio/未踏ジュニア質問箱「プログラミングの知識」 using DeepL. If you looks something interesting but the auto-translated English is not good enough to understand it, feel free to let me know at @nishio_en. I’m very happy to spread my thought to non-Japanese readers.