Are You a Real Programmer?

I just finished reading an interesting article on BI about being a real programmer. One of the interesting things I found in the article was the Reddit Thread about Real Programmer. 

Here are some interesting points from that thread: 

• A Real Programmer is someone who loves programming! They love it so much that it's what they spend all their time doing.
• A Real Programmer doesn't really consider it "work".
• A programmer isn't a Real Programmer when they don't volunteer to work 60 to 80 hour weeks (for no extra monetary compensation, remember) because it's "fun".

The definition of a real programmer is different for me. In my career, I have dealt with so many programmers, you can imagine. I've also been involved with millions of programmers (online ofcourse) since I started C# Corner in 1999. I have not worked with them but I have seen it all.

So, if you ask me the definition of a real programmer. I would say, how about being a smart programmer? How about finding the optimal solution for a problem?

In today's demand, a real programmer should be more than just writing code. A real programmer should think like a user and get in the user's shoes. A real programmer should be a good Tester and a real programmer should think about Design also.

Programming is not a rocket science but it is not an art either. To become a good programmer, you must love coding. You must love the complexity of a problem and you must love to find the optimal solution. Check out my How to become a Good Programmer and let me know what you think.

In summary, a programmer should be more than just writing code. Don't forget to check out these readings: 

• A real programmer should think like a user
• A real programmer should be a good Tester
• A real programmer should think about Design
• How to become a Good Programmer

 Cheers!