Thread: Hello & Question to Experienced Programmers

Hello All,

I didn't see a "Introduction" thread anywhere, so apologize if this is mis-posted, I wanted to say hello.... "hello". Just to give you an idea about me, I am 38, married and currently employed as a dimensional quality inspector in Portland, OR.

I have some programming classes under my belt, not C or C++, but that is the direction I am seriously thinking of moving beyond the hobby/strong interest stage. Quite possibly moving to a change of career to something I enjoy.

What I am curioius about is what it's like in the day in the life of the C++ career programmer? What types of projects do you do? What are your responsiblities within those projects? Where do you find satisfaction in what you do? What is/are something(s) that you dislike about your job.

You get the idea I am sure... so if any of you vets could spare a few minutes, I would appreciate any input.

Thanks,
Crimxan

Welcome!

I'm 45, and have been coding for a living since 1990, but I code in assembler, so I can't answer your "day in the life of a C++ programmer" question. I'm learning it myself, for fun and profit!

Todd

Junior C++ programmers at my work fix bugs and maintain old code. More experienced programmers get feature specs and implement new features with varying amounts of help from senior programmers. They then fix bugs in those features they've implemented. Senior programmers design major code changes and implement them or pass off the design to somebody else. They schedule out features and assign tasks to other programmers. They work with product managers to manage which features get in the product based on how difficult the implementation might be and how important the feature is.

Whether it's fixing a bug or designing a major feature, the fun is in trying to solve the problem. Coming up with an elegant, or at least effective, solution within the constraints is usually a challenge.

Trying to fix bugs in old and convoluted code can be frustrating and at times boring. If you can move around a bit and work on different projects it makes things more interesting. There's excitement in working on new products, but there is also uncertainty as often those products don't succeed leaving those who worked on it to hope there is another project that can use their services.

Overall, I like it a lot. My work doesn't require crazy work hours, it's pretty much a 40 hour week and extra time only when necessary. No crazy parties or perks, and not a lot of excitement. That kind of stuff varies a lot within the industry, though, it just depends on where you end up.

Thanks Daved, that was very informative. Much appreciated.

I do both C / C++ at my work.

I'm currently working with our graphics engine mainly and I love doing graphics coding. My tasks include design, bug fixing, implementing new features, testing, maintaining.... loads of different tasks.

But to know what it really means, you'll just have to try. But don't give up at the first place, things might be done differently in other companies.

Best Regards,
Arto Ruotsalainen
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