Me as a programmer?

Printable View

03-31-2002
Cheeze-It

Me as a programmer?

I would love to be a programmer, but I don't
know if I'm smart enough.

Everything I read that is written by professional
programmers says that in order to be one, you
must be super-smart. Aren't there any dumb
programmers out there? I really like programming,
and I would love to be very good at it. But if
I'm not cut out for it, I may as well just spend
my tuition money on something that I would enjoy
(going to school with a bunch of binge-drinking
frat boys isn't something I'm excited about).

So, do you have to be really intelligent to be
a programmer (games), or do these people just
like complimenting themselves?
03-31-2002
Unregistered

Well I'm pretty dumb, except on the odd occasion when I have a flash of genius (sometimes known as 'luck').

Don't belive a word of it, some of the stuff I have done recently is tough and its only gonna get harder. But I shall persevere, all good things come to those that wait and one day I'll have a programming job!
03-31-2002
Fordy

If you take an attitude of "am I too dumn to do this" then you will not acheive anything in life........

Skills come with time and practice......this applies to almost everything......

Quote:

Everything I read that is written by professional
programmers says that in order to be one, you
must be super-smart.

They are hardly going to say anything to the contrary are they? :)

Quote:

I really like programming, and I would love to be very good at it.

If you find ANY CONSTRUCTIVE INTEREST that you enjoy doing at your age then you are already ahead of most.......All I wanted to do at your age was get wasted with my friends........

As long as you are enjoying yourself then keep at it.......
03-31-2002
Shiro

>I would love to be a programmer, but I don't
>know if I'm smart enough.

Everyone who loves to program can be a programmer.

>Everything I read that is written by professional
>programmers says that in order to be one, you
>must be super-smart.

As being a professional programmer I say: you don't need to be super-smart to be a programmer.

>Aren't there any dumb programmers out there?

Well, I don't think there are dumb programmers. Programming is quite a though task, but in my opinion one doesn't need to be super-smart.

Programmers who say you need to be very smart aren't very smart themselves and want to protect their position by making everyone afraid that programming is awful difficult.

>I really like programming, and I would love to be very good at it.

Take a good education, read books, do a lot of projects etc. In other words, just learn as much as you can and you'll be a good one. Note that a programmer needs to learn continuusly.

>I'm not cut out for it, I may as well just spend
>my tuition money on something that I would enjoy
>(going to school with a bunch of binge-drinking
>frat boys isn't something I'm excited about).

Sorry, I don't know what "binge-drinking frat boys" are. But do you really think that programmers are very different from other people? Most programmers are just normal people who also like going to a pub to drink all night, going to music festivals etc.

>So, do you have to be really intelligent to be a programmer
>(games), or do these people just like complimenting themselves?

They're just complimenting themselves.
03-31-2002
golfinguy4

Binge-drinking is when you basically drink until you physically have to stop.

A frat boy is a guy in a fraternity.
03-31-2002
Sentaku senshi

>They're just complimenting themselves.

Really games or one of the hardest things you can program. Well not as complicated as something like an OS and some other programs, most applications are easier to create.

You will fail if you don't put in 3000% effort.
03-31-2002
Prelude

>I don't know if I'm smart enough.
Simply by learning how to program you prove yourself smart enough.

>Everything I read that is written by professional
>programmers says that in order to be one, you
>must be super-smart.
Rule #1: Professional programmers have massive egos :D

>Aren't there any dumb programmers out there?
Sadly, yes. Those are the ones who screw it up just enough to irritate you but not enough to get fired.

-Prelude
03-31-2002
sigma

Most professsional programmers I work with are not super smart. To be successful, I have found that you need two basic qualities:

1. Be able to research
2. Be able to break down a problem/solution into its basic parts.
03-31-2002
Unregistered

wasn't there a wise man who once said "genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration"?
03-31-2002
SilentStrike

That was Thomas Edison, IIRC.
03-31-2002
VBprogrammer

Oh well if you have to be supper-smart thats me out for a start. ;)

But seriously good logic skills, a bit of maths and a chunck of determination and you'll be off!
03-31-2002
jdinger

I agree with VBProgrammer.

I study a lot and I'm always trying to learn something new, but I don't think I'm anywhere close to "super-smart" (which I'm taking to mean genius-level intelligence).

And I've been a professional programmer for 2 years now. Without ever finishing my Associates Degree.

I looked at companies in my area that I wanted to work for, talked to employees to find out what kinds of programs they had in development or needed and set out to write a sample (my digital resume', if you will). I presented the beta to a couple of managers and the rest is history.

I've been really blessed and I'm not saying everyone can go at it the way I did. I'm just saying that I was not super-smart, I was just super-determined.

Of course, I'd love to be a professional game developer (I mainly develop apps to manage data-warehousing, payroll systems, etc.), but I still love what I do and my boss allows me to work on games at work (since I've proven to him that I can learn things doing it that can help us optimize and improve our existing apps/systems).
03-31-2002
VBprogrammer

jdinger thats one trick i'll remember! :D