Why I am a good programmer and will always be

http://coffeecoder.tumblr.com/post/55721695776/why-i-am-a-good-programmer-and-will-always-be

by shubhamjain • 13 years ago

9 7 13 years ago

coffeecoder.tumblr.com

zachlatta• 13 years ago

I'll just leave this here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

shubhamjain2• 13 years ago

Author here, I feel that Dunning-Kruger effect would be quite hyperbolic for saying that you feel that you are made for something.

I am not even to close to being "great", I am a n00b and there is no doubt in that, but I feel that I have that in me to be great and I define "great" as the people who can create things which are highly useful to others, of course, I can't be Linus but even if I can contribute considerable to these open source projects I would feel "yes! I am something now!"

MetaCosm• 13 years ago

Congrats, you are the Lil Wayne of the programming world.

wldlyinaccurate• 13 years ago

Congratulations on figuring out what was wrong with your phone, seriously. A lot of people would have given up after the first time it didn't boot properly (although a lot of people haven't rooted their phone).

The thing is, and please forgive me for dismissing your achievement like this, it doesn't make you a good programmer. Programmers solve problems like this on a daily basis. You've definitely proven that you have the right mindset and determination to be a good programmer, but at the same time this sort of egotistical, superior attitude is the trait of a bad programmer. Nobody likes working with people like that.

I never wanted to be "that" guy on HN who puts down other peoples' posts, but I think the whole smugness of this rubbed me up the wrong way. Please, carry on solving real-world problems. Just, show a little modesty and humiliation.

btilly• 13 years ago

Here is a sincere and important piece of advice.

The prouder you are of your abilities as a programmer, the more of a challenge it will be to accept evidence of the times that you demonstrate that you're not as good as you would like to believe. But this selective bias will in turn blind you to how to improve and become better.

I have personally known quite a few very, very good programmers. The ones I have known best and respected most, were uniformly modest about their skills. And that sincere modesty is because they knew what they had left to improve, which is key to continuing to improve. This constant awareness of current limitations keeps them from being arrogant about their existing abilities.

Ever noticed that the people you see exercising are generally the ones who don't need to? The same is true about improving. That also works if you flip it around. If you can't point to concrete improvements that you have made in the last 6 months, then you're probably not someone who is in the habit of improving. Which in turn means that you're probably nowhere near as good as you think you are.

shubhamjain2• 13 years ago

Well, I don't know if you would still think that I am not modest but here is my go, I am quite honest that I stand on very tinny tiny part of programming and there is always somewhere I can improve. As The Pragmatic Programmer says, "Always think about your work". I always wish to improve but in amidst of this I encounter people like Joel Spolsky, Jeff Atwood who are in a way, are my idol. Seeing them, I always felt I know nothing, How can I ever be like them?

I just wanted to point out that I now feel I have the "right determination and mindset" to be like them and thought of weather I was a programmer only by chance won't reoccur again.

PaulFreund• 13 years ago

Didn't it occur to you that posting a link to your (i'm sorry, but pretty arrogant sounding) blog post about how great you are on HN just isn't such a good idea?

What do you suppose the average reader should learn from your post? It is telling the story of an accomplishment you made without generalizing or implicating it could apply to others, it's just about you (and by the way, programming is more than just getting your head around problems, depending on your position it can even be more about architecture).

What you've done is analog to writing a good grade at school and running to your mother so she tells you how great you are. The only difference is that you gave the grade to yourself and now you go to HN and argue with people that disagree about it.

The only thing you accomplish with your behavior is that people think you are a little know-it-all who won't accomplish much and probably terrorize your surroundings with your incompetence and arrogance, regardless if it's true or not.

I'd suggest letting your work speak for itself. Build something great and the people will honor your work and acknowledge your competence (not always on HN but that's another story).

PS: "and will always be" lies not in your hands: diseases, drugs, injury, ... you can loose your cognitive abilities in various ways over time.

Why I am a good programmer and will always be

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