Programmers/Coders ?= Rockstars
[I know it's been awhile since I wrote anything here, I've been busy. And it's Thanksgiving, so what better way to celebrate than a post?]
An article over at CenterNetworks made mention of something that gets alot of attention: programmers as rockstars.
Normal People
For the uninitiated, many see programmers merely as “hackers” through movies like Swordfish, The Matrix, and others like it. Think about the image portrayed… the standard uniform is long (or “short ‘n messy”) hair, black clothing, leather, a heavy night life, and an ego.
My…name…is…NEO!
Real Programmers
In real life, is this true? I’d argue that there are two kinds of programmers: nerdy-WoW-playing-geekoid-trekkies, and the programmer rockstar. I’d also argue that the non-rockstar types are usually the lesser programmers, who aren’t as talented, and probably came upon the occupation as a fallback because of their social life, more than a natural calling.
The Rockstars
Those of us who are rockstar programmers, myself included, usually have huge egos… but not without good cause. Able to knock out complicated working programs/functions in a very short amount of time, we find ourselves feeling akin to God, or other deities, because of our natural ability. We typically can visualize entire program structures and functionality inside our heads, which makes it very easy to “realize” it (like an artist!) on the computer.
Yeah, not what I’m talking about at all.
Why?
Why are we so awesome (some would call that “cocky”)? I really have no idea, but I know that it’s never taken for granted. Every time I sit down to code for hours, I get what’s called a “code high”. Basically, it’s an adrenaline rush fueled by caffeine and a sense of abstract accomplishment that few others would understand. For many of us the joy of programming is not actually coding, but the efforts before and after: visualizing the entire thing, and then enjoying the aftermath of complete and total bug destruction (it’s like a giant puzzle… except you need a certain IQ level).
But we are.
Be Nice
So the next time you see “that guy” in your office, or at Starbucks, that is obviously dressed in the rockstar programmer uniform, and carries himself a slight air of superiority [but you're pretty sure he's not a "real" rockstar]… walk up to him (or, in the 2% chance it’s a woman, ‘her’), bow to them, and say “thank you for making my world much better, oh mighty Promaterus, God of Programming”.
They’ll appreciate it.
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