Subj : Re: Are programmers like this in the real world?
To   : comp.programming
From : davebsr
Date : Tue Jul 26 2005 07:05 am


Charles Richmond wrote:
> Scott Moore wrote:

[snip some history of CS]

> > We succeeded. Now there is much better productivity and less need for
> > top level experts to do mundane programming work. If you say "any idiot
> > can program", it's because we made it possible.
> >
> > Yea us. Thanks for the complement.
> >
> And what do you think that your reward will be for making yourself
> obsolete??? Do you think the organization is going to keep you on
> salary as a "programmer emeritus"??? Sounds to me like you just
> worked yourself out of a job.
>
> --
> +----------------------------------------------------------------+
> |  Charles and Francis Richmond  It is moral cowardice to leave  |
> |                                undone what one perceives right |
> |  richmond at plano dot net     to do.   -- Confucius           |
> +----------------------------------------------------------------+

I think it's ironic that you seem to disparage someone for working
himself out of a job, yet your sig clearly says, "It is moral cowardice
to leave undone what one perceives right to do."

I think it's our job as programmers to make using a computer easier for
our users. Some of our users are programmers, so part of programming
means making programming easier to do.

Now, just because it's easier to make a program print a line or display
a dialog box does not make the hard parts of programming easier. There
are things about programming that will not be solved by better
compilers or tools. Things that will require something other than
better programs to become easy.

Those that can really do well at programming could probably do well
anywhere. Their intelligence, problem solving, and people skills would
be invaluable in any field. And that is the person I strive to be.

The core skills in programming are not knowing languages, nor knowing
tools. Those things are important. But the core skills, I would argue,
and I'm willing to be proven wrong, are the ability to learn, the
ability to communicate, an ability to work with people, and a desire,
or need to be excellent.

Therefore, I would argue, you cannot work yourself out of a job - a job
will always be there for a person who can do those things. And a person
who can make the tools good enough that anyone can use them easily will
probably be quite successful for doing so. Look at Microsoft. Perhaps
now the task is to teach this mass of new programmers the real skills -
not 'how to draw a box', but how to really build for quality, how to
build a program that his or her users will love.

-- 
apologies for google posting.
davebsr

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