Hi, my name is Sanjay and in this session,
I am going to talk about the ROLE of a programmer.
A few weeks back, we asked learners what CAREER
CHOICE came into mind when the term 'IT industry'
is mentioned.
Almost EVERYONE came up with the term 'Programmer.'
Now for those who think this is a MALE dominated
role, here is another statistic: Ada Lovelace,
daughter of the famous poet Lord Byron is
CONSIDERED to be the world’s FIRST programmer.
A programming language called 'Ada' is also
named in her honour.
Programmers are found not just in the I.T.
industry but in almost every field.
Cars, airplanes, ships, satellites, computers,
cell phones and many other devices that you
see have programs built into them.
Finance companies use programmers to build
financial models.
In fact the weather predictions that you see
on TV are also a result of programs written
by people in the field of climate science
and image processing.
Thus the first thing for you to keep in mind
- Programming is done in MANY fields today
and not just I.T.
Overview
Now let’s see what a programmer actually
does.
A programmer, developer or coder is a person
who writes computer programs or code.
And Programs are a set of precise logical
instructions given to a computer.
And these instructions are provided via a
programming language.
And just as we use several languages to communicate
with each other, there are several programming
languages a programmer can use to communicate
with machines and computers.
And different programming languages are suited
for different types of tasks.
We mentioned computer programs but the term
you will hear more commonly is computer software.
So what exactly is computer SOFTWARE?
Computer software is a broader term used to
refer to many computer programs that work
together to provide a solution to a problem.
Usually it is not possible for one single
person to write the whole computer software.
That’s why most companies have teams of
computer programmers.
Pre-requisites
I will assume that you are a student and are
thinking of the necessary qualities to become
a software programmer.
Let’s continue by listing some of them.
If you wish to be a good programmer, the key
is to get INTERESTED in programming.
Programming should be FUN.
Now a computer itself is dumb and will not
understand what to do if you make one single
mistake in your program.
It has no brain!
So, the fun part is providing logical and
CORRECT instructions to the computer through
your program.
Then computer will then become happy and will
execute your program.
Once you begin enjoying this logical process,
you may find yourself automatically WILLING
to work more and more.
Programming is also a vast field.
Not only are there many programming languages
but each language may have unique features.
If are you are student, it makes sense to
work on programming projects; and with other
programmers.
On some projects you can turn out to be a
very good programmer and on some, not so good.
When you are not so good, you learn from others
who did better.
You should learn at least one computer language
very well.
And you should know more than one computer
language.
From an educational point of view, there are
many choices, ranging from two-year technical
programs to four-year degree programs in a
field such as computer science, mathematics
or information systems.
You will also find many certification programs
available.
I would like to add that given the shortage
of candidates in this field, it is common
for companies to hire students from relevant
non - programming backgrounds and train them
to become programmers.
Joys of the Craft
Now let us move into the future and see you
as a programmer.
What are some of the joys of the craft?
Having spoken to a few programmers this first
point that usually came up was – Programming
is Fun.
There is great joy in seeing your program
do something useful.
When the result is what you want, you feel
great!
When it is not, it can be challenging to know
what went wrong.
Some programmers work with Powerful machines
handling very large volumes of data which
they find exciting.
Programmers also are generally well paid.
Many programmers also find their work environment
very convenient.
As a programmer you are mostly indoors close
to other developers, powerful computers and
lots of free coffee.
Lastly this is a continuously evolving field
and in many ways, it offers us a glimpse of
the future.
With computer programming many aspects of
our lives have gotten easier, quicker, safer
and much more interesting.
Challenges of the Craft
Now let us look at the other side of the coin.
Software programming can be a high pressure
job.
You may work under tight deadlines given to
you by people who do not know the complexity
of the problem.
You could be working on mission critical systems
and be called at odd hours to fix issues.
Programming can also be frustrating.
Your code would usually be part of a larger
piece of software written by other developers.
Thus you would be spending time understanding
and re-writing code (if necessary) written
by others IN ORDER TO fit in your piece of
code.
Finally, as a computer programmer you are
usually in the background.
If a customer likes what they see, the credit
rarely gets to the programmer.
Prospects
Now let us talk about the prospects of being
a computer programmer.
One can spend their entire career in programming
if they chose too.
Typically you start as a junior programmer
and then with time move into the role of a
senior programmer.
With years of experience under your belt you
could become a programming architect.
An architect’s role comes with more authority
and responsibility.
He or she defines the architecture and technologies
of the system while the programmer is more
involved with implementing this architecture.
Programmers also branch out into other areas
such as project management and business analysis
among other roles.
So this brings us to the end of the session.
I hope you found it useful.
Good luck with your decision!
