At what point would you say that you became "good" at programming?

dotancohen 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

You never say that you become good at programming.

You let other people in the field say it. And that happens when it becomes accountable. For some it happens early in their career. For others, entire careers end and the words have never been said.

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nchmy 4 days ago | parent [-]

Humility and a desire to continually improve is, of course, essential in everything in life. But false humility - eg spending 52 years doing something and refusing to recognize some degree of skill - is just as bad as the lack of it. (I'm not saying the original commenter said this, but rather the people who responded in this vein)

And I say this while thoroughly enjoying a quote by one of the comedy greats, George Carlin, where he was quoted a legendary cellist, Pablo Casals, who kept practicing daily into his 90s, saying "I'm beginning to notice some improvement".

Recognizing your skill while also recognizing (perhaps even immense) potential for improvement are not mutually exclusive.

	▲	cindyllm 4 days ago \| parent [-]
		[dead]

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johnisgood 3 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Not parent, but after a couple of "finished", functioning projects. I still do not consider myself "good", I lack self-esteem, severely so. I believe everyone is better than I am, even if I am told otherwise. Unfortunately no matter who praises me, that praise has no effect on me. It is really debilitating though, as it stops me from having a job I would be good at, and that pays well, which I really do need as I have MS so my options are severely limited and the expenses keep piling up due to my illness.

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dabbz 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Anyone who claims they're good at programming is still learning. We're all just, more comfortable with nuances but still really bad at it. Programming rocks to do things correctly is hard.

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strken 4 days ago | parent [-]

I think it's fine to be "good at programming" given a specific context. If your neighbour says "Hey, my daughter likes computers and thinks she might want to program them as a career, are you any good at that?" then sure, whatever, you're good at programming and can send her some links to get started. If your coworker asks if you're any good with databases and you know he's learning SQL for the first time, then sure, whatever, you're good with databases and can teach him about CTEs.

I get that humility is a virtue, but at some point you have to admit that you're capable of doing a piece of work.

	▲	nchmy 4 days ago \| parent [-]
		Yeah, my question was are you "good", not are you the "greatest" programmer. Humility is absolutely necessary in any skill development (and in general), but false humility - such as has been on display by various responses - is just as bad as the lack of it.

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4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[deleted]

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sim7c00 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

never though id be good at programming. doing it for 20+ years now, not fulltime.

still feel like that lil kid. other ppls program humble me and teach me how little i know.

sure i understand more than i did when i started, but theres various reasons you're never 'there', and to me, i wonder if feeling you are good would even benefit you.

sure, you can still program C like in the 90s. Still write python like its on v2, or html and CSS like its 1999, but in reality to tap into the systems and their potential you need to constantly keep up. and i think its pretty much impossible to keep up with everything. there is so much, and more and more every day...

im a bad programmer. my bugs sometimes compute stuff!

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nurettin 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

If you've been finding elegant solutions to complex problems for a while and you feel like everything kinda repeats itself. (I'm not that good, still encountering completely new problems)

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kmoser 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

How do you define "good" at programming? Better than you were yesterday? Able to write code without looking up anything? More capable than a newbie?

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einpoklum 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

You become good at learning what you need; and also become a bit humble and avoid presuming you know best just because you've learened some things.

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3 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[deleted]

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wglb 3 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

One test is that you build a system that works and solves some problem, and that it keeps working.

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MangoToupe 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

When it puts food on the table.

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OldfieldFund 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

You can put food with barely any knowledge, just automating a few things. More true now with vibe coding, not sure in 3-4 years.

	▲	MangoToupe 4 days ago \| parent [-]
		More of an "ai operation" skill than being a good programmer, but yea that works

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Arisaka1 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

That's an awfully profit-scoped way to frame human competence and assumes profit as the end goal. What about hobbyists?

	▲	MangoToupe 4 days ago \| parent [-]
		My point is not to presume the competence of others (which, frankly, I don't care about outside of like Knuth and "are you making my life harder at work"), but to point out we should establish our own view of whether we're competent enough based on what our goals are. People tell me I'm a good programmer; I don't really see it. This used to bother me. It doesn't anymore because I've found other things to enjoy in life.

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amelius 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Does ramen 7 days/wk count as food on the table?

	▲	MangoToupe 4 days ago \| parent [-]
		Absolutely.