When to stop programming?

It has been about 2-3 years since I started programming. Now also work as a programmer. Somehow I like code and solutions how it is used, what you can create with it, I especially like Windows programming, because you create something "visible". On the other hand, it is not a passion for me.

First I liked programming but when I realised that I am not a very good problem solver, I started to think that maybe I should do something else. It is a bit different in home than at work, when everything must happen at once, you cant worry one thing too long. I nearly always find the problem, but usually I do not know how to fix it. This is major problem when fixing something already done, because you might break some logic. Also editing code is _much_ simpplier than starting from blank screen.

What do you think, is there ( for example testing or helpdesk) some other vacancies in software industry where you can work without outstanding capabilities of problem solving? Or am I just rookie?

 

There's always requirements work if you want to stay in the software engineering realm. I can't think of many technical fields, especially in regards to programming, that doesn't involve some problem solving. Maybe translating pseudo code to a specific language (a code monkey)?

 

Programming is nothing comparing with analyzing the system

 

Never Surrender

Even if you think you are not a good programmer that's not an excuse , no one is perfect .

Some people yes have it in there blood , but that doesn't mean you can't learn .

usually the way it work is you have a problem you learn how to fix it , next time this problem occur you are an expert in solving it .

The more problem you solve the more expert you become .

 

Hazza,

Sounds like a good time to move on. How about Project Manager or Sales and Marketing.

 

Listen to your heart. You are better off doing something you like because you are going to be doing it for a very long time.

I started life as a journalist. I became a grain trader. I made great money but the job was too easy for me and no fun. I returned to writing. I taught myself to program in C/C++. I love writing. I might like coding a little more. But, I see it as poetry which generates a desired result instead of ppoetry which might be understood. Machines are sometimes better audiences than people

I make much less money than I would if I had stuck with trading, but I no longer hate Mondays.

 

Don't do anything that you don't have a passion for, especially something like programming that requires you to be at the top of your game. Because you really need to have drive to be up the late night that you inevitably will.

Regards,
Ken

 

well said ... if there were no end-users the IT industry would be a great place to work!

 

It is true, that when you take the first look for something, it seems sometimes confusing and it gets easier time after time. I work at eBusiness and I do not know a shit about business stuff, maybe a bit more about programming. So, it is quite hard to solve problems, because you do not know the environment. Some how I feel that there are a lot misunderstanding and general confusion in eBusiness.

Well, you can learn that, but meanwhile it is _very_ hard to stay focus all day... This means that I cannot solve even the simpliest problems, because consentration level is 0.

 

Effort is the key. But put your efforts in right direction. Try your skills in field of your interest.

As mentioned by commandos "Some people yes have it in there blood", but even those guys stuck at some points.

I have not done my Graduate yet, I had to leave my studies right after my high school days but I worked hard in learning programming myself and I managed to learn it. Why b/c this was my field of interest.

 

Well, I'm not too sure but seems this is true... "No one is perfect. If one were perfect, he would be prepared for heaven. As long as we are not perfect, we have a work to do to get ready to be perfect".

 

if you dont feel like you're in the right spot for a few years now, maybe better to move on.. you can only fight it so much.. doesnt mean that you surrender, just realized that it's not for you. sure.. you can work really hard and be good at anything (potentially),, but will that make you happy?

 

If you like finding problems, working out what is wrong etc (e.g. when debugging code you first have to find the problem and work it out before you can fix it), you might want to try working as a software tester. This is where the programmer writes the code, but then someone else (you!) will test it to make sure it does what it is supposed to do and that there are no bugs - if you find any you tell the programmer what is wrong and they fix it!

 

Have you tried looking at some of the tools & techniques that can help? If you're concerned about breaking existing code during a change, then how about trying test-driven development. I've also found that TDD helps when sitting in front of a blank screen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test-driven_development

You may also want to take a look at Behaviour Driven Development - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behaviour_driven_development

 

as long as you love what you are doing stay on it. also stay on one language as much as possible.

 

I agree. If i didn't love to come to work everyday and program, then I wouldn't.

After all, who wants to hate their job?

Having said that, I wouldn't recommend trying to become an 'Code Monkey'. Corporate America loves these guys. Code Monkeys are people who just sit and type whats put in front of them without any concepts at all. Definitely the way to hate your job quickly. Before you know it, you have worked in the same place, doing the same thing for years, and you still aren't really learning.

No problem has one solution. Just as there are countless ways to solve a problem, there are countless ways to program for any given situation. It is learning why you choose certain solutions over others that increases your knowledge.

Think about it, there are plenty IT related careers that do not require programming.

"Life is like a try/catch statement, nested within a loop." (I just thought of that one!)