As with every other job, we guess it is pretty much common to have some misconceptions about day-to-day work done by any professional. When it comes to programmers, many see it as a field for computer and video games geeks. Or mathematics geniuses.
In this post, we will try to address some of the most heard misconceptions about software developers, and hopefully, we will succeed in busting some of the myths. Or at least in providing some more valid insight for those who at some point would like to embark on this career path.
*If you would like to add any to the list, do not hesitate to write to us and we will involve it in the updated version of this blog post.
Fix my printer
Or any part of hardware equipment for that matter. Although some CS computers sometimes offer some basics of the under the hood functionality, mostly related to memory storage logic, the job of a software developer definitely does not involve repairing a laptop, and even less the printer. :)
You can hack anyone’s account, right?
Black hoodies. A dark room. The computer screen gives only light. Quick typing. And Google is at your mercy. Hardly. Not going into complex topics now, but most software developers do not spend their time trying to hack any platform. There are programmers who will try and find the bug, report it to the support, and get credits for the patch because that is something that is worth bragging about. And most of them you meet are just trying to build awesome apps that will work as reliably as possible and help people solve a problem they are facing.
Become an expert after 3 months of coding
A catchy phrase offered by many coding schools. Well, spoiler alert. Hate to disappoint you, but 3 months period hardly made an expert in any field without a good base no matter which profession which we are talking about. Certainly, you have to start somewhere and it is great if you enter some 3 months or even a year curriculum. It will probably give you good structure and guidelines for further development and learning. But you will need to spend a lot longer hours sitting and trying to solve various problems before you dare to call yourself an expert.
Sit behind the screen and just code
The Eat – Sleep – Code – Repeat mantra is often used as an internal joke among the developers themselves. But it is hardly the common practice. It’s more of wishful thinking. In fact, many programmers will find themselves in more meetings than they would actually like to participate in. This is especially true since the Agile methodology became the standard. Daily meetings, sprint planning every two weeks, 1:1 meets, discussing the concepts within the team both 1:1 or as a group, conversations with different stakeholders, contemplating about the concept and its effects on both the old code and the future plan of the product – it all takes a lot of time and energy. And what working hours are left in between can be used for mere coding.
Programmers are filthy rich
Some people dream of becoming software developers so as to spend holidays in exotic places, coding under the palm trees, in the middle of the woods, or spend all the time in the game rooms. Sorry to burst that bubble for you, but these are exactly the places where you can hardly find any programmers. :)
Yes, some of them like to travel and enjoy, and you can find them in co-working spaces or working as digital nomads who follow the news about gaming. But – hey would you take your laptop to the beach? :)
Programmers are anti-social
As is the case with all generalizations, this one is simply not true. Are there programmers who are introverts? Will you find there are software developers who prefer to work in an office with a smaller group of people? Do programmers hate speaking in bigger meetings? Or are these valid questions in the first place?
Sure, like in any other group of people, there will be some who are introverted and some who are extroverted, so we would not apply this subheading specifically to the IT department of the company.
And besides personal preferences, especially in the times of remote and hybrid working, collaboration and (over)communication are absolutely essential.
Apart from these myths, you can read more about skills that programmers need to nurture constantly in another blog post.
