Programming come across to many as a profession which is boring and geeky. You would be deemed a ‘no-lifer’, as you do nothing in front of the computer for long hours except programming. In contrast to the general consensus on programming, I think it is a very challenging profession.
It requires more than just typing skills. You are not considered a programming guru just because you scored an ‘A’ grade by ripping a project done by a fellow classmate during your Polytechnic days. Strong logic, planning and a good analytical mind are a definite must.
Despite having a passion for programming, I believe I speak for the vast majority of programmers when I say that we share a love hate relationship with it. The grueling process of coding ultimately leads to a tremendous sense of achievement when we are able to obtain our objective. In rare occasions where we meet a stuck in a mud problem, a simple trip to the toilet or a good few hours of rest would get our minds moving into the right direction. Of course this only occurs if you have no problem grasping programming as a whole.
Language advancements
However regardless of which programming language you are dealing with, be it one of a server, browser or database, there is always going to be advancements. For e.g. functions being deprecated in favor of new ones which would utilize memory more efficiently. In short, we would have to find an alternative to the deprecated functions to obtain our objective.
My current theme; Minimoo is heavily enhanced by the MooTools Javascript framework. Despite knowing MooTools 1.2 would be in full swing in a very short period of time, I still stuck to coding with version 1.1 for stability. Less than 2 weeks after completing my theme, MooTools 1.2 was thrown in and I had to replace the deprecated functions with new ones as well as take another approach as there was a substantial difference between the 2 versions in the way they were constructed.
In cases whereby we have been so used to a particular version’s syntax and approach, we are totally lost when we are being smacked with something totally new. Such was the case in version 1.2, it took me a long time to come to terms with the differences between the two versions and eventually I managed to make use of the latest version to get it to do what the previous version managed.
Looking back, it was time needlessly wasted but in one way or another, it not only benefited the end users but the programmers as well.
As a programmer, what do you hate about programming?
Darran Low is a 22 year old sports enthusiast currently pursuing a Bachelor degree in Computer Science at the University of Adelaide and aspires to become a Web Developer in the near future. 
What I hate about programming is reading articles asking what I hate about programming.
Programming is definitely more than typing.
It’s compilers, memory allocation, threading, race conditions, algorithms, and so many other things. It requires to some degrees, familiarity with ICs, MCs, processors, and knowledge of how software integrates with the hardware it runs on. On another level, it requires good math and logic skills in order to push out algorithms that use the available resources as efficiently as possible.
It also uses a lot of creativity in order to surmount technical challenges or try completely new or unorthodox approaches.
I think it’s a wonderful field of study, just often misunderstood.
To laypersons, its hard to understand what exactly a programmer does. Most people I explain it to just end up rolling their eyes. The most simple explanation I can give them is that I make computers and machines do things.
Make computers and machines do things
That is the most delightful definition of programming I have come across so far.
J Kenneth King,
It is not misunderstood. Some people hate it for what is it, and some people like it. I for one, hate it, I wish programming was easier.
Hate all those guys who learn how to use – install an open source cms and think they are programming and internet gurus.
On the whole, I find coding, easy however programming is harder than just coding. I’m 15. (Just Turned) and what i hate about programming, is the judgement by others that you need good arithmetic skills. No doubt about it you need *maths* but my maths set at school is 5 out of 6 and it’s all down to my arithmetic being lower than my maths skills. Admittedly i’m new-ish to the field of proper programming, (only been doing it for 4 years. But I do think there isn’t enough suppourt for newbies out there, guides on the internet and in books just seem to confuse me, and to get to grips with any language- i need to just blindly start coding, until i get it, then I can start programming.
This is just my viewpoint, but if there’s any other young programmers out there, maybe we could start a forum…
I think it all depends on the type of programming you are actually dealing with. In web-based ones, I have yet to come across situations whereby I need to have a very strong Math foundation.
In every programming language, you need to have a clear idea how you want to approach the problem and then translate it into code.