Most businesses end up hiring programmers at one point or another. A question you will soon face is whether you are expecting the same thing as they are offering.
The basic service provided by programmers has not changed since the early days of punch cards. The programmer is still the one who prepares the instructions for the magical machine known as the computer. This is a two step process. The intended function has to be understood and the logic of it available in a human understood language, but it must be coded into a computer in a manner that the computer can understand and process. This has not changed, but rather become more and more complex.
The expectations of programmers has changed as the complexity increased. It was necessary that the programmer become more quality aware, even a bit more competitive. It was not enough just to write and code a program, but the program had to meet certain criteria in order to be feasible. Efficiency became an important concept to the programmer. A good program did not merely work, but worked in the most efficient manner. This would include the best use of available hardware and the least drain on memory and processing resources.
The program had to have reliability. A program that failed or malfunctioned frequently was going to be worthless. Although it was impossible to reach an error free perfection, the programmer needed to set his sights there and shoot to come as close as possible. The debugging of programs became an increasingly important role of the programmer. Once a system was installed and a program in operation, it became essential to keep it running. The programmer’s work did not end with the coding of the program.
A good program needed readability and portability as well. In some cases, a program might be written for a very specific environment, but in the majority of cases, it must be compatible with a large number of different devices and able to be easily understood by almost any computer.
The basic task of the programmer has not changed, but his specific responsibilities have evolved greatly. The rapid movement forward of technological knowledge has created a demand for qualified programmers. This demand will only be increasing in the near future and the role of the programmer will continue to evolve. It is impossible to imagine the place that the programmer will occupy in the future, but it is certain that it will be right in the center of the computer picture.
Aazdak Alisimo writes about computer programming issues for ProgrammingCompanies.com, where you can find programming companies for your simple and complex projects.
