Coding Horror: How To Become a Better Programmer by Not Programming

Jeff Atwood from Coding Horror blog fame, has a good essay entitled "How To Become a Better Programmer by Not Programming".

He contends, and I tend to agree, that you can tell early in someone's career if they are a good programmer or not. No amount of time and experience will magically convert someone that does not have the aptitude and attitude.

Being always at work does not make you a better programmer per se. You have to sometimes take a distance and smell the roses. He quotes Bill Gates' comments from 1986 that still apply today.

Am I a good programmer? I think so. Am I an excellent programmer? No. I am not even close to the best skilled developers out there. I can hold my own as my 20+ years in the business can attest. I have developed in many languages and for many companies, but I cannot consider myself to be at the top, or even close to it. I do know a few programmers (very few) which I consider to be at the top of the trade, as I've seen their work.

Read his article and see if you agree. In the meantime, I have a tricky SQL-Server Stored Procedure I'm working on that I must finish.


[Update]: fixed typos