When did programming start to suck?
OK, it doesn't really suck. Seriously, I love to program. I've been learning to program since I was 19 years old way back in 1972. That is so long ago that I had to go look it up. I worked as a programmer, or a software engineer, or a software development manager, or a Computer Scientist, or even as a Subject Matter Expert for decades after that. Now, I teach programming and I write about programming.
But, somewhere in there I became aware that programming sucks. I was sitting in bed on a Sunday morning eating bacon and toast, reading the news paper, drinking a cup of coffee when I turned to my wife and said “You know, programming sucks.” I've spent several years trying to figure out how something I enjoy doing so much can possibly suck. What happened was that I was reading the want ads. Reading want ads is a great way to keep track of what is going on in your area or any area. And after reading the description of each job posting I said to my self, “that looks really boring”. When I finished reading the ads I said “You know, programming sucks”.
You see, deep down I was balancing the boredom I would face doing the same old project for the umpteenth time versus the management bullshit I would have to put up with to get the job. On balance the bullshit was much greater than the fun.
I've identified several things that make programming suck. Here are a few of the reasons:
- Bad management.
- The never ending search for the silver bullet.
- Deliberate complication
- Nonprogrammers see it as magic.
What to do about it? Well, I wish I had something as pithy to say as Cartman's famous "Screw you guys... I'm going home!", but, I don't. That statement of Cartman's is so great because it states his attitude and then specifies a measurable action. Bitching, with out action, is pointless.
So, I started TheGrumpyProgrammer.com. A site where I am going to post projects that I want to do done the way I want to do them. And, I am occasionally going to bitch about something and try to always suggest an action we can take to correct the problem.
Bob Pendleton
TheGrumpyProgrammer.com