Programmers of the past

[tlw1145]

I was (and still am) an electronics technician. I got roped into programming in 1973 when no one else wanted to do it! I would probably be fixing them.

[GABBYNERD]

They would have been Philosophers, which is to say they would have been BS artists (according to Mel Brooks -> History of the World Part I);P The whole "Did you BS today? No! Did you BS yesterday? No!", goes nicely with the Analysis and Design phase.

[Jorge Varas]

Not for Simba!

[brainiac2005]

I never would have been an electrical engineer; I really don't like that stuff. I like figuring out how to write programs as well as numbers, logic puzzles, and Sudoku's, so I probably would have been some kind of financial analyst who did Sudoku's puzzles for fun. ~The Chad

Respectfully, Chad Johnson Tools Programmer

[Jasmine2501]

Yeah me too... I have cooked in all kinds of places and put myself through college working at a steakhouse. I don't cook much these days though, not even for myself. If I do, it's cookies or candy or something like that. It wasn't a conscious decision though... it was the job that I could get, and then later I found out I liked it and progressed to higher positions. If I had the choice, I probably would have chosen something else.

"Quality Software since 1983!"
http://www.smoothjazzy.com/ - see the "Programming" section for freeware tools and articles.

[rider33]

jejejejeje, i had the same propuse in my life, to be a chef ;P, but a computer came to my life and everything change :-D. How else have the same history???

join me

[Mcsquare]

I've noticed that many programmers are also musicians. There seems to be a correlation between people good with math and an aptitude for music. Not true in my case, but then I never had the chance to take music lessons as a child. So, musicians or accountants seem likely professions. The part of programming I personnally enjoy is debugging. To me it's kinda like solving a good mystery before you get to the end of the book. So maybe I would have been a detective. In reality though, being female, prior to the 1950's, I would probably have been a stay at home mom.

[patbob]

Most of them were electrical engineers. Prior to that, it was probably something in the automotive space (early adopters through hot rod enthusiasts).

patbob

[Chris Kaiser]

Well, I started out with carpentry, music, and math. So, something to do with one of those.

This statement was never false.

[iscottj]

I think today's software developers would be a tradesman. I'm thinking I would be a blacksmith or a printer.

[Lost User]

Pyramid Designers (RE: think of the calculation that had to be made to align the pyramids and Sphinx up with various constellation.)

Shohom67

[Vasudevan Deepak Kumar]

Accounts section in offices, Chefs, Bank Officers ...

Vasudevan Deepak Kumar Personal Homepage Tech Gossips

[Jeremy T Fuller]

I was a restaurant manager (including lots of cooking) before I started programming professionally.

[nunubat]

Back then I think I've spent my days punching Hollorith cards, or sliding my slide rule. Or if I was born before that... working the coal mines.

[A man with a plan]

I think mostly programmers build things so possibly builders and there are many things you can build, if I wasn't a programmer I think I would be a mechanical or civil engineer. But usually people build a tool or whatever to solve a problem or reduce work.

Solution architect MS-Windows .NET SQL Server / Oracle

[Ian Dennis]

I've also known a number of musicians who have become programmers. They tell me it's because of the similarities between writing a symphony and writing code (artistry while conforming to rules), also programmers can see exactly how their code runs, but musicians will probably never be able to hear how their symphany is supposed to sound (unless they can afford to hire a full orchestra).

[JDL EPM]

I would have been a farmer, except my Dad said I was too smart. Boy, was he wrong!