Is Programming a creative Job?
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Is Programming a creative Job? I have been thinking creatively, but my work doesn't need it.
My take would be that it is as creative as, say, an architect. It's not about free-form artistry, or daubing paint at random to make something pretty. It's about the putting together of various materials to produce something that meets the requirements of the user. While one architect may just design a plain brick house, perfectly liveable but boring and not likely to win prizes, the more innovative architect may build a home out of unusual materials, with features such as low energy use, efficient water usage, glass walls with views, waterfalls and pools, whatever. The question is, does the customer get what they want at the end of the day?
MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
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Is Programming a creative Job? I have been thinking creatively, but my work doesn't need it.
Yup, it is. Finding a solution to a non-standard problem is very creative.
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Depends on what your role is: if you are a codemonkey churning out code to exact specification with no design input, then no, it isn't - and creativity will be rightly stamped on. If you are higher up the food chain, then it becomes increasingly creative, and increasingly technical, until the technical element starts to wither away and you become a manager. At that point you will never do anything creative (or possibly useful) ever again.
The universe is composed of electrons, neutrons, protons and......morons. (ThePhantomUpvoter)
:thumbsup: Took the words right out of my mouth. Your post could easily be mistaken as something written by Philip Adams. Love the way you have expressed it.
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
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:thumbsup: Took the words right out of my mouth. Your post could easily be mistaken as something written by Philip Adams. Love the way you have expressed it.
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
If you mean this Phillip Adams[^] then I've never heard of him - but I note he has a bibliography, I'll see if I can find one of his books. Thanks!
The universe is composed of electrons, neutrons, protons and......morons. (ThePhantomUpvoter)
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If you mean this Phillip Adams[^] then I've never heard of him - but I note he has a bibliography, I'll see if I can find one of his books. Thanks!
The universe is composed of electrons, neutrons, protons and......morons. (ThePhantomUpvoter)
No I elephanted Up. Sorry OG. What I meant to say was Douglas Adams, not Philip. Hope that this makes more sense now.
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
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No I elephanted Up. Sorry OG. What I meant to say was Douglas Adams, not Philip. Hope that this makes more sense now.
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
:laugh: I would be honoured to be mentioned in the same breath as the late, great DNA!
The universe is composed of electrons, neutrons, protons and......morons. (ThePhantomUpvoter)
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Is Programming a creative Job? I have been thinking creatively, but my work doesn't need it.
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Is Programming a creative Job? I have been thinking creatively, but my work doesn't need it.
from my standpoint the answer is a resounding YES. I know of more than just a few devs who have left positions due to lack of 'creative freedom'. That is: the ability to research, discover, and find new ways to solve problems they were facing in their current projects/solutions. Similarly, being able to learn new things and apply those findings to what you're working on is, in some what, being creative with new tools and discoveries. I think if you're in an area like computer science/software engineering, which changes SO rapidly, and aren't allowed to explore, learn, grow your skills as part of your job, your employer isn't focused on investing in you or helping you in your career. How much of that you're content with making up outside of work is up to you. If you can't do it at work, find a way to do it at home to satisfy that creative itch. Then do blog/site posts on what you discover so you get some publicity for your passions. CodeProject's a good place to do that :)
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No I elephanted Up. Sorry OG. What I meant to say was Douglas Adams, not Philip. Hope that this makes more sense now.
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read." Frank Zappa 1980
Funny enough it sounds like it could have come from a Scott Adams´s Dilbert strip too. Are all this Adams folks related? ;P
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Is Programming a creative Job? I have been thinking creatively, but my work doesn't need it.
Programming is construction work, that's what it really is. We're the carpenters and welders of the software industry. Does that involve creativity? Sure, sometimes a lot, so does plumbing (trust me, I've seen some creative plumbing).
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Is Programming a creative Job? I have been thinking creatively, but my work doesn't need it.
Rajesh Kariyavula wrote:
Is Programming a creative Job?
I have been thinking creatively, but my work doesn't need it.I've been at this for 37+ years and this is the only comparison (artist) that my wife has consistently made of the type of work I do.
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Is Programming a creative Job? I have been thinking creatively, but my work doesn't need it.
Sure it is, the best programmers/developers are highly creative people.
CEO at: - Rafaga Systems - Para Facturas - Modern Components for the moment...
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Is Programming a creative Job? I have been thinking creatively, but my work doesn't need it.
"Programming" has many parts. Designing is pure creative work. Writing code, not so much, more bean counter.. dot all the t's cross all the i's, sort of work. Debugging is detective work -- figure out what's going on from the clues, follow up on them by probing deeper inside the system (with a debugger) to reveal more clues, prioritize them, sometimes decide which ones are important and which to ignore. Debugging can also sometimes be scientific -- hypothesize on what the bug might be, design and run an experiment (code modification) to reveal if that is the bug, analyze results, although you could also consider it detective work -- stress the system to see if more clues to what's broken inside are revealed. I wish the lawyers would realize that SW engineers share a lot of the same thought processes as detectives, they'd never let us on juries :)
We can program with only 1's, but if all you've got are zeros, you've got nothing.
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Depends on what your role is: if you are a codemonkey churning out code to exact specification with no design input, then no, it isn't - and creativity will be rightly stamped on. If you are higher up the food chain, then it becomes increasingly creative, and increasingly technical, until the technical element starts to wither away and you become a manager. At that point you will never do anything creative (or possibly useful) ever again.
The universe is composed of electrons, neutrons, protons and......morons. (ThePhantomUpvoter)
OriginalGriff wrote:
if you are a codemonkey churning out code to exact specification with no design input, then no, it isn't
According to my Former Bitch Supervisor From HellTM you are wrong! It is up to you to be creative in producing code that conforms to the impossible specifications. Wait, did I type that last part out loud? I wish I remembered her exact words, but I wasn't yet hip to corporatese babbling. I used to save her e-mails that were mostly corporate weaselwords than actual information. But her point was that we were to creatively find ways to deliver code on their ever compressing time schedules and to be satisfied by doing that. Your reward for hard work was going to be harder work.
Psychosis at 10 Film at 11 Those who do not remember the past, are doomed to repeat it. Those who do not remember the past, cannot build upon it.
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Is Programming a creative Job? I have been thinking creatively, but my work doesn't need it.
I think an element of creativity goes into all code. Good code looks like art, put together beautifully and expressed clearly. Some people I've worked with lack this creative touch, and I find that it is something people kinda just have or don't...mostly because it's often very hard to teach or explain why a piece of code is beautiful. I think there is also an element of language proficiency that plays into how beautiful code looks. Having vocabulary and the skill to use it well helps you name methods/properties/variables more succinctly and accurately. It might not seem like a big deal, but small things like “size” vs “length” or “RemoveMatchedIfNotNull()” vs “FilterActiveResults()” end up making a big difference in how beautifully the code reads. I find this plays the most important role in library and framework design teams. I can tell when an API has been designed by someone with an eye for beautiful code who really thought about designing the optimal interface, versus someone who is just worried about banging out stuff that works. I bet some of the people reading this post will know exactly what I mean while others will think I’m nuts and babbling out of my ass. Based on my experience, that’s a good way to know which category you fit into ;)
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Programming is construction work, that's what it really is. We're the carpenters and welders of the software industry. Does that involve creativity? Sure, sometimes a lot, so does plumbing (trust me, I've seen some creative plumbing).
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Is Programming a creative Job? I have been thinking creatively, but my work doesn't need it.
It depends on who you work for.. Some employers just expect you to assemble a bunch of components with a little programming glue. So you're about as creative as an assembly line worker. Most times it is like an art form. Normal art has many styles.. Paint by number, Crud representation (i.e. amateur recreating what they see), Great representation (i.e. good artist recreating what they see), Crud creation (i.e. amateur creating from their mind), Great creation (i.e. good artist creating from their mind), Tossing a bucket of paint on a large canvas and calling it art, and probably a few more. And programing has similar styles (including the tossing a bucket one :laugh: ). Like art, some things can be taught, and some things can't. Things that can't come from experience or sometimes just innate talent.
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Is Programming a creative Job? I have been thinking creatively, but my work doesn't need it.
Generally speaking, I would say 'yes', but I think it depends on what kind of programming one is doing. If you are trying to construct 3D graphics from non-mesh primitives, or writing games as a solo-developer, for examples, then creativity may be stretched to the max. I guess much coding, however, simply implements more-or-less standard solutions/algorithms which may require some tweaking. Personally, for someone like myself who is a freelance/amateur I find programming very creative as I enjoy finding my own problems to solve. I also do odd small jobs for clients, which leaves the nature of the solution largely open, and so I find this quite creative too. I have no experience of working in a team of developers, but I imagine that breaking work down into managed chunks and distributing these to several devs probably takes much of the creativity out of the hands of the coder - in other words I imagine that it becomes more of a chain-production process. Correct me if I am wrong.
