I’m not the smartest programmer out there. I’m certainly not the best. I don’t work for Google, Microsoft, or Amazon. I didn’t go to MIT, Yale, or Stanford, and I didn’t even major in Computer Science. I don’t know how to write a compiler, and I get fuzzy brained whenever I see a video game, knowing that there are programmers out there that can do that with their eyes closed.
I read The Pragmatic Programmer,Code Complete, and every book that gets recommended. I read about 20 programming books a year. I read 20 different blogs, and I participate on Stack Overflow. I am in awe of what some people know about C#. I know Perl, C#, and am learning C and Lisp. I make mistakes daily, and some days I feel like I’m climbing Mount Everest.
I know my constraints, and I work each day to push past them. With that in mind, I know that I’ll never be the guy that comes up with a new cryptographic algorithm, or finds a faster way to display graphics. But even with those limitations in mind, I can make a difference in programming:
I can make software that people love to use.
That’s my mantra, and that’s what I judge my work against.