Advice From An Old Programmer

I would probably also like re-arranging chairs at a charity function. Or solving mathematical puzzles in books. I also love instrument flying, which is like real-time fluid dynamics where you die if you screw it up.

But I've come to understand that these are just properties of the types of people who grok computers -- detail-oriented, able to spend many hours in the zone, and in love with complexity. At some point, the "benefits" from this personality type become drawbacks. There are a lot of guys spending thousands of hours on code in their spare time that might help 3 people -- who are also programmers. I'm not saying this is a bad choice. It just seems to me like we programmers as a whole like trivial things and can spend most of our time on them as long as they tickle our analytic bone. Continuing my flying example, there have been cases of people flying airplanes into the sides of mountains in perfectly good weather while they were fiddling around with the flight computer. Many of us are doing the same thing -- only in very slow motion.

By the way, the fun part is learning the technology. The hard part is working with people to make something they want -- which is why it's about a million times more important.

I've recently starting to think that people have a fundamental need for hierarchy and what you might call "respect structures" and that if you deny them the job titles and corner offices then they just find other ways of projecting their status. In a way, I'd prefer the overt methods - so long as there's a route to getting there myself someday.

I'm sure you're well aware of this, but there's a ton of opportunity for even very simple programming to help in cases where people have never thought of programming as a possible solution. (This is how I contributed roughly $3MM of value to one company as a kid who barely knew how to program). On the other hand, it takes a lot more sophistication (I assume, don't have first-hand experience) to add value to a place that already recognizes the value of programming and automates their work.

That is the best thing in his advice column.

It's hard to pull off though. I started programming at 5 and am at a skill level comparable to this poster, but I studied biology in college with an eye to doing exactly this sort of thing. Then I discovered that bio is a Ph.D's only club and that you cannot get any kind of job in the industry if you don't at least have a Masters'. I didn't want to do this for various reasons (money, not liking school), so I found myself back in IT/programming where the pay was 3X higher than what I could get in the bio world with a BS only.

That's very interesting, and indeed seems to mark a certain personality type. Most people would see that exactly the other way around, that working with people is fun and easy, but the technical stuff is hard and extremely frustrating.

It depends completely on your skill and what you're used to. Almost all people tend to think their own area of expertise is easier compared to others and don't understand why other people don't get it like they do (which has a simple answer: years of experience).

There are a lot of guys spending thousands of hours on code in their spare time that might help 3 people -- who are also programmers

Nah, helping 3 people in your spare time is more than helping no one. You're right, if your goal is to help as many people as possible, programming isn't the right time sink. Better to sign up for some volunteer job. On the other hand, you could also be reading a book, playing a game or watching TV and helping exactly no one :)

Edit: and don't forget many non-programmers also spend their spare time on very trivial stuff. The problem is not exactly limited to technical people...