iamacp.com – I Am A Computer Programmer
All about the daily work issues of a Java/J2EE Computer Programmer

Being successful is something that comes only with hard work and persistence. Throughout my career I have encountered many struggles. My Top 3 Struggles As A Programmer  can be best described as the below:

• People That Know More Than You -  Yes, believe it or not you will encounter many people that know more than you. Does it really matter? I have found that as long as you show value and dedication to the job it really does not matter. Programmers of all levels and experiences have value and can contribute to a company. It may be the dedication to complete a project or just the insight on a issue.

• People That Try To Tell You How To Control Your Career – Listen up, only you should control your career and make the decisions regarding it. Make your own decisions. If something goes wrong or right you take responsability for your own actions.  Those that try to give advice that have no career are the ones that give the worst advice whether it is wanted or not. They are jealous of your success. Those are the same people who will attempt to take advantage of you when they can.

• How To Do The Job – I have worked at around a half a dozen companies in the past few years mostly doing consulting work . I never know what to expect. At first it was coding and understanding the business. Now the major difficulty is understanding the requirements. A programmer will always struggle to get the job done that’s the way it goes. It gets easier the longer you have worked with a companies seemingly complex system.

The  ways above are My Top 3 Struggles As A Programmer.

I’m  finally starting to see more results of my effort to reach my goal to read 50 books within the next 5 years.   I just finished reading  The Productive Programmer by Neal Ford . This is a great book that has excellent advice on how to become a productive programmer. It has lots of time savings tips and ways to enhance your productivity programming.

My goal is now 6% ( (100% / 50) * 3 Books) completed.   Now I just have to finish the next 47 books and my goal will be achieved.

It’s hard to believe that it’s 2010 already. It seems just like it was 2000 only a few short years ago.  I am sitting here in my parents house anxiously awaiting my return back down south to enjoy the nice mild Florida winter. This year is gonna be awesome. There are so many things I’d like to accomplish personally and professionally  I know that I will continue to grow and become the best programmer I can be and continue to reach my goal of reading 50 books in the next 5 years.

I’m also approaching the 2nd anniversary of starting this blog in March.  I can’t believe I’ve been blogging for almost 2 years now. Time sure does fly when you’re busy.

Have a happy and safe  New Year’s 2010!