Things Every Programmer Must Do
Go Hard
A programmer without passion is pretty much useless. As this poster quotes, Productivity Stems From Passion. (Scroll down, the website sucks for product linking.) If you don’t have passion for your creations, you’re pretty much doomed. Notice that I didn’t say code or design; products are the lifeblood of any developer. Thousands of lines of source or amazing designs are useless if they aren’t, well, used in projects. If you are not passionate about the end result of your work, you’re going to end up writing an uninspired invoice system that barely allows printing without an annoying dialog box.
Put in Work
There are too many sources to quote, but programmers who don’t program are essentially useless. You must create, and you must code. Writing a solution reveals the subtle logic flaws in your implementation and forces you to think deeper about the problem. I’m not endorsing going out there and coding something up cowboy style, but there is a point when the only thing that can be done is code. Great programmers write a lot of code. Practice makes perfect.
Rep Your Set
In this sense, “set” is essentially your community or project. This doesn’t essentially mean that you need to run out and start religious wars about your chosen technology stack (LAMP [linux, apache, mysql, php], WINS [windows, iis, .net, sql server]), but to be proud of the software you produce. Products without developer pride are counter-productive; if you aren’t proud of what you’re doing, take a step back and re-evaluate your solution or design. You can only code a lie for so long.
