There are lots of ways to learn software programming languages and computer science. This book is about the other part of software programming: What do they do all day? What are the skills programmers use and need to know?
When you hear the word “programmer,” what do you think about? Most people think of Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg or college students starting a software company in their dorm rooms.
Reality for most programmers is very different. There are NASA programmers, for example, who write software to convert data sent from places like Saturn and Mars into photographs. Other programmers work on software that trade stocks in milliseconds. Pick any industry — sports, fashion, manufacturing, education, health, finance — and lots of people work to create software to solve problems in that industry.
More interesting, there are many different kinds of software. There are websites, for example, and software embedded in hardware that goes in your car or home. Operating systems like Windows need to be updated. Services like Facebook rely on software to manage your information across thousands of servers in data centers around the world. Security software protects hardware and software. And, of course, video games, robots, and artificial intelligence use software.
Through lots of interviews with programmers, as young as 16 and people who started programming in the 1970s, this book gives you an idea of how programmers think and how they got to where they are today. Quizzes help reinforce the information about what personality traits are common among programmers, as well as the differences between the many types of programming.
This book also is easy to read. It’s a great way to introduce (and imagine) the real life of software programmers. Kids age 8 on up, and adults, should find the book quick, fun, and thorough with lots of useful insights. This book should be in every library for kids to discover and read.
Learn More
So You Want to be a Coder?
This Simon & Schuster book site has a sample plus links to purchase.
http://books.simonandschuster.com/So-You-Want-to-Be-a-Coder/Jane-(J-M-)-Bedell/Be-What-You-Want/9781582705804
Don’t Call Yourself a Programmer
Long, funny, totally accurate, with lots of inside coding jokes.
http://www.kalzumeus.com/2011/10/28/dont-call-yourself-a-programmer/
So You Want to be a Programmer?
Shorter essay but equally thoughtful about the reasons people become programmers.
http://blog.codinghorror.com/so-you-want-to-be-a-programmer/
Why Can’t Programmers.. Program?
Many well educated programmers stumble on basic skills.
http://blog.codinghorror.com/why-cant-programmers-program/
6 Signs that You are not Meant to be a Programmer
Programming skills are useful in other jobs and careers.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-signs-meant-programmer/
