Many great Tech Personnel and programmers who have had many great invention and innovations have emerged in this world, and many are still emerging, but do you know that many of these people have character traits common to them? Exciting, isn’t it? To think that you might have some personality traits similar to the big tech gurus you’ve been looking up to, like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Thomas J. Watson etc.
Let’s explore these Character traits together.
1. A Vast Amount of Patience
Above other things, a successful programmer must have an almost infinite amount of patience.
That’s because programming isn’t easy to learn, and even the best programmers run into stubborn bugs, logical problems, and other issues in their projects.
When this happens, the only way to get through it is to keep working.
This trait is almost always in abundance among the most successful programmers.
The best of them even seem to enjoy the challenge of becoming stuck on a programming problem.
Patience is so important in programming that it’s safe to say it’s the single most important skill to have today.
While patience isn’t something you can force yourself to learn, it is something you can develop if you have a strong enough interest in the work you’re doing. So, if you’re not the most patient person but enjoy the logic and structure of coding, stick with it to see how far you can get.
2. Ability to Pay Attention to Details
Programming is not a task for people who don’t sweat the small stuff because of the complexities involved. Instead, it is a practice in paying attention to the smallest details.
That’s because small coding errors can quickly snowball into much larger problems, and not all of them will be obvious until you run your program and get an unexpected result.
3. A High Degree of Creativity
In contrast to the rigid, logic-driven image that programmers conjure in the popular imagination, great programmers are some of the most creative people on the planet.
Creativity has the strongest correlation to programming ability of any personality trait, according to studies.
When you think about it, that makes perfect sense.
After all, the primary task of programmers is to devise new ways to solve problems through the code they write, and what could be a more creative endeavor than that?
In the real world, the best programmers are always the ones who surprise their colleagues by taking a novel approach to the problems they’re tasked with solving, or by approaching every problem in a novel way that everyone else is approaching from a different perspective.
So, if you seek solutions that others may dismiss out of hand, or if you are used to receiving puzzled looks from those around you when you respond to questions, programming may be right up your alley.
4. An Innate Desire to Learn
The final critical personality trait that every great programmer must possess is an insatiable curiosity and a desire to learn everything possible.
The reason for this should be obvious, but in case it isn’t, consider this: almost anyone can become somewhat adept at programming if they’re willing to put in the time, but to stay great in a field that’s changing and advancing all the time – you have to want it enough to learn every scrap of new information you can get your hands on.
That eagerness to learn should extend far beyond programming knowledge.
That’s because programming is the type of field where it’s all too easy to get lost in the complexities of the work and become stagnant. Isolated from almost everything else. The best programmers have rich and diverse interests outside their field, and they need those interests to keep them grounded and prevent the aforementioned burn-out that is so common in their line of work.
In reality, there’s no way to know how well you’ll do as a programmer until you try.
Nonetheless, it’s no coincidence that the best programmers all share the traits listed above.
It’s simply easier to succeed in a difficult field like programming with them, and you’d struggle without them.
So, to all aspiring programmers wondering, “Is computer science difficult?” the answer is simple: yes. It’s a resounding yes. It’s just that if you have the right attitude, aptitude, and passion for the job, it won’t be difficult.
Perhaps challenging, but in the way that all good careers should be.
If you’re not a good fit, you might find yourself sitting in a computer lab at 3 a.m., wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into, and you might want to reconsider.
So fellas, are you a patient person, do you pay attention to details, are you creative, and lastly, do you have that innate desire to learn? If your answer to these are positive, then you might as well give programming a try. The good news is, these traits can be cultivated and learned, you don’t have to have it perfect. Just be determined and always strive for the best, you never can tell the vast amount of innovations you can come up with.
