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With a healthy dose of "why am I doing this again???"
Marc
Thyme In The CountryPeople are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith
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That's got to be the best custom text answer ever 
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Foxy 
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Indeed
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Your employer pays you in these[^]?
Cool  .
Software Zen: delete this;
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Gary Wheeler wrote: Your employer pays you in these[^]?
If you try to write that in English, I might be able to understand more than a fraction of it. - Guffa
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Hell, just about all of the above...!
I got into it because I enjoy it, I currently get paid for it, it is good money, I like new challenges and gaining new skills, and sometimes, I feel like I do not know what I am doing sitting in this cube! :P
Peace!
-=- James
If you think it costs a lot to do it right, just wait until you find out how much it costs to do it wrong!
Avoid driving a vehicle taller than you and remember that Professional Driver on Closed Course does not mean your Dumb Ass on a Public Road!
DeleteFXPFiles & CheckFavorites (Please rate this post!)
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James R. Twine wrote: and sometimes, I feel like I do not know what I am doing sitting in this cube!
The matrix has you... here... [gives mp5k] free your mind :P
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I have always been driven to design build something new. Learn something new. See how X works. Try to make it better than anyone has in the past. And with programming this usually means a lot of hours typing on an inexpensive computer and it is unlikely that you can be exposed to any danger..
In electronics (I am both an EE and a CS), the hobby is a lot more expensive and there is a lot more danger as its not likely that you are going to be zapped or burned when programming.
Last modified: 21mins after originally posted --
John
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A couple of low voltage electrocutions can convince anyone to stick to software 
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When I think of it my second worst experience with electricity (the first being accidentally touching a cow fence) was at my current programming job. We had an old high resolution experimental monitor for medical imaging that was not properly grounded so if you were not careful you could get a really nasty jolt. I am really happy we sent that to the trash instead of trying to fix it...
John
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Hmm. I worked on a job controlling a fluorescent light bulb manufacturing line once. At one end of the room, you have a blast furnace dumping out molten glass. 600 feet later, you have a solid piece of glass tube moving at about 5 feet per second that you're cutting to length using a fine spray of water. Our process did quality control, measuring the diameter of the glass.
The finishing end includes two arms under the glass. If the arms lift up, the freshly manufactured glass tube goes onto a conveyor to complete the manufacturing process. If the arms drop, the glass is dropped onto a different conveyor and sent back to the furnace.
The first time we ran our software in production, we discovered that the guys who installed the arms wired one of them backwards. When one arm lifted up, the other dropped. The end result was ten-foot pieces of hot glass getting thrown into the air at the rate of about one every 2 seconds or so.
Who says debugging isn't exciting?
Software Zen: delete this;
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Talking about a glamourous job!
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I was also an EE before I decided on getting a CS degree & moving over to software. My house is a lot cleaner now...and its been awhile since I put a DIP through my socks (ooowww!!!).
But now & then I will crank out a device & hook it up...I still get a kick out of watching a design light up & start talkin
Much cheaper to upgrade the compiler than the O-scope...yo
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How about these:
* You're always told what to do by someone else - graphic designer, HMI designer, client or whatever.
* Your skills are not transferrable - if you get into programming you just can't get out of it even if you want to, since you're too specialized.
* Lack of networking. It's hard to build new contacts: it's common to stay late at work which is hard on going out with friends and meeting new people; Professional contacts may be aquired only at some conference and even if so they don't really help you build your career only solve some problem that you can solve by yourself if you read a little bit more...
* Lack of soft skills. Usually you don't talk in front of many people or be a part of negotiations or lead 10+ people (programming teams are usually around 6 people and management of programing teams is not done by programmers)
I'd say it's a love/hate relationship... 
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Maybe someone should start a forum on these drawbacks
it would be interesting to find out what others think about it.
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Gosho1001 wrote: Your skills are not transferrable - if you get into programming you just can't get out of it even if you want to, since you're too specialized.
I don't agree - The skills of programming are transferrable. As a quick example: You need to take a problem and break it down in to smaller parts and work out what each of these need to do and if necessary repeat until the parts are small enough that you can do something with them. That skill applies to any form of problem solving. Divide and conquer, basically.
Gosho1001 wrote: Lack of networking. It's hard to build new contacts: it's common to stay late at work which is hard on going out with friends and meeting new people; Professional contacts may be aquired only at some conference and even if so they don't really help you build your career only solve some problem that you can solve by yourself if you read a little bit more...
I don't agree with this one. You can build contacts and it can help with career progression. However, you have to put yourself about at bit. I'm normally a bit shy and I find it difficult to start a conversation with someone. However, I occasionally do a talk which means that people approach me. As a result of speaking at conferences I have been offered work.
If you want to build your career through conferences then I suggest you create a presentation and pitch it at a level above where you are currently working. That way, you will be approached by people afterwards who may be able to help.
Gosho1001 wrote: Lack of soft skills. Usually you don't talk in front of many people or be a part of negotiations or lead 10+ people (programming teams are usually around 6 people and management of programing teams is not done by programmers)
This is often true in larger organisations.
If you want to build up soft skills and your current work environment doesn't allow it then join a group like Toastmasters[^]. I did that to improve my presentation skills, but they also have a leadership programme which I'm doing. I'm now the Vice President of Eduacation for my home club and Assistant Area Governor for Scotland. So, find a local club, join up, get settled in and come June next year when each club is electing their club officers put your name forward. I started as a Sergeant-at-Arms (all involves is ensuring the room is set up prior to the meeting and tidying up afterwards and welcoming any guests to the meeting). As (Assistant) Area Governor the goal is to grow the organisation within your area, start new clubs, ensure existing clubs are working properly, ensuring that clubs get together from time-to-time and so on.
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Colin Angus Mackay wrote: I don't agree - The skills of programming are transferrable. As a quick example: You need to take a problem and break it down in to smaller parts and work out what each of these need to do and if necessary repeat until the parts are small enough that you can do something with them. That skill applies to any form of problem solving. Divide and conquer, basically.
Exactly! There are many times when people turn to me for problem solving or putting together a system or plan because they know I'll be able to make sense of everything, divide and conquer, simplify, and build a coherent model. Programming is the main place where those skills were honed.
Colin Angus Mackay wrote: I'm normally a bit shy and I find it difficult to start a conversation with someone.
A lot of programmers are introverted - including me. Introverts focus more on internal thought processes and less on interacting directly with the outside world. It's generally not the best in social situations, but it also means that you work a lot on strong thinking skills and knowledge.
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Programming, nothing can beat it.
We made the buttons on the screen look so good you'll want to lick them. Steve Jobs
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Its atleast better than waisting time with chicks..........
d A n N y
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 Whooo, slow down, I think you take programming TOO seriously 
Who the f*** is General Failure, and why is he reading my harddisk?
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Why do I not find that suprising?;P
It's only when you look at an ant through a magnifying glass on a sunny day that you realise how often they burst into flames.
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The time I spend with chicks pays a heck of a lot better than the time I spend programming.
You may be right
I may be crazy
-- Billy Joel --
Within you lies the power for good, use it!!!
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PJ Arends wrote: The time I spend with chicks pays a heck of a lot better
Wow, I'm impressed.
Far better that they pay you, than you have to pay them.
Software Zen: delete this;
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