How do you portray to non programmers what programming involves?

Posted by JD Isaacks on Programmers See other posts from Programmers or by JD Isaacks
Published on 2010-10-20T14:17:33Z Indexed on 2013/10/27 16:00 UTC
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non-programmers

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terminology

I get casually asked a lot to take a couple days to teach someone how to program. Most people really think they can learn what I know in a few days. When I tell them I have been doing this for many years and I can't teach them to be a programmer in a few days, they look at me like I am being a jerk and just don't want to help them.

I think this is because when I say I am a programmer, or I programmed this. I truly think most people do not realize that I mean I wrote the code that makes it up. I think that they think I mean I configured it, like when you say, "I programmed my VCR."

Does anyone else think this? Whats your experience?

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