Beyond basic mathematical aptitude, the difference between good programmers and great programmers is verbal ability.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Programming is one of the most difficult branches of applied mathematics; the poorer mathematicians had better remain pure mathematicians.
Most good programmers do programming not because they expect to get paid or get adulation by the public, but because it is fun to program.
In the beginning, there were Real Programmers.
Programmers can be lazy.
It is practically impossible to teach good programming to students that have had a prior exposure to BASIC: as potential programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration.
Programmers are in the enviable position of not only getting to do what they want to, but because the end result is so important they get paid to do it. There are other professions like that, but not that many.
It always helps to be a good programmer. It is important to like computers and to be able to think of things people would want to do with their computers.
Whether you're looking at manufacturing and the use of robotics or the knowledge industries, they need computer programmers.
Aptitude found in the understanding and is often inherited. Genius coming from reason and imagination, rarely.
The trouble with programmers is that you can never tell what a programmer is doing until it's too late.