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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about people who write computer software. For other uses, see Programmer
(disambiguation).

"Coder" redirects here. For other uses, see Coder (disambiguation).

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these
issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these
messages)

This article possibly contains original research. (January 2022)

This article may contain citations that do not verify the

text. (September 2020)

This article may incorporate text from a large language model. (July
2025)

Computer programmer
 Betty Jennings and Fran Bilas, part of the
first ENIAC programming team

Occupation

Names Computer Programmer

Occupation type Profession

Activity sectors Information technology, Software

industry

Description

Competencies Writing and debugging computer

code

Education Varies from apprenticeship to

required bachelor's degree, or self-taught

A programmer, computer programmer or coder is an author of computer source code –

someone with skill in computer programming.

The professional titles software developer and software engineer are used for jobs that
require a programmer.

Identification

Sometimes a programmer or job position is identified by the language used or target

platform. For example, assembly programmer, web developer.

Job title
The job titles that include programming tasks have differing connotations across the
computer industry and to different individuals. The following are notable descriptions.

A software developer primarily implements software based on specifications and fixes bugs.
Other duties may include reviewing code changes and testing. To achieve the required skills
for the job, they might obtain a computer science or associate degree, attend a programming
boot camp or be self-taught.

A software engineer usually is responsible for the same tasks as a developer plus broader
responsibilities of software engineering including architecting and designing new features and
applications, targeting new platforms, managing the software development lifecycle (design,
implementation, testing, and deployment), leading a team of programmers, communicating
with customers, managers and other engineers, considering system stability and quality, and
exploring software development methodologies.

Sometimes, a software engineer is required to have a degree in software

engineering, computer engineering, or computer science. Some countries legally require an
engineering degree to be called engineer.[1][2][3]

History

Ada Lovelace is considered by many to be the first computer

[4]
programmer.

British countess and mathematician Ada Lovelace is often considered to be the first computer
programmer. She authored an algorithm, which was published in October 1842, for
calculating Bernoulli numbers on the Charles Babbage analytical engine.[4] Because the
machine was not completed in her lifetime, she never experienced the algorithm in action.
In 1941, German civil engineer Konrad Zuse was the first person to execute a program on a
working, program-controlled, electronic computer.[5] From 1943 to 1945, per computer
scientist Wolfgang K. Giloi and AI professor Raúl Rojas et al., Zuse created the first, high-level
programming language, Plankalkül.[6][7]

Members of the 1945 ENIAC programming team of Kay McNulty, Betty Jennings, Betty
Snyder, Marlyn Wescoff, Fran Bilas and Ruth Lichterman have since been credited as the first
professional computer programmers.[8][9]

The software industry

Main article: Software industry

The first company founded specifically to provide software products and services was
the Computer Usage Company in 1955. Before that time, computers were programmed either
by customers or the few commercial computer manufacturers of the time, such as Sperry
Rand and IBM.[10]

The software industry expanded in the early 1960s, almost immediately after computers were
first sold in mass-produced quantities. Universities, governments, and businesses created a
demand for software. Many of these programs were written in-house by full-time staff
programmers; some were distributed between users of a particular machine for no charge,
while others were sold on a commercial basis. Other firms, such as Computer Sciences
Corporation (founded in 1959), also started to grow. Computer manufacturers soon started
bundling operating systems, system software and programming environments with their
machines; the IBM 1620 came with the 1620 Symbolic Programming System and FORTRAN.[11]

The industry expanded greatly with the rise of the personal computer (PC) in the mid-1970s,
which brought computing to the average office worker. In the following years, the PC also
helped create a constantly growing market for games, applications and utility software. This
resulted in increased demand for software developers for that period of time. [12]

Nature of the work

Computer programmers write, test, debug, and maintain the detailed instructions,
called computer programs, that computers must follow to perform their functions.
Programmers also conceive, design, and test logical structures for solving problems by
computer. Many technical innovations in programming — advanced computing technologies
and sophisticated new languages and programming tools — have redefined the role of a
programmer and elevated much of the programming work done today. Job titles and
descriptions may vary, depending on the organization.[13]
Programmers work in many settings, including corporate information technology (IT)
departments, big software companies, small service firms and government entities of all sizes.
Many professional programmers also work for consulting companies at client sites
as contractors. Licensing is not typically required to work as a programmer,
although professional certifications are commonly held by programmers.[13] Programming is
considered a profession.[14][15][16]

Programmers' work varies widely depending on the type of business for which they are
writing programs. For example, the instructions involved in updating financial records are very
different from those required to duplicate conditions on an aircraft for pilots training in
a flight simulator. Simple programs can be written in a few hours. More complex ones may
require more than a year of work, while others are never considered 'complete' but rather are
continuously improved as long as they stay in use. In most cases, several programmers work
together as a team under a senior programmer's supervision.[17]

Types of software

Programming editors, also known as source code editors, are text editors that are specifically
designed for programmers or developers to write the source code of an application or a
program. Most of these editors include features useful for programmers, which may include
color syntax highlighting, auto indentation, auto-complete, bracket matching, syntax check,
and allows plug-ins. These features aid the users during coding, debugging and testing.[18]

Globalization

The examples and perspective in this section deal primarily with the
United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the
subject. You may improve this section, discuss the issue on the talk
page, or create a new section, as appropriate. (December
2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Market changes in the UK

According to BBC News, 17% of computer science students could not find work in their field
six months after graduation in 2009 which was the highest rate of the university subjects
surveyed while 0% of medical students were unemployed in the same survey. [19]

Market changes in the US

After the crash of the dot-com bubble (1999–2001) and the Great Recession (2008), many U.S.
programmers were left without work or with lower wages.[20][21][22] In addition, enrollment in
computer-related degrees and other STEM degrees (STEM attrition)[23] in the US has been
dropping for years, especially for women,[24][22] which, according to Beaubouef and Mason,
[25]
could be attributed to a lack of general interest in science and mathematics and also out of
an apparent fear that programming will be subject to the same pressures as manufacturing
and agriculture careers. For programmers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
Occupational Outlook originally predicted a growth for programmers of 12 percent from 2010
to 2020[26] and thereafter a decline of -7 percent from 2016 to 2026, a further decline of -9
percent from 2019 to 2029, a decline of -10 percent from 2021 to 2031. [13] and then a decline
of -11 percent from 2022 to 2032.[27] The current prediction for 2024 to 2034 is a decline of -6
percent. Since computer programming can be done from anywhere in the world, companies
sometimes hire programmers in countries where wages are lower.[13] If domestic demand has
increased, it is mainly to replace existing programmers who have retired or switched
occupations.[28] However, for software developers BLS projects current growth at 17% [28] that is
down from their prediction from 2019 to 2029 of a 22% increase in employment, from
1,469,200 to 1,785,200 jobs with a median base salary of $110,000 per year. This prediction is
lower than the earlier 2010 to 2020 predicted increase of 30% for software developers. [29][30]
[21]
Though the distinction is somewhat ambiguous, software developers engage in a wider
array of aspects of application development and are generally higher skilled than
programmers, making outsourcing less of a risk.[31][32] Another reason for the decline for
programmers is their skills are being merged with other professions, such as developers, as
employers increase the requirements for a position over time (i.e. Full-stack developer). Then
there is the additional concern that recent advances in artificial intelligence might
drastically[33][34] impact the demand for future generations of Software professions. [35][36][37][38][39]
[40][41]

Market changes in Japan

As of 2024 in Japan, the demand for programmers is increasing rapidly due mainly to
the aging demographics of their workforce and their low birth rate not being sufficient for
replacement has led to more use of AI to help fill the gap.[42][43] On the other hand, despite the
fact that there are more than 1.2 million programmers in Japan as of 2020, more than 40% of
Japanese companies say they do not have enough skilled and qualified IT personnel, including
programmers; by 2030, the number of programmers will exceed 1.6 million, but about
800,000 people, including programmers, a shortage of engineers is expected to occur. [44][45]

Programming education

See also: Programming educational software, List of open-source programming

resources, List of open-source cryptography and hacking tools, List of programming
languages, Comparison of integrated development environments, Comparison of online
source code playgrounds, List of open source code libraries, List of mathematical art
software, Comparison of source-code-hosting facilities, Stack Overflow, List of computer
books, List of computer magazines, List of software programming journals, List of
programmers, Hackathon, Datathon, Competitive programming, and Game jam

GitHub Codespaces is an online integrated development

environment that requires minimal setup to get started programming.

Programming education involves the teaching and learning of computer

programming concepts, languages, and practices. It is offered through various formats,
including formal computer science degree programs, vocational training, career and technical
education centers, coding bootcamps, libraries,[46] online courses, and self-directed learning.
Educational initiatives often focus on problem-solving, computational thinking, logical
thinking, and the development of algorithms. In primary and secondary education,
programming is increasingly integrated into computer literacy curricula through initiatives
such as Hour of Code, Code Club, Learn to Code, and by getting computers in the classroom.[47]
[48]
At the higher education level, programming instruction may include coursework
in software engineering, data structures, debugging, software design, and specialized domains
such as game development, artificial intelligence, cryptography, or data science. Numerous
platforms and resources like AI chat bots, educational programming software, and online
integrated development environments have expanded access to programming education.[49][50]
[51]

source: [Link]