coreolyn,

FWIW, I tend to agree with you. While I cannot dispute the fact that some people should not program, I am uneasy with the idea that good programming can only occur if you are fortunate enough to possess the right gene.

I will concede that inate talent has an important effect, but I also believe that some people can rise above their (ahem) genetic flaws and accomplish great things.

As an example, Mozart is generally considered far more brilliant than Salieri, however, some of the latter's works are quite artistic and beautiful. Certainly they do not compare to the former's achievements and undoubtedly resulted from much hard work and discipline. Talent certainly allowed Mozart to succeed far more quickly, but Salieri was still able to work his way to modest success and recognition. (He was, after all, Court Composer.)

I personally find it dangerous to pin labels on individuals. Not only am I frequently wrong in my assessments, but I am just as frequently surprised when those folks far exceed the limits imposed by my presumptions.

Perhaps another example can be found with Einstein, who has been described as having difficulty with school^* and yet managed to express general and special relativity. Or Lincoln, who failed in business, had been defeated in earlier elections, and suffered many other setbacks. Yet, he is lionized by many as one of the best Presidents we've ever had.

Yes, some people should not program. However, I don't believe it's our place to judge another's fitness for that task, unless (of course) we're in a management role and that's an entirely different discipline altogether.

--f

Update: Reworked the reference to Einstein.

^* Sources:

• Brittanica.com biographical entry
• Unattributed debunking of the "flunking math" story.
• Unattributed collection of "urban legends"
• Biography found on accessscience.com
• Biography found on the University of Glasgow's Department of Physics and Astronomy web site.

Note that all links were active at the time of posting.

Updated 2008.08.13 by footpad: Fixed broken superscript tags. Thanks MidLifeXis

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