Programmers: The Amateur vs. the Professional

Abstract

At the outset, it should be understood that no attempt to compare an amateur and a professional could describe the full hierarchy in programming or any other vocation or avocation. The complete spectrum might be: the ignorant, the novice, the aficionado, the amateur, the professional, and the master.

This article is the first of four by Henry Ledgard on the practice of programming. The subsequent articles discussed “Human Factors—Misconceptions” (Fall 1985), “Is Pascal Too Large?” (Winter 1986), and “Programming Teams” (Spring 1986).