Chapter 3. Do You Have to Be a Genius to Be a Developer?

We've discussed the topic of whether great developers are born or made. And in this chapter, we're going to look at a similar topic from a different angle. And we're going to answer the question do you have to be a genius to be a developer?

Because of the near-magical nature of coding, one of the most common remarks I hear from individuals who hear what I do is:

"Oh wow, you're so smart!"

In fact, just recently I traveled to meet with a group of developers and the head of the company introduced me by saying:

"This is Jordan, he's just here to be smart."

I know that when people say things like this it comes from a good place. However, it bothers me. And it bothers me for a couple reasons:

1. First and foremost, these type of comments make it seem like all it takes to become a great developer is being smart.
2. Following up on the above point, these remarks devalue the countless hours of work that are required to learn development.

The running man

I'm going to get off my soap box for a moment and discuss the life of Steve Prefontaine. If you've never heard of him before, Prefontaine was one of the world's greatest runners during his time. Before tragically dying in a car accident at 24 years old, he had already broken seven track world records.

During his climactic rise to success, many people would try to compliment Prefontaine by saying how talented he was, and by calling him a prodigy, such as on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

However, he was famous for getting furious at people for this type of statement. He said that his success had literally nothing to do with talent. In fact, he said he wasn't born with any innate ability as a runner. Instead he credits 100% of his success with his legendary work ethic.