Portrait of an Application Developer

 by Alexis Atchison

What do you think of when you hear the term "application developer"? Do you conjure up a mental image of the "typical nerd": a guy sitting in a dark basement with pale skin, rockin' a pocket protector and thick, black-framed glasses with white tape across the bridge? This seems to be a pretty broad stereotype for anyone who works in any computer-related field. But in reality, this isn't necessarily accurate. I'm here to dispel (or maybe prove) some of the most popular stereotypes I’ve heard regarding application developers.

Stereotype #1: We are all men.
I have to begin here because I am proof this is a fallacy...I am a woman. Granted, the majority of developers might be men (my teammates are all men), and I don't personally know any other female developers, but the simple fact that I am a developer disproves this stereotype. Enough said...moving on…

Stereotype #2: We are anti-social and work in dimly-lit basements.
Yes, we sit in cubicles and make "typity" noises on our keyboards all day, but we are on the first floor of our building, complete with windows and lights, and we do interact with other human beings. We field phone calls and emails, and occasionally we go outside or participate in a social gathering. In all seriousness though, if we were afraid of sunlight, Rehan and I wouldn't enjoy gardening, and Darren wouldn't ride a motorcycle. If we didn't like to socialize, Tracy wouldn't be so involved with events at his church. And contrary to popular belief, we can, in fact, speak to members of the opposite sex! (Every member of the apps team here at Web Solutions has a significant other.)

Stereotype #3: We know everything about technology and computers, and we enjoy all aspects of anything computer-related.
Despite what a lot of people think, we don't know *everything* about computers. Jedd and I were just talking the other day about how neither of us knew anything about the latest viruses sweeping the world. The developers I've talked to, including myself (yes, I occasionally talk to myself), don't even really enjoy working on computers. We just want to write the code that makes the computer do something. If I enjoyed fixing computers, I wouldn't have three of them in need of repairs hanging out in a closet at my house...

Stereotype #4: We buy the latest and greatest tech gadgets as soon as they come out.
Well, I'm slightly guilty of this, except I haven't purchased an iPad. I have a pocket-sized version called an iPhone, and I cannot breathe without it. My 3 month old daughter even has an iPhone – it's my old one with a busted screen, and we use it strictly as an iPod for her lullabies on-the-go...she can't make calls or text...yet. On the other hand, Rehan confesses he doesn't have any interest in gadgetry. When asked about it he proudly said, "I have no 'pads' or 'pods' yet!" Jedd says the Blackberry Torch he is using now is his first smartphone...and he hates it. Beau and Tracy, however, both own iPads, and they and Darren are also iPhone users.

Stereotype #5: We all know every aspect of every programming language.
Few people know every word and nuance of the language(s) they speak. Similarly, not all developers "speak" the same language, and we don't all know every aspect of the language(s) we do "speak". For example, around here, we all "speak" .Net, but we don't all know every aspect of the language. We each have our strong suit, which allows us collaborate to accomplish a task. We're a diverse bunch, and that makes having a team a very valuable part of what we do. On the other hand, some of my teammates are "multi-lingual" when it comes to programming languages - Beau knows PHP, and Rehan can "speak" Pascal/Delphi, C/C++, FoxPro, dBase, and more!

Stereotype #6: We're addicted to caffeine.
Have you heard that we accumulate massive piles of empty Mt. Dew cans or 5-Hour Energy bottles on our desks? OK, this one might actually be true, except around here, coffee gets the popular vote! Bill makes coffee that is strong enough to walk out of the mug, and I have a Starbucks order that takes longer to say than it does to drink...and "decaf" isn't part of it. We have a Keurig in the break room so we can each enjoy our favorite brew, one cup at a time, and seeing the bottom of the coffee mug is a modern-day Shakespearean tragedy. It's been suggested that our cubicles should come equipped with an IV line that connects directly to the coffeemaker. I don't think it's a bad idea...

Stereotype #7: We are out-of-shape and know nothing about sports.
Despite popular belief, we are quite active. I'm addicted to Spinning and yoga, Bill has run a marathon, Tracy is a fan of P90X, and he and Jedd both use their lunch hour to use the Fitness Center in the main building. With all that caffeine coursing through our veins, we have to do something! And we are huge sports fans...most of the guys enjoy baseball (the number of Cardinal jerseys/coats/accessories floating around here is mind-blowing), and they can talk your ear off about the players' performances or the latest upset. I, on the other hand, am a huge Bears fan...my husband and I named our daughter Payton, after Sir Walter himself, and we call her "Sweetness"...yes, it's that bad.

Stereotype #8: We have no sense of style.
Though we may not be sporting Ferragamo shoes and Armani suits, we don't all look like Mark Zuckerberg's character in "The Social Network" - sporting a hoodie and Adidas sandals. We confidently wear our khakis, a polo or button-down shirt and sensible shoes…OK...maybe we don't have a sense of style! =)

Stereotype #9: We are strictly left-brained beings.
While most developers typically fit into the left-brained model of being very analytical, detail-oriented and good at math (our job kind of requires these skills), we are also very creative. Bill and I both enjoy cooking. (Bill is constantly trying to perfect pizza and recently began working on the ultimate garlic cream pasta sauce, and I have been obsessing over making cupcakes in flavors like Dark Chocolate Cabernet.) And I recently had a fairly lengthy discussion with Beau about the paint colors he and his wife are using in their house.

So now, when you think of an application developer, I hope you can have a more realistic image. The woman in front of you in line at the coffee shop or the guy buying flour at the grocery store or paint at the home improvement store may very well be an application developer. Yeah, we may be a little weird in our own way, but who isn't?! And by the way, I'm the only one on team who wears glasses...sans tape...and I've never even seen a pocket protector!


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Alexis Atchison is an Application Developer at LRS Web Solutions.  She's an organized perfectionist and we like that.

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