Seeking tips for becoming a good programmer. i'm just a beginner.How shall i start. i know basics of c++,Tips!

plz help me . i m also inspired by the companies like google , microsoft,yahoo! etc. But i want to make my dream come true . Help me with giving me some suggestions. How to start with .How to go for..Some minute things to be kept in mind.And most importantly WHAT CHARACTERISTICS AND PERSONALTIY IS REQUIRED. IM NOT AS SUCH ONTELLIGENT PERSON....

Seeking tips for becoming a good programmer. i'm just a beginner.How shall i start. i know basics of c++,Tips!
Different personalities are required. If you have good attention to details, that is extremely important in "embedded" software design (embedded systems are the small computers that are built into cars, aircraft, photocopiers and such). If you are good in math, then image processing or statistical analysis may be the best field. If you are good with people and planning, then there is a HUGE need for managers that understand software - you may not need to program a lot, but being able to help out in design and estimated is a large asset.





Write lots of software, learn how to debug. The skill of debugging is one of the most important skills that a programmer can learn, yet is often missing in programmers. This point cannot be overstressed.





There is far more to programming than banging away on a keyboard. Take time to design your software on paper. Make sure that the design "feels" right. THEN start to implement it. Starting off on the keyboard is almost a guaranteed recipe for disaster.





Learn how to test your software. Again, this is a skill that is lacking with many programmers. They will try a single test on their program, and call it done. This is not good enough, and once you are working, you don't want your customers to find YOUR bugs - that is not what your employer wants.





You should roughly spend 1/3, 1/3 and 1/3 of your time in design, coding and testing. Programmers often neglect the first and last parts of this.





Do not just chase the latest programming language - learn good programming practices that are portable from language to language.





Hope this helps!
Reply:Try to keep posted on new and exciting technologies.





Remember programming is about programming good (hacking), not about meetings, coaching or any other thing. It is an art, there is no such thing as engineering involved. (Please see Paul Graham on this department).





Then go see best practices and what's horrorful on the great "Code Complete".





Be defensive and pendatic about your code, which shouldn't mean not hearing critisisms.
Reply:I'm not the worlds greatest programmer. More of just a dabbler myself. Just self taught.





1. Comments. Put comments in your work it helps you find what you are looking for easier. Be detailed enough. Gone are the days when space was an issue so comment to your hearts content.





2. Tab Order - Make sure when someone presses tab it goes to the next button or option and not to the other end of the application and back again. (Mostly for Forms)





3. Join mailing lists based on the language you are writing in. This will help give you an group or team approach to any problems you have.





4. There's no such thing as a stupid question, so don't be afraid to ask someone.





These are just basic ideas as to what I think could help you become a better programmer.

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