At what point can you say you are a programmer of a language? Is there an exact amount of lines of code carved in stone somewhere? I call myself a Python Programmer because even know I am self tought, I have been working with the language for years and I am very good with it. "Professional" level by some accounts, though I wouldn't go as far to say that myself. I have been working with Java a couple of weeks and it has been going very well, but I wouldn't call myself a Java programmer, but should I? At what point does one pass that line?

Idk.. Just a little shower thought for ya. What do you think?

I would say you are a programmer. To me it's like speaking. You can use different languages to speak, but the main goal is to convey the message. If that makes sense. Just my opinion. 😀🤔😬

@varEnigmatic
I know I am am a programmer, but at what point would one call themself a programmer of a particular language? C, Java, HTML, Python, to name a few. I've seen some who are very skilled deny being a programmer of that language, and others who can barely do the "hello world" gloat over their 'skill'. Where is the line drawn?

@Cyanite I guess it's all how you view the term "expert" or gauge experience. Technically if you make "something" happen with a language you are a programmer. At what point are you an "expert" of your native language? I guess this question is just relative to someone's view/perception. I think the answer is more opinion than fact. 😀

@matsaki95
I'm just a person of numbers. I'm the type that would like to know exactly where bounds lay. Like the exact nanosecond something completely stops moving, for example. That's just how I am. (even though technically objects can never stop moving, but let's not turn this into a science lesson ;3)

print("Hello world!")

Now I'm a Python developer. Adding it to my CV now 😁😁

@ryanmhoffman
Exactly.

..Also, you can cross dev in Python 2, & 3 😉

A programmer is a person who lives for the technology not just use it as a tool for earning money or something. u r a Java programmer if u like to code Java in ur free time just like a normal human would watch a movie or something... On the other hand If u can build an app for a company using client specs u r a developer may be u r a programmer or maybe not.... This is my opinion feel free to disagree

@amateur64
Well I can draw a stick man, but I don't call myself an artist (actually, both of those statements are false, but you get my point) There has to be a level of skill and work put in before one can be called a programmer in a given language. But what that is is the question. Take @ryanmhoffman comment for example. You wouldn't call them a Python programmer would you?

Just to clarify: I actually do know Python pretty well.

Anyways carry on. I'm interested to hear others opinions on this.

@ryanmhoffman
I figured that, or you googled a python "hello world" example. XD

@Dav13 which level?

@Dav13
If that costs money then I'll have to pass.

@Dav13 Yes, that is why I asked.

Personally, I categories learning languages into 4 sections

First is syntax, in most cases you can learn the syntax on a weekend.

Second is paradigms and design patterns. Learning new paradigms could be hard (proc/oo/fun/...), but once you learn them picking up a different lang with similar idiology becomes pretty easy.

Third is learning the tools around it. Examples would be ide, test frameworks, memory leak detection, debugging tools, performance analysis tools ...

If you are at this point, I think you deserve to be called the x lang programmer. You can handle yourself in almost all situations given enough time.

The last part is what comes with expirence. You've made the mistakes, know the pitfalls, so you dont spend extra time figureing out performance issues. You have also had time to try out different libs and have formed your opinion of them ...

Well that's my take on it.

@rusty-hacker well said.

@Dav13
That's what they say.

When you can successfully google problems and get relevant results ;)

@Cyanite in my opinion a person who draws a stick figure is also an artist a really bad one none the less but still an artist if he does it with passion and given the right amount of time and effort he will be able to get better at drawing stick figures so that onwe day in the future someone will buy his stick figure for a million dollars

@amateur64
Reminds me of a joke I did when I use to draw.

People were annoying me asking me to draw NSFW art, so I made a stick man with a dong as a april fools joke and posted it for $5,000USD - No one bought it obviously, but my followers had a good laugh. Lol

I really don't think language has anything to do with being a programmer. In all honesty, I think programming is just the art of solving problems. Languages can even take days to pick up once you're familiar with the idea of how you approach problem solving through computers. Which is why it really disappoints me that people care that you know a particular language for a job:/

How do I know that I am proficient in a language (and can then call myself a JAVA programmer, or a C++ programmer, etc)? When I am presented with a problem instead of saying, "oh fuck" and putting my hands against my head in dismay, I say "alright, I see this variable is ... etc" and I fix the issue.

Basically, instead of fucking things up and making other devs' lives hell, I do the opposite. When the latter is achieved, I am a good programmer.

@daemonAD
Well, being technical neither is Java or Python.

I argue with many here but would go a little different way:

First of all you should separate some things.
Overall topics:
-"Logical thinking"
-"knowledge of design pattern
-"understanding of performance matter (time/space complexity, big O)
And for sure more (like understanding of data structures, how does a compiler/cpu work etc etc )
these ones are the general topics:
These ones apply to every language(more or less) from pseudo code over python to c.

Then there are the lang specific things:
(1)General/basic knowledge (for example things every c dialect has in common - int, byte, double vs python)

(2)Advanced knowledge in a lang (E.g. Delegates or lambda in c#)
(3)And special/language depending knowledge (how is a dictionary implemented in java, what is the . Net framework in detail, what libs are there. What is the difference between vector and array in c++ etc)

In my opinion if you know 1 you have the basics and with 2 you are a programmer. With you 3 youre...

@Daniil
(continue to last postb)

With 3 you get the professional skill.

Bit nevertheless you should never forget that you still have the first topic.

A great c# programmer with knowledge of performance and sensitivity for good algorithms will be after a short while a c++ dev than a "normal" c++ programmer.

Atleast that's my opinion. A good dev is more than just a "programmer" ;)

So of you know the basis and are able to write logical code - call yourself a programmer.
If you know the tweaks and small features call yourself a pro with a statement of years (which can help) of experience.
That should work :)

@Daniil
*Accepts answer SO style* ;3

@Cyanite congrats on your 3000th ++ u would have to thank your stick man with dong for it 😂😂😂

@daemonAD I believe that the point of @Cyanite wasn't the script part. Python is not a language because it is a language specification. There are different implementation of that specification, the most common being CPython. And PyPy I believe it's the second.

@amateur64
I would like to thank my parents..

And my bestie..

And my sister..

And my monster condom that I use for my magnum dong..

😂😂😂

@-eth
Uhhh yeah sure lets go with that.

😊