Does being a programmer make you a better problem solver?

Question

I looked for this question and could not find it. If this happens to be a duplicate, please let me know and I will take care of it.

Whenever my girlfriend has an issue (be it minor or major) she always comes to me first, no matter what it is. Last night she asked me for help on something and I couldn't figure out the solution. She said "You were suppose to be able to do this". Her reasoning: Because I am a programmer and I excel at problem solving.

So my question is: Are my problem solving abilities greatly influenced by my programming experience? I wonder if I went a different career route, say being a police officer, that I would not be able to solve some problems that I can solve today.

I am curious what you have to say about this.

Answer 1

Being a good problem solver makes you a better programmer, there's a good correlation/causation problem there.

That being said, being a programmer has made me a better auto mechanic, now that I understand debugging techniques.

Answer 2

Being a programmer certainly increases my ability to rationalize about situations that cannot be physically seen or touched.

Answer 3

Random thoughts:

• does being a good problem solver make you a programmer?
• is programming just one approach to problem solving and therefore gives you the tools for only a subgroup of problems?
• do you have to be able to solve any x problem out of N, just because you're a programmer?
• to what extent are programming problems real world problems?
• how much do programmers tend to put themselves into certain stereotypes?
• if problem solving is the essence of intelligence, are programmers the most intelligent ppl?
• or isn't problem solving the basis of all human activity?
• are good problem solvers better at anything they do?

Answer 4

Being a good programmer means you were probably already a good problem solver. Being an active programmer gives you a fairly optimal routine for practicing solving some types of problems.

This isn't really specific to programming though, it's just the tinkerer mentality set in a world where computers are ubiquitous. Plenty of carpenters, watchmakers, inventors, etc. throughout history were probably equally gifted problem solvers.

Answer 5

I think it depends on what level programmer you are. I could argue that some of the idiots I've worked with would call themselves programmers, but don't really understand what's going on. They would come to me when they had a problem.

Programming, in the purest form, is problem solving. Therefore if you get good at programming you may be a better problem solvers. But moreover, I think programming is just another tool in the problem solver's belt. The more ways you can look at a problem, the more likely you'll be able to solve it. So if you just look at it from a programming standpoint, it might not be easy. But if you try to solve it from a math standpoint, a programming standpoint, and perhaps a psychological standpoint, there's a good chance that you can solve the problem.

Programming is a tool. People who learn to use the tool well will be better problem solvers.

Answer 6

Well … I could be wrong but isn't everybody's life about problem solving? About every interesting decision you take can be viewed as the solution to a problem, I might assume. So, any such broad claims would imply that programmers live their lives better. I have strong doubts about that theory.

Answer 7

My opinion is similar to the others' opinions.

Being a good problem solver makes you a good programmer.

But just being a programmer does not imply he/she is a good problem solver.

Answer 8

Makes me a better lover, too...!

Answer 9

As we remember from Sherlock Holmes, being a good mathematician made professor Moriarti to an ingenious criminal mind. So you probably have several career options open to you.

Answer 10

I will offer a different perspective. Yes programming makes one better at thinking things out logically, so in essence a better problem solver.

However, I have found in my life that this has sometimes caused me problems. I get very frustrated when people do NOT do things logically or when life throws me a curve ball:

1. When the waitress at Denny's told me they had fries, cheese, and chili, but could not bring me an order of Chili Cheese fries.
2. When the girl at the fast food joint cannot figure out how to handle when I suddenly give her some change to get back whole dollars.
3. When a loved one was sick and I couldn't "fix" her.

So while problem solving is my forte, it has also come with consequences, the coming to grips with the fact that I cannot control life and people like I can control a computer.

Yes you will find my arguments are illogical, and I am ranting, but such has been my experiences as a result of taking on my chosen career path.

Answer 11

I would say it helps you break down problems into a series of "mini" problems that need to be solved in order to address the main issue. So, e.g. "I need to move" becomes "I need to find a place->I need to put in my thirty days notice->I need to pack->I need to find people to help me move->I need to take a day off from work->move!"

On the flip side, however, it has the downside of making you over-intellectualize everything - maybe your girlfriend just wants to vent about something that's bugging her and you start trying to figure out how to solve a problem. Guys already have this issue, and then programming makes it worse. Arrghhh....much harder to be in the moment.