While computers and technology keep the modern world spinning, most of the non-IT community doesn’t stop for a second to acknowledge the monumental effort of heroes making it so.
On this special day for our community; the Day of the Programmer, we want to highlight the importance of this profession, why everyone should care about it, and what makes programmers modern heroes.
Let’s start at the beginning. How has Programmer’s day come to be?
Programmer’s day is celebrated on the 0x100, 2^8, or 256th day of the year – September 13 on a regular year and September 12 on a leap one. The number 256 relates to the 8-bit byte – a very important unit to the programmers. It represents the maximum number of distinct values in one byte, including the zero. 256 is also the highest power of 2, which is less than the overall days in the year.
It’s pretty symbolic when you think of it, but the symbolism is far less important than the reason behind the celebration.
What are we celebrating exactly?
Basically – we’re celebrating that geeky guy or a girl you know who thinks in numbers, has the ability to easily solve all kinds of puzzles and actually enjoys it more than you’d think possible, can’t help but analyze everything, has a special sense of humor, and probably experiences some difficulties in explaining what exactly he or she does as a programmer to the ‘ordinary’ folks.
Programmers are people who use the mentioned traits and skills to make our everyday life easier and more fun. They are developing stuff we literally can’t live without nowadays. They are responsible for creating the internet first of all, then your mobile phone, its operating system, all cool apps you are using, the software of your computer, your browser, the social platforms and websites you are browsing, not to mention the trendy technologies such as AI, IoT, VR and much more; systems that run planes, spaceships, satellites, banks, cars… Well, you get the point.
Does knowing how to do all these things make them heroes? No
Almost anyone can learn how to code. As a matter of fact, coding has been introduced to primary schools all over the world already. In the foreseeable future, everyone will know how to code on a certain level.
What makes programmers heroes, and the reason why they are much more than just “coders”, is their natural sense of striving to find solutions rather than excuses, their perseverance; they spend countless nights under artificial light not because they have to, but because they want to.
They are heroes because they are aware of how many people are influenced by the software they’re developing, and they’re not afraid to give their best to build a better digital tomorrow. Even when they fail, and they fail a lot, that doesn’t stop them, – which is why their knowledge grows exponentially faster than in other professions. They are bold but humble, complicated yet straightforward. But make no mistake, no programmer is a hero on his own. Their greatness reflects their ability to acknowledge the importance of teamwork and be open to effective collaboration. Writing software that is successful is an inherently collaborative activity.
For all that they are and all that they do, and for being fantastic team players – they deserve a big round of applause today!
Fadil, Alma, Ferhat, Irhad B., Dalila, Alican, Amar, Goran B., Ajla, Haris, Muhamed, Samir F., Adnan M., Anes, Harun, Edin G., Mersiha, Bakir, Adnan K, Elis, Omar, Edin C., Ervin, Kerim, Mehmed, Smajo, Mustafa D., Irma, Samir B., Ivan, Vera, Nedim, Anisa, Salih, Sumejja, Feđa, Ramiza, Ihsan, Nebojša, Filip, Ajdin, Goran J., Nermin, Ensar, Adnan B., Amel S., Amar, Emir, Sefer, Alema, Irhad Lj., Miloš, Semir, Mirza, Seid S., Tarik, Belma, Anel, Maja, Adnan C., Amir, Ibrahim, Ibrahim, Amina, Namik, Azer, Faris, Alem, Belmir, Elmana, Marijana, Irman, Mladen, Elma, Amer, Radica, Rasim, Semir, Emina, Ilija, Slađan, Dino, Reuf, Ragib, Tajib, Jasminko, Seid M., Amel K., Merseda, Faris, Elvis, Hasan, Selma, Esmeralda, Din, Jasmin, Eldin, and Mustafa Z. – thank you for being Mistral’s pillars and mentors to us all. Hats down!
Have an incredible day!