Developer Types - An Introduction

There are many types of software developers, and if you spend enough time in the industry you will meet them all. There have been posts in many blogs about different software developer and/or programmer types, and most lists have some similarities. However, personal experience affects your view of the stereotypes. I will spend the next several posts discussing the stereotypes that I have seen.

The developer types as I see them are:

• The Cowboy Coder – the amazing lone wolf
• The Young Buck – wants to write his own operating system
• The Work horse – reliable and steady wins the race
• The Code Monkey – needs specific instructions
• The Developer – winner of the all-around
• The Layover Coder – just a step on the path
• The Good Enough Coder – “Just the task, ma'am”
• The Over Optimizer – nothing is good enough... ever
• The Original Coder – older and often nostalgic
• The “On A Tangent” Coder – easily distracted and often off topic
• The Adamant Caveman – unwilling to change and happy with the way things have always been.

As most developers, I have some traits of each of these types, and have occasionally been firmly seated in one type or another. In the immortal words of Dr. House, M.D., “It is a stereotype for a reason.”