# Is computer programming actually creative?



## Cyrus (Jun 28, 2015)

Mbaruh said:


> People are missing a very fundamental idea. When part of a system, even the apparently most creative of professions can have their boring and tedious sides. Even if you take something such as research in physics for example, which would make the average person think of exciting experiments and discoveries, it mainly boils down to repeating past experiments and filing lots of paperwork.
> 
> Any job can be interesting and exciting, any job has its boring parts.


Yeah. To point to some tedious jobs and say that the profession itself is not creative is invalid. A job is a job. A lot of jobs put you in a box doing some narrow task. Biology is a lot of boring pipetting. Doctors have boring paper work, and there are computer programs that can make diagnoses for mundane conditions that they see all the time. A lot of engineers are sitting on computers doing mind numbing glorified data entry. Work is work.


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## nO_d3N1AL (Apr 25, 2014)

I find it enjoyable because everything is defined and consistent and makes sense. With different programming paradigms you have all these different concepts, tools and constructs you can use to perform a task. I listen to a lot of conferences by Venkat Subramaniam (hilarious guy) and his talks definitely illustrate that traditionally, programmers think too narrowly and are too accustomed to a particularly convention or way of doing things. Adaptability and ability to think unconventionally can be useful. It's creative in the sense that there are so many different ways of making a program to do the same task - even very trivial programs can vary tremendously by programmer to programmer depending on their style. So I would say that it is indeed creative because you're creating software in your own style.


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## Ahiko (Dec 20, 2011)

There's more to programming than just "code". 

You can get really creative with a greater depth of understanding in data structures, algorithm design, artificial intelligence patterns, mathematical structures and applying relevant software engineering and architectural designs.

Understanding pros and cons between different technologies, structures, patterns, etc, is another aspect of "creativity" that is helpful in this field.

Like @Razare mentioned, much of the creativity is given as responsibility for higher positions like software/hardware architects and SW/HW designers. They're the ones who determine the requirements, costs, task allocation, and product design that their team is given.

But even in lower positions (entry-level software engineers, developers), you can incorporate skill and creativity to program things with optimization in mind.


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## dizzycactus (Sep 9, 2012)

Ahiko said:


> There's more to programming than just "code".
> 
> You can get really creative with a greater depth of understanding in data structures, algorithm design, artificial intelligence patterns, mathematical structures and applying relevant software engineering and architectural designs.
> 
> ...


Well, technically that is "just code". It's just methodologies in arranging and designing code.


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## Ahiko (Dec 20, 2011)

dizzycactus said:


> Well, technically that is "just code". It's just methodologies in arranging and designing code.


Sure, if you look at it literally.

Unfortunately, this was an xNFP response. We derive creativity out of anything that interests us, no matter how technical a subject is.


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## Ahiko (Dec 20, 2011)

dizzycactus said:


> Well, technically that is "just code". It's just methodologies in arranging and designing code.


The OP did ask about creativity in programming. Sure if you look at it simply, it's just code.

Even my ESTJ boyfriend, who's a software engineer himself, said there's creativity in programming.

From his words, "Of course there is creativity in code. Creativity could be something as simple as drawing a box in 30 different ways."

This coming from a personality who leads with Te.


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## dizzycactus (Sep 9, 2012)

Ahiko said:


> The OP did ask about creativity in programming. Sure if you look at it simply, it's just code.
> 
> Even my ESTJ boyfriend, who's a software engineer himself, said there's creativity in programming.
> 
> ...


To extrapolate from what I said that I think it isn't creative would require an assumption that I do not consider coding to be creative. Do you have reason for this assumption?


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## Ahiko (Dec 20, 2011)

dizzycactus said:


> To extrapolate from what I said that I think it isn't creative would require an assumption that I do not consider coding to be creative. Do you have reason for this assumption?


I just felt breaking things down to a literal level is slightly suppressive and amusing when someone is asking people to to present a point of creativity.

It's amusing seeing difference between lead Thinkers vs Feelers. 

Aside from that, no reason. Just keeping on topic.


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## dizzycactus (Sep 9, 2012)

Ahiko said:


> I just felt breaking things down to a literal level is slightly suppressive and amusing when someone is asking people to to present a point of creativity.
> 
> It's amusing seeing difference between lead Thinkers vs Feelers.
> 
> Aside from that, no reason. Just keeping on topic.


I don't think you got my post exactly. 
I never said programming is not creative. By saying something is "just code" it doesn't mean I consider it uncreative unless I consider coding itself uncreative. You seemed to assume my viewpoint was a certain way in response to a neutral statement that said nothing about my viewpoint.


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## Aiura (Jul 3, 2015)

You clearly have to think a lot and think outside the box, but if you consider that as creative - I don't know.


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## dulcinea (Aug 22, 2011)

I think to become an excellent developer, who rises above the masses of code, creativity is not only important, but essential.

Not necessarily the same kind of creativity that an artist, possesses, but creativity in the sense that you're a visionary. You're not just content with the current status quo and how machines run, but you look to improve it. You don't just what things are, but what things could be. Of course, the actual writing of line after line of mind numbing code seems to suck the creativity out of the act, but that's when creativity is even more essential, because it's so important to see, with your mind's eye what the end user will see as you're writing your code. That's another aspect of creativity and imagination that's important. As you write your program or app, you should be able to imagine would it would be like to run this program for the first time, from the perspective of someone who's never seen this program before and, possibly doesn't even know that much about computers. I believe the more creativity, imagination, and vision a person has, the more edge that person will have above the competition.


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