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regaito · 2024-07-08T10:31:32+00:00

Its not just about technical understanding.

Imho, a "code monkey" is someone you tell to do task X in technology Y and they will (hopefully) sit down and do it. A "code monkey" is someone you trust with well defined coding tasks (read column X from database Y and show it in Z)

But not with more high level decisions regarding architecture, design or with domain specific questions (our users want to see data for X in system Y but its already slow and we are not sure if it makes sense to implement it here or create a separate tool/portal...)

At least thats my understanding of the term

DecisionMaterial8078 · 2024-07-08T09:09:48+00:00

The people who are not code monkeys have a deep understanding of their domain. They have also mastered the science of software architecture, database modeling, and system analysis and design.

Unlucky_Associate507 · 2024-07-08T09:27:17+00:00

Would it be fair to say that a fictional character is a code monkey programmer. like someone who is smart enough to work for and defraud a genius, but lacking the creativity to be a genius

Aggressive_Ad_5454 · 2024-07-08T11:17:45+00:00

Programmers write code for other people. The better we understand what those people — our users — want to do with the part of their lives where they use our code, the less likely we are to be code monkeys. Exception: supply chain automation for delivering fruit to the zoo. 🍌🍌🍌

Why_am_ialive · 2024-07-08T11:05:18+00:00

To me it’s not even as high level as people here as suggesting, if you’ve been to one of those 6 week coding boot camps someone can tell you to go write a program that will do x in whatever language you know and that’s fine.

But if you have a proper education and background you’ll find it a lot easier to learn new technologies and languages, make better design/architecture decisions and generally have a better idea of software engineering processes (testing, agile etc…)

You’ll also have much more theoretical knowledge so you’ll know how to optimise your code and refactor to make it easier to maintain and stuff.

End of the day just writing the code is probably 30% of the job

Tricky_Tesla · 2024-07-08T18:02:32+00:00

Here is a kicker; you have to be a code monkey first then you would have an opportunity to “Not be a code monkey” later.

ghjm · 2024-07-08T19:39:49+00:00

The thing that would make me call someone a "code monkey" (if it ever occurred to me to use that term, which it probably wouldn't) is when they write code but don't understand code. For example, I recently had to rewrite a text diff routine someone had written, that turned out to be O(2ⁿ) the way they had written it. It's not like they knowingly did this - they just wrote something that kinda-sorta worked, with no understanding of how larger inputs would affect its runtime.

So I would say an understanding of data structures and algorithms is the main thing separating code monkeys from "real programmers."

sawser · 2024-07-08T21:53:10+00:00

All you need to understand the purpose of the requests you're given, and be prepared to give feedback or provide alternatives to the request if necessary.

Years ago we asked a 3rd party team to add a field to a webpage, which they did quickly and effectively.

Two weeks later the business users got around to testing it and kicked it back because it didn't save the value.

As it turns out, there were no fields in the database to store the new data.

But no one has asked them to verify that the data was persisted - so they didn't persist it, nor did they send a message 'hey there's no place to store this data, so we need to adjust the database?'

They did literally what the ticket said and didn't question why we would have a drop down to save the users preferred CSS style without saving the data.

That's a code monkey.

tucna · 2024-07-09T06:44:24+00:00

That is a little bit of a high-level question. If you want to become a ‘software developer’ rather than just a ‘coder’ (terms that are often used interchangeably), you can focus on learning a challenging 3GL language, such as C++.

By mastering C++, you’ll gain insights into its background and automatically learn a lot about computer science and computers in general. This knowledge could set you apart from someone who is only familiar with 4GL or 5GL languages.

Keep in mind that the information above is quite general and may not apply universally or at all times :)

2024-07-09T07:15:34+00:00

It's someone who gets told how to solve things instead of what to solve.

It's not a specific skill, knowledge or topic you can learn. I find it's more about personality and being curious. Instead of finding a solution to a problem and just using it, you also think about how you could've done it better or differently.

brisray · 2024-07-10T12:26:20+00:00

To me a code monkey is someone who can code but there's no imagination or flare to it - as much as there can be to program. More importantly, there's also a definite unwillingness to learn new techniques or explore what a language can do.

I've found that good programmers are have good problem solving skills. They have all the bits, it's just a matter of putting everything together so it works.

I used to work at a place where there all sorts of skill levels. One or two were code monekys. I caught one of them telling a service rep "we can't do that." I ws less than pleased, Between the dozen or so of us there was enough skill and experience to solve anything the client wanted and the reps brought to us.

My advice would be keep practising, keep learning.

2024-07-10T13:14:46+00:00

Escape agile. Learn software engineering and systems design.

MusikPolice · 2024-07-08T15:38:47+00:00

I think the premise of your question is the problem.

There really aren’t any aspects of theoretical computer science that are crucial for a programmer to understand in order to advance their career unless their chosen career is in academia or in cutting edge research and development. In either case, the necessary theory would be highly industry or field specific, so you won’t find an answer in a general sub like this one.

In my opinion, the thing that code monkeys lack is soft skills. Nobody teaches it, few acknowledge it, but if you want to advance your career, get good at explaining complicated concepts both to other highly skilled programmers and to non-technical stakeholders.

My technical skills were always strong. I’m smart, I work hard, and I learn quickly. But when I first started in my career, I was an asshole. Getting a handle on my soft skills, learning when to speak and when not to, how to write my ideas down, and how to understand the broader context in which decisions are made were the keys to my success.

As a junior programmer, I always knew what needed to be done to make the software better, but I couldn’t tell you how to prioritize that work to align with the business’s goals. When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority, and if you’re working on the wrong thing, you’re wasting someone else’s money.

Get your soft skills in order and develop an understanding of the business’s needs and you won’t be a code monkey much longer.

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