There's a repeated joke in the Rockford Files that everyone in or that has been in jail was innocent; just ask them. (Of course, we're supposed to assume Jim really is innocent, but I've leave the meta alone for now.)

Ever heard something similar with programmers? Have you ever met a programmer who won't tell you they're a superstar? Coders' self-proclaimed brilliance is like ex-cons' proclamations of innocence. Seriously, who doesn't think they're above average? The sea of programmers thinks itself an extended version of Lake Wobegon.

A more interesting discussion would be to ask yourself why every coder thinks that and who is encouraging it, but I'm leaving that alone for now too. ;^)

Labels: coder, coding