Continuing the artist analogy, you are a poet if you write something everyone agrees is a poem. It doesn't mean you're automatically the poet laureate of anyth

Continuing the artist analogy, you are a poet if you write something everyone agrees is a poem. It doesn't mean you're automatically the poet laureate of anything, or even a not-terrible poet, but you have written a poem, and you can probably write more poems, therefore you are a poet. Similarly, you are a programmer if you can write computer programs. Even if the programs suck and you're a mindless hack, and nobody in their right mind would hire you.