This post resonates a lot with me, but being a good "code writer" is just a small part of being a programmer. I couldn't (and still can't) recall the simplest a

This post resonates a lot with me, but being a good "code writer" is just a small part of being a programmer. I couldn't (and still can't) recall the simplest algorithms without opening a book, but that wouldn't stop me from solving problems because that is the real gist: identifying a problem and the right path to the information you need to solve it. Also being a sort of jack of all trades helps a lot more than excelling in just one task, or at least it worked a lot with me. I was probably a sub par mere "code writer", but I knew how to read a data sheet and use a solder iron, I had basic networking knowledge and a history of writing database software, although not SQL, and knew how to talk with people. I was average at best at any of those skills, but having many of them helped me to become a valuable asset in every company I worked at, because I knew how things were progressing in various groups so that colleagues with a technical problem could ask me who or where to head to find information, help, solutions etc. In the end I had many pay raises, but never left the technical side to become a PM or get a different job because I always wanted to remain a tech guy. So, the author is definitely not stupid; he probably has some other skills he didn't identify yet.