Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
7
The Professionalization of Programming
In the development of professional standards, the computer fi eld must be unre-
lenting in advocating stringent requirements for professional status, whether
these include education, experience, examination, character tests, or what not.
—Charles M. Sidlo, “The Making of a Profession,” 1961
Too frequently these people [programmers], while exhibiting excellent technical
skills, are non-professional in every other aspect of their work.
—Malcolm Gotterer, “The Impact of Professionalization Efforts on the Computer
Manager,” 1971
The Certifi ed Public Programmer
In 1962, the editors of the electronic data processing journal
Datamation
proposed what they believed would be the solution to the “many prob-
lems” that were “embarrassingly prominent” in the nascent commercial
computing industry. The majority of these problems, they argued, were
caused by the lack of “professional competency” among programming
personnel. The recent explosive growth in commercial computing had
brought with it a “mounting tide of inexperienced programmers, new-
born consultants, and the untutored outer circle of controllers and
accountants all assuming greater technical responsibility.” Few of these
so-called computer experts were well qualifi ed or experienced, and the
result was the crisis of confi dence that was plaguing the industry. The
solution to this crisis, contended the
Datamation
editors, was the estab-
lishment of a new breed of technical professional: the certifi ed public
programmer.
1
By defi ning clear standards of professional competency, an indus-
try-wide certifi cation program would serve several important purposes
for the programming profession. First, it would establish a shared
body of abstract occupational knowledge—a “hard core of mutual
