Code language

The 1979-born Ruchir Goyal was a student of Class III then. Television footage of ISRO scientists celebrating — in front of their computers — the launch of a new satellite, left an indelible imprint on the young mind. And if you thought it was space research that fascinated him you are wrong. The computers that the scientists were gazing at caught his fancy. “I will be in the world of computers when I grow up,” was the decision he took then. As luck would have it, Goyal was introduced to computer studies at school soon enough — and he found he loved it.

Today he is an IT project manager working at CMC Ltd., an end-to-end IT solutions provider. Computer programming forms the core of his work life. “I am into solution designing, implementing and managing a software project,” says Goyal. He uses multiple programming languages, including .net and databases that include Oracle, SQL Server, etc. And having around 10 years of work experience, Goyal earns around Rs 90,000 a month.

“Computer programming is all about developing a code, which is nothing but a sequence of logical steps written in syntax, and understood by one of the languages used by computers. This code when executed should perform an activity, which helps a function of a business work effectively,” says Goyal.

In short, a computer programmer or a coder, is someone who writes computer software. The term programmer can be used to refer to a software developer, software engineer, computer scientist or software analyst. “Job titles and descriptions vary depending on the work one is doing ,” says Sanjeev Nagpal, group leader and senior project manager, CMC Ltd. Programmers are often referred to by the language they know, such as Java programmers, or by their environment, such as mainframe or database programmers.

And they could be working in different organisations such as manufacturing companies, data processing service firms, hardware and software companies, banks, insurance companies, credit card companies, government agencies, universitities, etc. “Many computer programmers are employed by businesses as consultants,” says Nagpal.

Given the spread and importance of the IT industry worldwide and the kind of IT-related spending across the government and private sectors in India, there is a great demand for good computer programmers in the country. And the gap between the demand for and supply of able professionals is significant. “I believe there is a large gap in terms of availability of skilled programmers,” says Naveen Sanghi, northern region software integration head, CMC Ltd. “Given the current market trends, the demand is expected to increase further.”

Update your skills, constantly

Pranab Ghosh interviews Sanjeev Nagpal, group leader and senior project manager, CMC Ltd

Please trace the evolution of the scope of study of computer programming in India?

Earlier computers were used almost exclusively by scientists, and the first high-level language, Fortran (Formula translation), was developed in the 1950s for scientific and engineering applications. COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language), the first language intended for commercial applications, is still widely used. BASIC (Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was developed as a teaching tool for undergraduates (1966); it subsequently became the primary language of the personal computer revolution. Dennis Ritchie of Bell Laboratories produced a language that he called C; along came its extensions, called C++, developed by Bjarne Stroustrup of Bell Laboratories. It has, perhaps, become the most widely used general-purpose language among professional programmers because of its ability to deal with the rigors of object-oriented programming. Java is an object-oriented language similar to C++ but simplified to eliminate features that are prone to programming errors. Java was developed specifically as a network-oriented language, for writing programmes that can be safely downloaded through the Internet and immediately run without fear of computer viruses. World Wide Web pages can be used using small Java programmes called applets to include a full range of multimedia functions.

As technology evolves and newer, more sophisticated tools emerge, programmers will need to update their skills in order to remain competitive. Now  programming is done with either Microsoft .Net Technologies which involves VC++, Asp.net, C#, VB.net or Java / J2EE technologies involving core Java, JSPs, Servlets and frameworks like struts, hibernates, iBatis, etc. Various tools for rapid application development are also available where a user can develop /automate a process from scratch or customise existing features of the system. Some of those tools are ERP solutions from Oracle, SAP, IFS, IBM, etc

What are the challenges faced by programmers today?

With lots of programming languages and rapid application development tools in the industry, programmers are confused about which one they should choose to start with.

What have been the landmark developments in the field that have changed the world for good? How has industry benefited from those?

With latest trends like web-based and rich graphics user interface-based application requirements, the industry has come up with rapid application development tools like Visual Studios, Eclipse and ERP-based solution from Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, IFS etc. Using these tools the application development and testing timeframe has been drastically reduced and they also help in fast delivery of applications.

Who are the leading employers — in India and globally?

Leading Employers include TCS, IBM, Wipro, Infosys, HCL, Adobe, Oracle, Microsoft, CSC, Steria, Accenture, Fidelity, Fujitsu, Kronos, Perot Systems and many more.


Author: Pranab Ghosh

Date: 6th May, 2010

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