Although Troy Ryder works as a computer programmer, what Ryder really does
is detective work.
"We're problem solvers," says Ryder. "We seek solutions. Sometimes
it takes a lot of detective work just to begin. We have to really snoop around."
Ryder does his snooping in the offices, warehouses and shop floors of his
clients. To find the solutions to the computer problems they bring him, Ryder
has to get to know every aspect of their business.
"We have to know more than just who their customers are and what products
they sell -- we have to get down to the nitty-gritty of their daily computer
requirements," explains Ryder. "Very often our clients have a general idea
of what they want, but their technical knowledge is limited. We spend a lot
of time analyzing their needs. We spend a lot of time listening. Then we start
working on a solution."
Elementary? Not at all, says New York programmer Jan Gillanders.
"You have to be psychic," jokes Gillanders. "As a programmer, I have to
put myself in my client's shoes. I say to myself, 'If I were doing
the client's job, what would make my life easier?' And then I try
to go from there."
Gillanders recalls one particularly tough situation in which her company
was contracted to design and implement a program for a small poultry plant.
Three brothers, each of whom took a different shift and had different operating
methods, ran the plant. "Basically, it was like designing a system for three
different plants," says Gillanders. "So after standing around scratching our
heads for a while, that's what we ended up doing. We created three corresponding
systems for the three brothers."
For programmers like Ryder and Gillanders, finding the right solution means
drawing on technical skills, experience and creativity. And when it all comes
together -- when the detective work results in a dynamic program -- the payoff
can be months of satisfaction.
A case in point for Ryder is the office system he developed for an optometrist.
It took him months to complete the project, but it certainly proved to be
worth the effort.
"We started from scratch and created something unique -- something with
a lot of customized extras," says Ryder. "While we were working on it, the
client would drop by and say things like, 'Wow, that's great. I
didn't know you could do that!' He was really impressed with our
ideas. We had done our research and we knew what he needed and what was technically
possible.
"When it was finished, he was very happy with it; thrilled actually," Ryder
says. "That felt good and I was really satisfied. And then the phone calls
started."
The calls were coming from other optometrists. Ryder's client liked
his system so much that he told a colleague. Then he mentioned it at a meeting.
Soon, Ryder's company was getting requests for the system from optometrists
all over the place.
Scenarios like these don't surprise Gillanders. "People are often
so thrilled to have a system that works around their needs, not the other
way around," she says. "It makes the job very rewarding."
The importance of relating to people -- not just computers -- is not lost
on good computer programmers. In fact, Ryder says an ability to keep in touch
with the "real world" is one of the key ingredients to a good computer programmer.
"I know people think computer programming is just about technical skill,
but there's a lot more to it than that," says Ryder. "You've got
to know where to begin. You've got to be able to figure out the puzzle.
And, in the end, what you create has to work in the real world."