Types of Software Developers – A Humorous Look at Our Diversity

In my ten years as a software developer, I’ve seen many different types of developers. Some are very young and excited to write lots of code, no matter the quality. Others are experienced veterans who plan everything in detail before writing a single line of code. Some developers stand out with unique traits, and sometimes the same person can act differently on different days. We developers are versatile, and I’ve listed the most typical characteristics for you. Please take it with a sense of humor.

The Coding Cowboy

The Coding Cowboy is the hero in a crisis—at least in his own eyes. When a deadline is tight, he rides in and delivers quick results, often ignoring rules or standards. His motto: “If it works, it’s good enough!” Unfortunately, he often leaves behind a code wild west that others have to clean up later.

Traits:

• Works quickly and improvises

• Ignores best practices

• Convinced that “small PRs are just theory”

The Coding Dinosaur

This developer is a veteran with 25+ years of experience and knows every detail of their favorite programming language—probably was there when it was born. Modern frameworks and tools often seem like unnecessary “bells and whistles” to them.

Traits:

• Deep knowledge of legacy systems

• Skeptical of new technologies

• Loves telling stories from the “good old days”

The Coding Ninja

The Ninja is efficient, precise, and works in the shadows. They complete tasks with minimal effort and surprise the team with unexpected solutions—often outside the official backlog.

Traits:

• Works alone and with focus

• Checks in perfect code at 4 a.m.

• Master of secret operations

The Coding Evangelist

The Evangelist is a champion of clean code, design patterns, and architectural principles. They passionately fight for their “coding religion” and turn every pull request into an epic battle for perfection.

Traits:

• Endless discussions about standards

• Demands flawless code

• The final boss of every code review

The Coding Wizard

The Wizard is a true guru. Their magical skills make them a legend in the team. They code effortlessly and without external help—their head is the documentation.

Traits:

• Needs no tutorials or Stack Overflow

• Creates solutions that seem like magic

• Reverently called the “jack of all trades” by colleagues

The Coding Hobo

The Hobo lives off copy-paste—from Stack Overflow or AI-generated snippets. They only adjust parameters and names, sometimes not even changing the comments.

Traits:

• Uses code snippets without deep understanding

• Often leaves chaotic traces in the project

• Master of pragmatic minimalism

The Coding Greenfielder

The Greenfielder loves starting new projects—a green field with no legacy code is their dream. Existing code is often labeled as “legacy” and best thrown away. They thrive when creating something new, but often lack patience for existing systems.

Traits:

• Prefers projects without legacy code

• Little interest in existing code

• Has at least 13 side projects (none finished)

The Coding Planner

The Planner needs to sketch everything out and visualize connections between functions. Even for the smallest solutions, this process must be strictly followed. Sometimes, they forget to actually implement the code while doing all the planning.

Traits:

• Always has three pens and paper at their desk

• Drawing tools have shortcuts and keybindings

• Beginners avoid them in a wide arc

A Humorous Look at Our Diversity

Software teams thrive on diversity—everyone brings their own strengths (and weaknesses). These archetypes are, of course, meant with humor and show the variety of personalities in developer teams. Maybe you recognize yourself or your colleagues in these descriptions? Which type are you? Or have you discovered other characters?

ℹ️ This post was created in collaboration with pep.digital GmbH. The content was produced as part of my professional work and is shared here with permission.