If you have ever read the article written by Jeff Atwood, it might create a lot of confusion regarding the impact of typing speed on the programmer. Newbie programmers very often ask whether typing speed matters for programmers. 

Well, the straightforward answer to the question is NO! You don’t necessarily have to be a fast typer in order to be a great programmer. Here, you can’t agree with Jeff Atwood, one of the most famous programmers. He mentioned in one of his articles that we are typists first and programmers second. 

However, we will also let you know how a fast-typing speed can make your programming journey a bit more productive.  

Does Typing Speed Matter for Programmers? Here’s the Truth– 

If you are a programmer, then you should focus on creating a program by writing the correct lines of code. Here, you don’t need to be worried about increasing your typing speed. And, literally, nothing to stress about if your typing speed is not yet up to the mark. 

When you focus too much on fast typing rather than writing correct codes, does it make sense? You will end up making a lot of mess and for this, you need to spend a good amount of time correcting the codes. 

On the contrary, let’s say your typing speed is not quite up to the mark. But you are pretty much accurate regarding writing the programs correctly. In this way, you can benefit a lot compared to the person who might type fast but, at the same time, make a lot of mistakes. 

Additionally, there is a good number of renowned programmers who are not good at typing. So, the fact is clear here; there is no mandatory rule that you need to type faster to be a good programmer. Let’s forget what Jeep Atwood is (writing at the speed of 150 WPM). 

However, there are still many people who believe that a programmer should write fast. In search of different forum sites, you will get to know why they claim so. From our perspective, what you believe is if you can write fast, you can be a much more productive programmer. Nothing else. This doesn’t mean you need to focus on typing first. 

Why Do People Claim Fast Typing Doesn’t Matter in Programming?

Is it fair enough if you ask one of the artists about his drawing speed? Or do you ever consider some a better researcher based on how fast he publishes a research paper? If the answers to both questions are no, then you will better relate this article to typing speed and programming. 

Programming is a creative task. Here, you need to focus on how you will make things happen by writing codes. Now, if you feel worried about whether you are typing fast or not, it severely impacts your creative thinking. Instead, it is required to think about what you should write rather than how fast you write. 

Thanks to advanced code editors, make the task of writing programs a lot easier than ever. Now, a programmer doesn’t need to write that much code compared to a programmer 10 years back, 

With the help of the code editor, in most cases, you can drag and drop codes from previous lines. Additionally, when you write the first few characters, the tool suggests the rest of the codes you might want to write. And in this case, typing fast won’t matter a lot.  

Why Do People Claim Fast Typing Matters in Programming?

First up, there is not a good number of experts who think so. However, it won’t be fair enough for us to say that fast typing doesn’t create any value regarding programming. Let’s say you’re a writer. Now, the earlier you can finish the book, the more books you can write in your lifetime. 

But the condition here is you shouldn’t skip any crucial idea that you are supposed to present in your book, considering the fact of fast typing. 

In other words, if someone is a proficient programmer and can type fast at the same time, there’s no issue with this. He/she can be so productive and can avoid the chance of missing deadlines.  

What Is the Ideal Typing Speed for a Programmer?

There is no rule of thumb that a programmer has to maintain a specific typing speed when it comes to writing codes. It varies.  If someone is comfortable with writing 40 words per minute, Okay! On the other hand, if someone can write 100 words per minute, okay too. Most importantly, you should feel comfortable with whatever typing speed you can generate. 

Especially if you are a beginner, you should never worry or feel stressed about your current typing speed. If you write slowly, there are no issues with this. Once you are used to writing codes, your typing speed will increase subconsciously. 

At the end of the day, nobody will be going to take note of how fast you type. Rather, they would consider how accurate your cooking is!  And in order to be accurate, you need to focus on what codes you should write.

Final Thoughts!

Never judge a doctor based on how fast he can do surgeries. You don’t need to be the fastest all the time. In the case of programming, there is no exception. When people share that programmers have to type fast, it doesn’t impact the newbie programmer positively. 

Additionally, programmers don’t want to work on a strict deadline. Because you never know how much it takes to finish a project. If you want to make the most out of it, you need to invest time. If employers judge employees based on fast typing, they surely won’t get the full potential of the employee. 

In short, typing speed doesn’t matter for programmers. But, if someone can type fast, avoiding the chances of any major mistakes that might occur due to fast typing, it is OKAY! He hopes you’ve got this article helpful.