What does a computer programmer do each day?

Looking into becoming a computer programmer, but I'm not sure what their daily routine looks like. Is it mostly coding all day, or are there other responsibilities involved? Trying to understand what this path involves before I commit.

A computer programmer's day-to-day activities may vary greatly depending on their specific role, the project they are working on, and the company they work for. However, there are several common tasks and responsibilities that you might expect as a computer programmer.

Coding is often a large part of the job, but this also includes understanding the task or problem at hand. A significant portion of a programmer's day can involve problem-solving to find efficient solutions, debugging existing code to detect and rectify errors, and integrating software components and third-party programs into the existing codebase.

You might also spend time on code review, which is examining another programmer's code to suggest improvements or find errors. This helps ensure the quality and maintainability of the software.

Alongside this, programmers often spend time designing and testing software systems. This might include creating flowcharts or other visual representations of the software's structure and conducting unit tests to verify that individual parts of the software work as expected.

Documentation is another crucial part of a programmer's day. Documenting your code helps your teammates understand your work and makes the software easier to maintain and modify in the future.

Frequent meetings are also a part of many programmers' daily routines, to align with the team, discuss progress, and plan future work. Programmers may also need to engage in continual learning to stay up-to-date with new programming languages and technologies.

Lastly, keep in mind that while computer programmers often work standard full-time hours, deadlines or product launches can sometimes require longer hours.