Contract Programmer

What Does Contract Programmer Mean?

A contract programmer is a computer programmer who is employed on a temporary or fixed-length contract. A contract programmer is often employed to develop application software/programs or to work on a specific information technology project for small or large businesses, government agencies or computer manufacturers. Contract programmers are expected to be more efficient and experts in using programming languages, and in most cases, have an undergraduate/graduate degree in computer science or information technology along with some strong experience and expertise in the chosen field.

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Techopedia Explains Contract Programmer

In most Information technology projects or assignments, a contract programmer costs more than that of a permanent employee with the same skillset. This is often due to expertise level required and/or time constraints. A contract programmer could be either independent from the organization or could be working as part of a team for developing or deploying a program or providing programming services. Often the rules and responsibilities of the contract programmer change from case to case and from organization to organization.

Contract programmers are expected to be experts in their chosen field. It is often their responsibility to ensure the programs have smooth and logical functioning and with fewer errors and no problems that could potentially hamper user experience. It is often profitable to hire a contract programmer if the length of the project is short. Many contract programmers have strong experience and certifications, and as such, their services are ideal for the projects they undertake.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…