Ask HN: As a programmer, how do you know if you're a good one or not?
You're asking the wrong question.  You should be asking "Am I an efficient or effective programmer?"<p><pre><code>  Do I get things in on time / under budget?
  Do I avoid common programming pitfalls?
  Do I solve more problems than I create?
  Do I see simple solutions to complex problems?
  Can I refactor terrible code to more easily maintained code?
  Can I avoid terribly written code in the first place?
  Can I effectively communicate with people in order to get the answers I need without wasting their time with needless questions?
</code></pre>
Then you know you're effective when:<p><pre><code>  You're asked for help often.
  You're the go to person by the boss.
  You're often asked for your opinion for engineering decisions.
  Your opinion holds weight with others.</code></pre>