I am a computer programmer. I have been doing this for a while now.

A computer programmer writes programs that instruct a computer to perform different tasks—sometimes to do silly things but mostly to solve problems. The profession has evolved, however. Fancy names have been concocted to make it sound impressive: software developer, software engineer, fullstack engineer, etc. etc. etc. I now describe myself as a senior software engineer in polite company. The real me—The Real Van—remains a computer programmer. I see myself as a citizen of this world, doing what I love since junior high: working with computers and learning and practicing the craft continuously, one day at a time. And that should be good enough for most.