I find as I get more experience I realize my limitations as a programmer so I can predict much further out where I'll run into trouble. It usually ends up being avoiding bad architectural choices, avoiding bad abstractions, avoiding introducing bugs into code that works. It's easy to spot a bad programmer, I find that a lot of the time a good programmer will be known for their faults in other areas (ie. Bad communicator) but people take their skill for granted. And then there's the rare programmer who can solve things that others can't understand. There's way more bad programmers than star ones, but my guess is a lot of people here fall into the good not great category unless their track record is exceptional. A lot of people try and fail early, much like companies, so if you've been in the game for a while it's a good indication.
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I find as I get more experience I realize my limitations as a programmer so I can predict much further out where I'll run into trouble. It usually ends up being avoiding bad architectural choices, avoiding bad abstractions, avoiding introducing bugs into code that works. It's easy to spot a bad programmer, I find that a lot of the time a good programmer will be known for their faults in other areas (ie. Bad communicator) but people take their skill for granted. And then there's the rare programmer who can solve things that others can't understand. There's way more bad programmers than star ones, but my guess is a lot of people here fall into the good not great category unless their track record is exceptional. A lot of people try and fail early, much like companies, so if you've been in the game for a while it's a good indication.