In this world of programmers and morons, many people identify themselves as programmers or coders; But fear to identify themselves as Hackers, since the world sees them as thieves. Yes, the world really looks at them as if they were robbers. But, we have to remember the fact that many cool things, whether they may be software or websites, are brought up, in their initial stages, by the sleepless nights of a hacker. Thanks to companies like Facebook, that try to embed hacker culture in their companies, hackers are getting R.E.S.P.E.C.T they deserve.
And you know what, unless you are a hacker, you are not going to get placed in companies like Amazon, Facebook or Google. Because, if not for them, these companies would not have survived even for a single year in this fast changing internet era.
Hacking is not just writing everything from scratch, but also involves understanding and modifying the available code as quick as possible. A hacker is the one, who can't sleep unless the code works or unless he has built what he wants to build..
If you are a person reading this, and want to become a hacker, start getting your hands dirty. Look at other people's code, modify it and see what happens. Try to connect a website with a database, create a useful web app that is addicting to use. Don't fear to learn a new paradigm or a new programming language, because unless you have all the tools, you cannot figure which one is apt for a particular situation. Get an internship at a start up near by, because start ups are the place where the stuff you build can really matter. Or try at Google, Amazon or Facebook. If you can't, fork a project at Github. Go to Stack Overflow and clarify your doubts, if you can, clarify other people's doubts. Participate actively in the coding competitions since there you face the real challenge of competing with other hackers and also get to know different space and time constraints for the code you write. I recommend interviewstreet since it's interface is clean, but there are some other sites like code chef and top coder. Annual challenges are held by big companies like the Facebook's Hacker Cup and Google's Code Jam. Participate in those for fun. Don't stop learning. Keep coding. Learnt a better way - apply it and use it regularly in your coding. Keep your hands dirty and one day you will be a true HACKER.
And facebook is openly challenging you,
http://facebook.interviewstreet.com/recruit/challenges
