A ‘rock star’ programmer is exactly ‘the boring programmer’ described here but combined with enthusiasm for the job. The best programmers do it for the love of programming and just happen to make money at it. This passion leads them to work a bit harder, investigate new things and really think hard.

This is exactly the paradigm of the an actual rock star. Rock stars as a rule are competent musicians and singers but also absolutely love their job.

If you want a solid career then being a ‘boring programmer’ is a perfectly rationale career choice. I know many engineers who have made this choice and are a great asset to their companies.

If you have a true passion for IT however then the upside is absolutely unlimited. Push really hard and become a rock star!