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In my humble opinion, it really depends on what you're programming:

3D Gaming engine: A genius with lots of CS training/education.

Simple business app with weird rules that requires a lot of customer feedback: A kind-hearted person who can listen and noodle around and is tenacious.

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I agree that more technical projects require more cleverness/training, but most things don't require genius. Terry Tao, field medalist, argues strongly that one does not need to be a genius to be a professional mathematician. https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/does-one-have-t... Likewise, this implies that one does not need to be a genius to program difficult things.

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