Managers (and many programmers) tend to believe on a gut level that programmers are only truly productive when there are fingers on the keyboard.
Unfortunately, in most organizations you don't want to be 'that guy' who spends half his time scribbling notes, reading inscrutable documents, and frequently talking with peers. It's hard for a casual observer to tell whether you're productive, and many people will assume you're not.
Unfortunately, in most organizations you don't want to be 'that guy' who spends half his time scribbling notes, reading inscrutable documents, and frequently talking with peers. It's hard for a casual observer to tell whether you're productive, and many people will assume you're not.