Coding for Fun instead of Profit
Ive been wanting to become a programmer for sometime now. Ever since my first job after high school in retail i wanted to work as a programmer. I would dream about the high pay, being respected and doing fun work.
But despite a diploma, two degrees and hours of self study I am still not "qualified" to be a programmer. Ive been so disappointed and frustrated after all that effort and money no one will give me a chance without having already worked as a programmer.
Reading about other developers on Twitter and podcasts like Codenewbie would make you think that everyone can have a exciting career as a developer.
But the reality is that these people are rare, they are in the right place at the right time and very lucky. Social media gives a false impression of what it's really like. Makes it sound like these success stories are more common. But for most people this unlikely, even if you can get a dev job it will likely be soul crushing and boring.
Ive been wrestling whether it's worth it and what else i need to do for a while now. More recently i did some serious thinking and realised even if I did get a job as a programmer would i be happy. Given what i have seen of project teams that it's not as fun as it seems. There is ever changing specs, uninspiring work and tight deadlines. These are not things that make for a fulfilling career.
Despite this I still love programming, so the solution was to find a job that i'm comfortable in and code in my spare time. The benefit is no more or less stress about career goals only to be disappointed and have more energy and enthusiasm for my side projects.
As i right this i'm on my 2nd last day at Deloitte Oracle practice where this will be the end of my IT career. It could be just a detour but who knows. I have found a job as a Digital Content Co-Ordinater, this is still tech related but more in the realm of Marketing and Graphic Design. I still get to use my HTML and CSS skills along with image work, but i'm free of the worry about what technology or language i need to study next. I'm free to do what ever makes me happy.
Recently I started studying with Free Code Camp to work on my Full Stack Web Dev skills. Ive been leaning towards Front End development but with a good understanding of back end technologies. But who knows i might try out some C or C++ for fun best of all it wont matter if it helps my career or not.
In summary coding doesn't have to be a career if your passionate about coding do it for fun. If it leads somewhere all the better, but without passion and drive a career wont be as fulfilling as you might hope.
But despite a diploma, two degrees and hours of self study I am still not "qualified" to be a programmer. Ive been so disappointed and frustrated after all that effort and money no one will give me a chance without having already worked as a programmer.
Reading about other developers on Twitter and podcasts like Codenewbie would make you think that everyone can have a exciting career as a developer.
But the reality is that these people are rare, they are in the right place at the right time and very lucky. Social media gives a false impression of what it's really like. Makes it sound like these success stories are more common. But for most people this unlikely, even if you can get a dev job it will likely be soul crushing and boring.
Ive been wrestling whether it's worth it and what else i need to do for a while now. More recently i did some serious thinking and realised even if I did get a job as a programmer would i be happy. Given what i have seen of project teams that it's not as fun as it seems. There is ever changing specs, uninspiring work and tight deadlines. These are not things that make for a fulfilling career.
Despite this I still love programming, so the solution was to find a job that i'm comfortable in and code in my spare time. The benefit is no more or less stress about career goals only to be disappointed and have more energy and enthusiasm for my side projects.
As i right this i'm on my 2nd last day at Deloitte Oracle practice where this will be the end of my IT career. It could be just a detour but who knows. I have found a job as a Digital Content Co-Ordinater, this is still tech related but more in the realm of Marketing and Graphic Design. I still get to use my HTML and CSS skills along with image work, but i'm free of the worry about what technology or language i need to study next. I'm free to do what ever makes me happy.
Recently I started studying with Free Code Camp to work on my Full Stack Web Dev skills. Ive been leaning towards Front End development but with a good understanding of back end technologies. But who knows i might try out some C or C++ for fun best of all it wont matter if it helps my career or not.
In summary coding doesn't have to be a career if your passionate about coding do it for fun. If it leads somewhere all the better, but without passion and drive a career wont be as fulfilling as you might hope.
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