When I tell people I code for a living, they roll their eyes and ask me is programming boring? So many other programming bloggers tell us that you have to be passionate about programming if you want to be good at it. Thus, implying that you have to start passionate before you can ever write a line of code. I think that intellectual type of snobbery is not just plain wrong but foolish. Let me explain how I arrived at this conclusion.
Every year in the month of March, teenagers across Ireland are asked to make a decision that will affect the rest of their life. It is this time that teenagers in their final year of secondary school (equivalent to High School in the US) have to pick the college they want to go to, pick the course they want to study, try to avoid disappointing their brothers, sisters, parents, grand-parents and teachers while trying to achieve the highest grades in over 6 exams. The Leaving Cert in Ireland was probably the most stressful year of my life and I do not want to go back there.
It was not just stressful because of the weight of expectations put on your shoulders by everyone around you but also because you have to decide what you will commit to for the rest of your life. The pressure was too much for some (break downs are a regular occurrence in some schools).
Looking back on it now, I was always told by my elders to follow your passion or do what your interested in but don’t do something that does not lead to a good career. Although I am sure when people tell you that you should follow your passion, they mean well but I can’t help but feel it is the wrong advice.
You see, I have a confession to make. I was not passionate about coding when I started. I was wanted to solve problems with code and also prove that you don’t need 4 years of college and tons of debt to say I am a programmer/web designer/whatever. Hence, that is the reason I wanted learn to code. I became more passionate about different code as I became more familiar with it. Yes, passion is made not born. It is not what the “self-help” gurus tell us on TV but I firmly believe people are passionate about what they became good at. So in order to find your passion, you have to become good at something than that something is what you will be passionate about.
My sister is currently doing the Leaving Cert and I can hear the stress in her voice every time I talk to her. She has an infinite amount of people to please and an infinite amount of choices to make while trying to achieve top scores. My little sister is a smart person and I know time will eventually wash over this part of her life. Yet she is met with the same tired broken advice when she seeks it from her elders. “Find your passion”.
It took me 5 years to realise that you create your passion.
Is Programming Boring or Does It Become Interesting?
So is programming boring? Yes it is if you are not good at it or have never tried it before. The more you fiddle with code, the more you start to see technology in full High Definition. You start to appreciate the simplicity companies like Apple or Google present in a world of complexity. That’s when you are a bit above beginner.
As you get better, you start to see faults and patterns in software and code. As beginners, this is the level we should strive to be at. This is the level I fully intend to get to.
So my main point is that yes, it is boring but as you delve more into it and you get better at it, it gets a whole lot more fun. Your passion for programming is made not born.