They Say "You Better Know the 'Why'"
The Why is the governing force behind the What of your life. The What is the collection of all actions, incidents, and occurrences that happen during your life. And for the purposes of this article, and more broadly my future, my What is building software. I have grown up using computers, the internet, and interacting with people all over the world through software. Building software is an opportunity to connect people in a way to an application that will bring value to their lives.
I’m in the learning stage of building software and I’m using the Learn Verified program offered from the Flatiron School to accelerate my journey. Unlike most coding bootcamps, Learn Verified is offered online and it doesn’t have the extreme time commitment that is required for most bootcamps. This works out great for me because I don’t have the savings to quit my job, move somewhere else, and then pay over $10k to learn how to make websites.
So why is software so cool?
First off, software is embedded into the lives of the majority of people roaming this Earth. Building a piece of software is one of the few ways to have a proportional impact on other peoples’ lives. All of the features of your favorite software have been built by people for people and that’s an appealing perspective to work.
Another interesting aspect, is that it’s intellectually stimulating exercise to create applications that mimic real-life mechanics. Writing code is hard enough on it’s own remembering specific syntax and understanding abstract. Trying to layer in a level of logic in the form of a specific format of words and symbols is an even greater level of difficulty. Being able to build quality web applications requires a set of knowledge to understand both the big picture of a project and all the other little pieces that complete the puzzle.
The last reason I feel compelled to program is I believe writing code and understanding software are the language of the future. It won’t matter if you know Node.js, Ruby on Rails, or ASP.net in the future. Software is so intertwined into our lives, we should embrace this new and wonderful technology by providing it all the creative juices we can muster!
What’s your Why? Discuss or link below!