Self Realizations – Part I

During World War II, when you needed to get communications between two points, you often had to run a telegraph wire through enemy territory. I’m picturing the scene from Enemy at the Gates – where a soldier puts on a helmet, gets a spool of wire, and crawls on his belly through the mud, dodging enemy fire, and landmines. The goal is to not get picked off before your reach your destination because everyone is counting on you to make the connection.

Lately I have been engrossed in a side project that has given me an opportunity to work with the Android SDK. I have been so tickled at figuring out everything for the first time. Though I am moving at a snail’s pace, and it can be painful to have to constantly reference the documentation, StackOverflow, and Google at large, it has been a fun experience. Small things like talking to a database, or rotating a bitmap feel like big achievements, and make the struggling worth it. Seeing the Java side of the world puts some things about Ruby into perspective too. I know I am better having tinkered with it, and I had fun while doing it.

I have come to realize that its why I love programming. I love running that first line across unknown territory. It is proof that I can accomplish what I set out to do even with almost no prior knowledge about an environment. It is the same rush I get when tinkering with my car, or building computers, installing a ceiling fan, compiling a kernel, or raising a kid. It is about creating something to solve a problem using common tools and applying knowledge to make something awesome of it all. If I didn’t program, I’m not sure what other career I would have that would give me this same chance to tinker with new stuff.

As part of this self realization, I have discovered by my child-like excitement in my accomplishments, how much I miss this in my current work capacity. I’m not building new things anymore. I’m just polishing the same things, and the details don’t really excite me like the prototypes do. I like “broad strokes”. We need people that do the detail work too, but its decidedly not for me.

So find out what it is that you love, and make it happen. Your job and your passion aren’t always in phase, but don’t let let your passion die out just because you are getting paid to do something else.