{"id":34610,"date":"2019-11-01T10:00:41","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T14:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simpleprogrammer.com\/?p=34610"},"modified":"2023-02-13T13:51:39","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T18:51:39","slug":"inspiring-developer-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simpleprogrammer.com\/inspiring-developer-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Better Late than Never: Finding Inspiration from Other Developers\u2019 Life Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Social media and the internet have made this world a smaller place to live in. We meet all different kinds of people online, doing all kinds of jobs, and living very different lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a Software Engineer interested in progressing in my profession<\/a>, I\u2019ve met a number of talented programmers online. Their achievements and success stories are enough to either motivate you or intimidate you. Some of these programmers even started programming at the age of 6! When I found that out, I immediately thought, \u201cThat\u2019s not what happens in my country.\u201d

In India, there isn\u2019t a culture of doing what your heart desires. The truth is that children aren\u2019t groomed to decide for themselves what career they want. Instead, the culture is to follow what\u2019s in trend.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half the computer developers in India exist because computer science is trendy, not because it\u2019s their passion. That is the<\/em> reason why children aren\u2019t motivated to start early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was a bit different, though. Hearing stories of programmers starting young motivated me. There are two ways to take success stories like these: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. You could be intimidated<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    OR<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. You could be inspired<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I chose the latter, and as Robert Frost said, \u201cthat has made all the difference.\u201d Seeing successful older developers<\/a> lit a fire inside me to be like<\/em> them, not run away from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There\u2019s a lot of power in other people\u2019s journeys to becoming a coder<\/a>\u2014you can learn about perseverance, diligence, and motivation. Reading about another person\u2019s approach to a problem can offer you unique tools to deal with a similar situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Let me share with you my story of becoming a coder. This way, I can hopefully inspire you to learn from not only my early mistakes as a programmer<\/a>, but also from my subsequent smart decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keep an Eye on Your Real<\/em> Goal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I was 16 years old when I knew I wanted to be a computer engineer (that\u2019s what it\u2019s called in India). A computer engineer is someone who is initially taught about all the fields of engineering and then<\/em> gets taught about computers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Pretty confusing, right? Well, that\u2019s just how it goes in India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The only problem was that I didn\u2019t know how to start. I didn\u2019t have a clue, and I didn\u2019t even think to Google it. I simply did what everyone else was doing\u2014I studied for the All-India Engineering Exam for acceptance into college. I thought that, then, I would start to study computers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To be completely honest, I didn\u2019t even know what programming was back then. I just knew I had to score well on the engineering test to get accepted into college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Upon reflection, there is so much I would change about that time if I had the chance. The first thing would be my decision to study endlessly for that engineering test, rather than focus my energy and efforts on studying what I was planning to do for the rest of my life<\/a>: programming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s the first thing you can learn from my story: Always keep an eye on your <\/strong>actual<\/em><\/strong> goals, what you really want, not what you guess might get you there.<\/strong> You might not even know how to reach your goals, but in this day and age, lack of guidance should not be an excuse. With the internet at your disposal and your mind set on a goal, you can aim straight at the bull\u2019s-eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You Won\u2019t Necessarily Be as Skilled as Others, and That\u2019s Alright<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In my school, we had a chance to opt for one of two subjects for the two years before college: information technology (IT) or physical education (PEd). PEd was easier to score in, so I opted for that. Yeah, the irony \u2026 I know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I did not take the subject I was working to achieve. I thought, \u201cIt\u2019s okay, I\u2019ll study it in college.\u201d I did score well enough on the All India pre-engineering test to get into a computer science course at a decent college, but life was only getting started. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I still remember my first computer programming class where we were given a simple C code to write: <\/p>\n\n\n\n