Becoming a programmer wasn't my 1st choice eitherš¤·š½āāļø
Not passionate about a career in programming? Neither was I, but this is what changed that.
Let me start off by saying- you're not the only one who put aside their true passions for something more practical.
I wanted to become a famous writer and actress. I went to school in NYC for film and screen studies. I moved to LA to try my hand at breaking into Hollywood. Obviously, I didnāt make it very far š
Like many people, since trying to achieve my dream wasnāt paying the bills, I decided to go after something thatād be easier to obtain. Choosing programming wasā¦smartšHard, but smart. Not only is it a desirable skill set that pays well, and can be done from anywhere in the world, but itās the field driving the digital era, and I didnāt want to be left behind.
However, sitting behind a laptop for 8 hours a day writing code is not the type of writing Iām passionate about. And I sure as hell canāt integrate acting with programming. For awhile, it felt as though I was just tolerating being in this industry for the benefits since I couldnāt find much joy in it. Until I did.
Listen, life is all about perspective. I swear. I arrived at a crappy hotel in Miami once that looked nothing like the pictures. I had such a negative attitude the first day of that trip, until I learned that this crappy hotel was actually in a wealthy area full of celebrities and millionaires. After I learned that new information, my entire mood changed and it was one of the best, boujee trips of my life.
See? Perspective. Shallow, but you get my point.
Iām not saying that I absolutely love programming now, but I did find a way to intertwine it with my passions, which helped me to change my perspective.
Think not of programming, but what you can do with it- a side projectš”
Software Engineers solve problems. We solve big problems, small problems, in all industries and communities. Maybe youāre passionate about beauty or music. How can you use your programming skills to build something more convenient for influencers or consumers in those industries?
Maybe you can build a mobile app that allows shoppers to scan foundations in Sephora, and it pairs their skin tone to the correct foundation shade of every brand. Now they donāt have to manually test shades by touching the tester makeup. Nice way to prevent getting in contact with germs! And thatās just MVP, you can continue to build on that ideaš
Iām not passionate about coding, Iām passionate about the ideas that I can bring to life with it.
For me, I thought of an app that allowed users to easily find and follow one another on social media platforms. The features of the app were really dope, and the interface was sexy. It was my golden egg idea. My way into wealth! I was extremely passionate about building it, and I needed to get better at programming to complete it.
This is what kept me excited.
Your job is your chance to learn and growāØ
Even if what youāre building at work doesnāt really relate to your side project, your experience there will be a huge contributor to it. It may not be the technical aspect of your job that contributes to it either, but maybe itās the business aspect. Maybe you want to make money off your side project- youāll need to learn things like marketing or sales. Take full advantage of what youāll get exposure to at your job!
Personally, whether I loved what I was building at work or not, I knew I loved learning. I HAD to learn. The more I learned at work, the better a Software Engineer I became. My skill set would grow, which meant that I could build more, better, and faster. All of the knowledge I gained could be thrown right into my side project, which I treated as my baby. I couldnāt wait to go home and implement the things I learned at work.
This is what kept me motivated.
Find your community to keep you inspiredš¤©
āYourā community can fall into dozens of categories. The goal is to find people who are like-minded or resonate with experiences similar to yours.
#BlackTechTwitter is the community that keeps me inspired. I love seeing what my community members are currently learning or working on. Itās a great feeling to be able to engage with them, understand tech jargon and jokes with them, and learn from one another. Itās even better that itās a community of people who look like me, and also have these same technical skills that give us the ability to create. Itās magical! #BlackTechTwitter truly makes me want to stay in this industry and continue contributing to it, simply because the community exists alone.
This is what keeps me here.
And remember, kidsšš¾
Technology is not limited to programming. There are soooo many fields within the industry that you may end up being passionate about! Do you love painting? Maybe youād love UX/UI Design. Do you wish that you could build a world of your own to escape to? Youād probably love Virtual Reality!
I love writing, and I was able to continue doing it in the tech industry by blogging about things I learned, or experiences I had, and by starting a newsletter šAs for acting, I plan to start a comedy vlog channel about how I micromanage my fiancĆ© (whoās also a Software Engineer) and make him implement all the coding things that I donāt want to do myself. This industry allows you to fuse your technical skills with your passions and talents. There are no limits, so donāt be afraid to get creative!