Why I picked up programming
My friends often ask me why I'm learning programming NOW.
I guess the reason is I was fed up. I always had some random project idea of what could be built. However, I always lacked the programming skills. This was a constant bummer which eventually led to lots of ideas being dead.
One day I decided to give it a serious shot after multiple tries over the years. This was August 2023. I knew nothing about making web apps but I persevered. I built random useless stuff that only I wanted, then moved to somewhat valuable stuff that other people cared about.
I'm still far from done and have only started to realize that I know nothing. But that's the fun part. I've started enjoying the journey of programming - coming up with an idea, breaking it down, seeing it grow one day at a time, barely functional to functional. This gives me joy and I wouldn't trade it for anything else.
Over the course of this journey, I've figured out one simple principle that's true in almost every aspect of life - taking action. The only limiting factor is not doing stuff and thinking too much beforehand. Action produces information and information gives clarity.
I used to think I should know xyz thing to build this project. Now, my approach is that there'd be tons of things that I don't know (yet) but I'll figure it out by doing it as opposed to just learning it first. Because just learning doesn't have context baked in. Learning by doing already has that context which makes it fun. In retrospect, I feel this was the reason I persevered with programming in 2023. This time, I wanted to make things and programming was a means to an end. Earlier, I was 'learning' programming, which honestly, felt hard to plough through.
Since then, I've also found some new areas that interest me. I'm now fascinated by operating systems fundamentals, compilers and interpreters (coded an interpreter as well), embedded systems programming. I now have books on each of these topics that other people have recommended, which I enjoy reading.
I was never this 'guy' and now it feels surreal and honestly, really good. You never know what becomes part of your identity if you put in consistent work.
This brings me to another realization that you gotta start somewhere. And as time progresses, you build skills, you tend to move towards more challenging things that give you joy. You're never stuck at one place if you're doing it enough and regularly. Always watch out for the slope and not the y-intercept of the moment.
I see a lot of people on Twitter or around me ask the same advice - what should they pick up and where should they begin? I was in the same boat when I was starting out with programming. It got so overwhelming that I just picked JavaScript and went ahead without thinking much.
I would've never stumbled upon the beauty of operating systems and compilers had I not started with programming first. In retrospect, it boils down to the same thing - taking action.