"Decide” is a funny word. “Decide” encompasses so many entities and variables that it seems unlikely that as the human race we were able to boil it down to a single word, but nonetheless, “decide” is quite antiquated. To decide is to have hindsight, to toss up many options and mark down which one is most appealing, and to forgo the others. To decide is commit yourself fully to one thing and promise yourself progress. So when I consider the question, “Why did I decide to learn software development?” I know that I can answer it.
I have an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Siena College. For the entirety of my high school career, I was not sure what I wanted to pursue and consistently kept the decision as a “save for later” in the back of my mind. Then, of course, I entered college as an undecided, liberal arts student where they promised the ability and the time to explore different paths. Yet, they do not tell you how quickly four years shuffle by and how easily you can forgo making any decisions between your intro to psych 101 lecture and the luring ideal of the upcoming weekend festivities. So, as time turned into a sprint, I found myself confounding to what I found comfortable: English Literature. I have a magnetic history with reading and writing, so why deviate? I love to read! I love to write! I love to annotate! (I know) Let’s do this. However, the decision felt less like a decision, and more like a pitiful hug. What can you do with an English degree? Well, anything they say. But, what can I do with an English degree? Oh, great, another decision to be made and so soon-- ugh! A gap year also welcomed me with a pitiful hug, (and I must say a gap year is nothing to be ashamed of and I thoroughly enjoyed myself) and the cycle perpetuated.
I know I sound like a broken record, but it was sometime in May when I decided it was time to decide. It was time to put forth my efforts and my mind. I kept seeing words like “tech”, “code”, “computers” etc. flash before me in different mediums throughout my daily life. Was it a sign? Or was it the completely accurate depiction of our society’s condition? Our world is tech now: our world will never be without its companion. So, I began to research.
Dear Reader, as this may not be a surprise to you, I found that coding rightfully mirrors both creativity and logic. “Hey! I like the sound of that,” I thought to myself. The scope of creativity introduces an outlet for those who are not handy with the paintbrush and the scope of logic follows suit for those who never identified themselves as “left-brained”. However, my ability to use a pen(or in this case, a keyboard) and create substantial thought and emotion backed by logos mirrors the entirety of what I believe code to be. The decision felt right.
And I know that some days the decision may feel wrong, but I will continue. I look forward to learning every day and code promises that to me. I look forward to becoming a part of what this world is and what it will become. Even more so, I look forward to a path of growth and transparency.
Top comments (2)
With a good English you will have an advantage when you'll write tech articles. Sprinkle your articles with a good story, like this one and they will be fun and interesting to read.
We all love good stories.
Nice article, best of luck.
Hi Victor! Thanks for your comment. I totally agree. Us humans love an origin story haha