I’ve always loved computers and games, but I didn’t always think programming was for me. Like many others, I believed you had to be a “math person” to be good at it.
Now, math is absolutely important in computer science, but it shouldn’t be a barrier to entry. That misconception kept me from pursuing software engineering as a passion and a career. In fact, it wasn’t until the school district I worked for offered to pay for my computer science teaching certification that I finally gave it a try.
I was floored by how quickly I latched on to programming. That was my aha! moment: it wasn’t about math,it was about logic. And if there’s a Venn diagram between English and math, logic sits right in the middle.
Looking back, I missed some pretty obvious signs I would love programming. I’ve always been a fan of Final Fantasy, and while my first was FF7, the one I want to highlight is Final Fantasy XII. Its combat system introduced the Gambit system, basically conditional statements you could assign to characters.
- “If an ally’s HP < 50%, heal them.”
- “If an enemy is weak to fire, cast fire.”
You could automate strategies and watch them unfold and I adored it. And only years later, when I started programming, did I realize that was programming! Automating tasks, creating patterns, solving problems.
So now I’m curious, what was your first sign you’d love programming? And did you miss it like I did?
Top comments (0)