Oh wow, today is the day. 20 years ago, on the first Monday of July I entered the professional world of software engineering as a 19 year old uni dropout. From the tight quarters of a starting web agency in Amsterdam staring at a modest 14-inch CRT screen my journey began. Even though I had been tinkering with Q-basic all my high school years and done some spare web dev jobs for a few guilders as a young adolescent from that moment it had grown into something more - my profession
Today is not my birthday but I'm marking an important milestone. I’ve been a software engineer longer than not. It feels like a celebration all its own.
This journey has been filled with lessons. Many mistakes were made. Stress threatened my passion. But I've learned, grown, and found joy in this craft.
Here are a few lessons I've come to understand over these years:
Mental energy
1: Mental energy is the most precious resource. It powers our ideas, fuels our creativity, and drives our resilience. Nurturing it is paramount.
Unique privillege
2: Software engineering is a magical craft. We create solutions out of nothing but thought and code, transforming digital ether into concrete problem-solving marvels. It’s a unique privilege.
Learning never stops
3: The learning never ceases. There’s no plateau of knowledge, every day offers an invitation to understand something new, to refine our skills, and expand our horizons.
It'll always take longer than expected
4: The first 80% of the project takes 80% of the time, the last 20% of the project takes 80% of the time
Teamwork = dreamwork
5: Teamwork is the foundation of success. The unity in brainstorming, coding, debugging, and ultimately, creating solutions is a thrill. It’s a reminder that together we make the impossible possible.
Trust your tools
6: Trust your tools. PHP (with Laravel and Symfony as the big guns) has been my trusted ally, demonstrating time and again its efficiency for me against other inflated tech stacks. Don't let trends overshadow the tools that truly empower you.
Imposter syndrome isn't that bad
7: And yes, the whisper of imposter syndrome is a reality. It can keep us grounded, spark our curiosity, and push us to strive for better, reminding us that there’s always room to grow.
I'm thrilled about what lies ahead. Celebrating this 20-year milestone I look forward to 20+ more years of crafting solutions, chasing down bugs like a bloodhound for my clients and delving deeper into this craft. The journey continues, and the future excites me. Here's to the next 20 years! 🚀👨💻🥳
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