Love
I have been a developer since I was ten-years-old.
I love writing code.
My Job (then)
Many years ago, after getting out of college, I found myself teaching computers ... and I thoroughly enjoyed the work. Granted, I was teaching in a prison, but the energy and excitement I found when someone "got it" rivaled my excitement when I got some code working.
For almost two decades, I taught computers for various organizations and built a solid career helping others to be successful in their own careers.
Then, things changed ...
One of the companies I worked with gave me a chance to work as a front-end developer and I realized that while I liked teaching, I love writing code.
And, so I ended one a rather interesting journey and started another ...
My Job (now)
I had kept up on my skills and wasn't too far behind when it came to writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I dove in with the same fervor I had when I was ten, sitting in front of an Apple II+ ... thankfully, the hardware is a bit better today than it was then.
I had a manager that liked to go to conferences. He said it was being done to improve us professionally. I'm not sure if he really meant that, but I soaked it all in and quickly realized that I didn't like sitting in the crowd.
I had been a teacher for a long time, after all. Helping others has always been a passion.
I quickly found myself putting together talks and articles. I began to mentor junior developers. I was changing, evolving, and growing as an individual and a developer.
My Motivations
My motivations are my own; probably much more disorganized and twisted than this post would indicate.
My motivation to write articles about technology stems from several things:
- My desire to improve and learn while digging into the details of some code.
- My desire to help others (as a former teacher).
- My desire to stay "in the game," to be able to submit a talk and be accepted as a quality speaker.
- And, I think ultimately, to simply be seen and heard.
To the last point ... watching the numbers climb on an article is truly something amazing, to hear what other developers take from what I write, and to see the direction the industry is heading knowing I am a part of it ...