There are a number of reason why I decided to learn how to program. In fact, my reasons are probably not much different from most people my age. The truth is, I’ve always been interested in programming. Ever since I was a boy I had an interest in computers. My dad ran a small computer repair shop out of our house. So I was exposed to a variety of computers at a young age.
So... why now? Why at the age of 36 am I just starting? Why didn’t I start earlier on?
To be completely honest it was fear. The fear of failure to be more specific. This fear prevented me from learning something that I had been interested in since I was a kid. I was mostly afraid that I was too stupid, and that if I tried and failed, I would know for certain that I was. You see, I grew up with the mindset that you had to be a genius, or a math wiz, or maybe something like Doogie Howser to become a programmer. But I was none of those things... So why would I even try???
To be fair programming wasn’t easy to learn when I was young. You only had a few options for learning. Your choices were either to go to school for a CS degree, have someone mentor you, or learn from a book. I’ll also add that the books back then were not beginner friendly (at least the books that I could find) and most of the languages had a very steep learning curve. Regardless, I still never gave it a try. Instead, I convinced myself that programming wasn’t for me.
Okay… Enough about why I didn’t learn how to program then, and on to why I am NOW.
I think my primary reason is simply because I CAN. The information is out there, and nowadays, anyone interested can start learning how to code for little to no cost at all. I also came to realize that anyone can do this. You don’t have to be a genius or a math wiz. All you need is the willingness and drive to see it through. I already had the willingness part. I just need that drive or that push to get me started...
I finally got that push, and it was in the form of a baby girl.
Once I became a parent I realized that I had to do more with my life. It isn’t just about providing a better life for my family either. I want to be a role model for my daughter. I want to show her that no matter what, if you follow your dreams and put your mind to it, you can achieve anything. I also want to do something that I love for a living. I’m tired of working just to pay the bills. I want to do something that I can be proud of! For me, that is programming.
Top comments (9)
I'm 31, also have a baby girl and 2year in CS. You have no idea how happy makes me reading this.
I'm so glad this post made you happy! Your not alone out there. There are so many people in our situation. I just hope they are as fortunate as we are. Congratz on your baby!
Hell yeah! I convinced my brother to pick up coding at age 39 and he's loving it. 🙂
Nice!!! I'm trying to convince my wife to do the same.
So, out of curiosity, what path do you think you will be heading down for your primary go-to language?
I started with JavaScript about 6-7 months ago and wrote a couple of apps using vanilla JS/JQuery. However, now I've decided to go a more traditional route and joined an online bootcamp which starts with Ruby.
Edit: Just realized I didn't quite answer your question. So to continue>
I'm not quite sure yet what my go-to lang will be. I like JS a lot and there is so much you can do with it, but Ruby is starting to grow on me. So I guess once I am done with the bootcamp I will make my decision.
Agreed... I believe that no matter what, if the passion is there the only thing left is to just do it. Telling yourself you can is a cop-out. Thank you for reading my post. I'm glad you liked it!
Welcome to this cool world! :-)
Thank you! :)