3/4 today …

I’ll say that as a developer, I feel incredibly blessed in my profession to create. To code something from scratch and behold it’s functionality, clean code, small file size, efficiency, and optimization. It is not unlike a musician that composes a song. Or a baker that bakes a cake. Or a cook that creates a stunning dish. Or an painter that paints a masterpiece. Or a concept artist that creates a cool character.

Basically, it’s extremely rewarding and fulfilling to be in a profession were you create. Creating/building relationships, creating campaigns, creating marketing, building houses, building websites, cooking food, making music, writing books. They’re all professions you can enjoy and feel a sense of accomplishment while working.

I’m very happy I’m not in a profession that is less rewarding – I don’t imagine cashier or waiter to be self-satisfying in the same way. But I could be wrong.

There’s no greater professional joy to me, as a developer, than building something to the best of your skills and perfecting it to the last character. And beholding its mastery. This is how I felt about warrenshea.com when I built it. For that project, is me. And while people could do it in different, better, or worse ways, that project is effectively me and all my development “art”, experience, and skill, in project form. And that is something that, dare I say, is a ‘miracle’ of creation for it is infinitely unique, as is its creator.

I would wager the greatest personal joy would be fathering a son (note: I specifically say son as they would likely be more like me than a daughter). Though I imagine fathering a daughter wouldn’t be too far off.

The greatest professional joy to me, as a manager, has yet to be achieved. But a manager friend of mine has said that his most rewarding moment as a manager was promoting someone that deserved it and the elation of said person. I imagine that that feeling, the feeling of rewarding someone with years of good work, is quite rewarding in itself. And to know you’ve helped assist with that progression is its own reward.

I watch shows like MasterChef and Hell’s Kitchen. Bob Ross’ Painting. Those home improvement shows. And I just think – why is there no web developer show. And the answer is so obvious I shall not say why. But effectively, these shows are about creation. And that is no different from a web developer. I’d freaking LOVE to watch developers compete, talk trash, analyse each other’s code, etc. Just as home cooks can learn a thing or two from MasterChef and Hell’s Kitchen, I’d love to learn a thing or two from a non-tutorial based show about developers. I wager I’m likely the only person ‘in the market’ for this programming. But in 5 years, when they’ve exhausted their ideas…it could happen.

So you think you can write code?
So you think you can compose a song?
So you think you can bake?

It’s only a matter of time…