Programming: is it worth it?

In the edge we are living, information technology (IT) is taking over, from our devices to everyday activities to homes, cars and probably someday it will be our own bodies. Moving with the wave is the order of the day for most individuals and in this case, I am talking about being a “techie” ( person who is expert in or enthusiastic about technology, especially computing) or software developer.

But you have got to ask, is building these technological solutions or in simpler terms “programming” for everyone to do? For those who are already in this field, is it worth the sleepless nights; having your computer as a best friend?

2014, I worked at an Internet cafe, interfacing with computers all the time and gaining such a great amount of interest in anything related to them. Fast forward to 2016, I am now in my second year of pursuit in the Degree of Software Engineering challenged with more and more problems to solve using software and being bogged down by these programming concepts and algorithms that I 80% don't understand.

Is this really what I want? Is it what I signed up for? Where is this going to take me anyway? All these questions filling my mind yet I was already in my second year and had two more to go.

OVERCOME THE FEAR OF PROGRAMMING

I had to do a real kind of evaluation that led me to ask again “Am I willing to put this fear for software development challenges aside and willing to learn?” I was indeed willing which led me to start paying more attention to programming concepts, methodologies, technologies, use cases, among others.

With that willingness came the desire to learn more and more, most especially how I can apply what I am most especially interested in [web development] to build solutions. I say so because much as programming is a solution, it has quite a range of semi-solutions, or should I say different approaches to solving a problem based on input and output required.

At this point where I am a few weeks away from graduating, I am now certain of the path I want to take: being a full stack web developer. To be that, I most definitely have to put a lot of effort into software development and programming; learning, learning and learning something new each day.

As I earlier hinted, programming is a very important sector as everyday problems can be solved using programs. As an addition, there is probably almost no feeling compared to that of building a solution to a dire problem and watching that solution impact on other’s lives, so, yes, it is worth the sleepless nights.

And again, yes! I believe programming is totally worth venturing into, most especially for everyone and anyone who has a passion and ability to solve problems and build software solutions. It is also a very collaboration-intense and project based job and therefore anyone who is delighted in being part of teams and following a project schedule is well suited for this field.

It provides effective solutions, take a look at how mobile money has simplified our lives, how on-line ticket booking has saved you having to transport yourself to a physical booking point; and on the international level, the smart cars, smart houses, voting systems, you name it. I most definitely want to build such systems of impact someday.

As a plus, when you are in the right environment, of course with the right set of skills, programming will get you a great paying job.