Programming is hard. That's why it's worth studying

Everyone comes to programming differently. Some people became interested in it during their school years during their first computer science lessons, others began writing “labs” at the university, and others began studying with the goal of changing their profession. However, most “juniors” agree that starting is very difficult. We bring to your attention an adaptation of an article by journalist Roger Collier about how he learned to program to overcome difficulties. He assesses his level as amateur. It's late, well after midnight. My wife and children have been sleeping for a long time, but sleep is not yet part of my plans. Still, I’ll finish it... I debugged the code for the millionth time and launched it for execution. Hmm... Looks promising. If I click here, the program should call the "calculate next step" function. So... And if you click here, the function should call itself. Great. Now, if I click here, I should get... uh... obviously not this. Eh... More debugging, more bugs, and time flows down the drain along with energy... Is this a familiar picture? … I think learning programming is hard. And that's why I love doing it so much.

How programming became my hobby

I started learning to program in JavaScript four months ago, with a front-end tutorial. So programming became my hobby. Over the past few years, I have become disillusioned with the creation/consumption ratio in my life. Too much of my free time was consumed by consumption. Netflix, podcasts, Twitter, magazines, televised sports, Facebook, blogs, Medium, newspapers, novels—the list goes on and on. There is nothing wrong with these activities: they are interesting, educational and somewhat useful, but, in fact, they are aimed exclusively at consumption. Even reading a great book is a process of consumption. Of course, I didn't just consume. As part of my journalistic activities, I wrote. Created, so to speak. However, I gradually got fed up and only tried to do a good job if it had a significant impact on my fees. Despite family, work, other activities and hobbies, I still had a lot of free time. And I spent most of it watching videos. At some point I felt like a pig. In fact, my programming hobby has not yet brought any significant results. I made one simple application, completed front-end challenges and projects in my courses. But this is just the beginning! For me, the point of programming is not to create something new and extraordinary, but to involve yourself in the process of creation, to challenge yourself, to try something difficult for the sole reason of finishing what you started.

The more complicated the better

In my hometown of Ontario, Canada, there is a project whose goal is to improve the physical condition of people. It's called Make Your Day Harder . The main idea of ​​the project is very simple: you need to add simple exercises to your daily routine. This will increase your level of physical activity and improve your health. Everything is very simple. Take the steps, don't take the elevator, get off one stop earlier than you need to and walk. In the company parking lot, park as far away from the office entrance as possible. “Simpler does not mean better” is the motto of this community. What a precise wording! Of course, sitting in front of a computer while you write code will not improve your physical condition. Programming is great, but it's not for your muscles. However, you can think of your Java programming training as a brain exercise. In any case, it’s healthier than scrolling through celebrity Instagram while sipping beer and chips. After I started programming, I still have enough time for leisure. For example, over the past month I have spent dozens of hours watching strangers throw a ball at a metal hoop. In other words, I watched the NBA playoffs. And since I am a fan of the Toronto Raptors, this activity can also be equated to self-torture. Has watching basketball regularly benefited me? I started drinking more beer and eating more junk food, like chips and chicken wings. Plus, I always stay up much later because I watch the games on the West Coast. So healthy sleep is not about me. And although I really enjoy this activity, in fact, it harms me. It's good entertainment, but nothing more. Unless, of course, you take into account the excess weight from high-calorie snacks and beer, or drowsiness in the middle of the next day. But it’s simple and pleasant! Collapse on the sofa, open a bottle of cold beer, stretch your legs and sit in one place for 3 hours. The easy way is tempting. Complex ones are much more useful.

Hard to learn, easy to fight

I once again thought about the value of overcoming difficulties while watching the film Hidden Figures (2016). The film included an excerpt from John F. Kennedy's "We have decided to go to the moon" speech. The United States has not postponed space flights, although this task has proven difficult, the president said. They continued to develop the space program precisely because it was difficult. “Yes, we decided to conquer the Moon, and in this decade. This is not an easy goal, but so much the better: such a test will allow us to give our best, to show what we are capable of, to realize all our power. This is a challenge that we are ready to take on here and now. And we only count on victory!” . John F. Kennedy. The words “hard”, “difficult” and “complicated” are most often used to describe something bad. In many cases this is indeed true. It’s hard to see loved ones suffer or get sick, it’s hard when a pet dies, it’s hard to survive a breakup. Some situations only bring pain, and it is impossible to take anything positive out of them. If it so happens that during your work you create something amazing, and users line up behind your application with open wallets, great. If not, continue programming. If you're a master coder and you've become a YouTube guru with more subscribers than the New York Times (over a million), that's great. If not, keep coding. Many people learn to program to achieve a specific goal. Perhaps you are tired of your job and want to change it to something more interesting. There is nothing wrong. Or you want to go into IT to earn more. Of course, someone has to provide your family with donuts and pay the bills. However, you don't necessarily need a serious reason to start programming . Just start. And if your path is not easy, do not despair. This means you are on the right track. On the difficult one.