A Step Into The Unknown

Random curiosity started my programming journey. I figured a practical way to start was to build a simple game. I didn't know what language to use, so like most questions in life, I went to Google for an answer. I asked the wise one, "What language is used to develop Android apps?" Since my phone uses Android, I figured that would be the best place to start.

Thanks to Ol’ Reliable, I found out that java was popular. I took to Youtube with my newfound starting point. I did some digging and followed along with videos, but I do not remember how any of my projects ended. None of the programs meant much to me, but for some reason, I still had curiosity scratching at the back of my mind.

I woke up the following morning and looked up beginner exercises for javascript. Which turns out to be a different programming language entirely (a mistake that will become a recurring theme you will soon find.) There was an objective of one exercise - grab the sum of two numbers, if they were greater than or equal to 100, display a message to the user. I completed the task the only way I knew and checked my answer. The results surprised me.

The answer on the video, not only did not work for me (now for obvious reasons), it only required one keystroke to execute. I got the same answer but my code was like the games I made the night before - an interactive experience. The video was different. It was cut and dry - a straight to the point approach. I realized programmers could come to the same conclusions in different ways. It wasn't that coding suddenly become expressive. It was, I suddenly became aware of how expressive coding could be.

That was an epiphany for me. That’s what got me hooked.

Was there a defining moment that lead you to something you’re passionate about? If so, what was it?