I remember cackling with glee when I was first left alone with a laptop. The possibilities seemed endless: do I play the simple games I had on hand or write something? I would usually opt to play games but sometimes I would write, basically fishing for the approval of one encouraging teacher or one of my parents. Word processing, saving and gaming are the products of software engineering.

As I aged, my interests changed a little bit. Communication with friends from summer camp became instantaneous and the world became so much smaller. Software engineering. Music and games could be explored as quickly as your network connection could access them.

Sometime between then and now, software engineering became inescapable. The simplest televisions may use multiple operating systems, on the tv and the cable/satellite box, to allow use of the most democratic means of entertainment on the planet. Operational research software organizes just-in-time inventories at nearly every major and minor retailer in the US.

I just returned from a business trip to two distribution centers for the McClane Company. Historically, grocery and general merchandise distribution was handled independently within a chain of stores and used estimation in smaller operations. Drayton McClane realized there was an opportunity there and applied the statistical and operational research aptitudes of big chain distribution to convenience and corner stores. McClane changed hands a couple of times, time passed and the first distribution center I visited was organized by software but the merchandise was distributed by humans.

The second distribution center I visited was more like a massive vending machine where humans are responsible for maintenance, management, configuration, communication and transportation. Neglecting the “Terminator” narrative, thousands more people are being fed, clothed, fueled, entertained, educated and living better lives through the application of software and hardware engineering. This is great!

I don’t think I am likely to be the next Tevanian, Gosling or Torvalds; I studied economics in college. But in one class, ECN 111B: Economic History from the 1870s to the Present, where I am not too proud to admit I was the number 1 ranked student, I sat in my professor’s office fishing for a recommendation on the theory that I might try to go to grad school some day. He showed me a circular illustration of all human knowledge. He zoomed in a little bit on one of the outer edges of the circle and it is covered in triangles, each representing a sub field. Further zooming indicated triangles upon triangles until we see that each of the smallest triangle represented an individual’s contribution to the field of human knowledge. I think his point was that we are all standing on each other’s contributions and most people make small ones.

I see large contributions being made to every other aspect of human life due to software engineering. At the moment, I don’t have enough of a tool kit to fully appreciate what my capabilities will be but I don’t think it is too late for me to explore that opportunity.

What I like about the Holberton School is that it addresses more than web development and it doesn’t promise anything like mastery in 72 hours. 2 years may be unrealistic but I think it gives me a better fighting chance than attending a shorter program. At the least it sounds fun and exciting. I guess I have my doubts about learning theory through application but with sufficient supervision I could see this working. Then again, I have always preferred to generate my own theories while applying them, then uncovering what I was right and wrong about.