Why I became a Software Developer

A Tech Journey that includes stocks, rebounds, and lines of code

In the fall of 2013, I moved to Chicago to begin an iOS development boot camp called MobileMakers. It was a turning point in my professional career and the beginning of a new chapter. After completing this 8-week program, I got my first iOS developer gig making mobile apps for a development agency in Florida, followed by a stint in NYC building up the iOS apps for BuzzFeed. Currently, I’m working on kids focused apps for Disney in sunny LA. I was part of the team that built the Panera Bread app, so if you have ever walked into one of their restaurants and ordered from an iPad kiosk, you’re welcome. Also, if you are a BuzzFeed user and non-English speaker, I was the developer that implemented internationalizing that app into different languages. I find software development fun and enjoy the process of having an idea, and creating something out of thin air that people can interact with and enjoy.

Unlike many of my developer peers, I do not have a degree in computer science nor did I grow up playing with computers. I have a non-traditional background and got into software development later in life at age 27. I went to undergraduate business school and began my career on wall street. The only problem is, I started during the summer of 2007, at the peak of the housing bubble. I spent two years in the fixed income department at Goldman Sachs and had a front row seat to the credit crisis and global recession. Everything I learned in business school got thrown out the window. It was in NYC that I was introduced to the tech startup scene and was completely enamored. After Goldman, I would attend different tech events daily, trying to learn as much as I could about tech startups. There was once a time when I would be at a tech meetup and I would overhear a tech geek say something like writing software is an art, and I’d roll my eyes… now I know programming really is an art. So, the big question is why? Why did I become a software developer? The answer comes in waves.

The first wave was back in 2011. That summer I gave up on my startup Rethink Impact. Rethink Impact was a marketplace for social enterprises and grant makers that streamlined the grant making process.

I built it up to a team of four people and we onboarded several customers and received some nice coverage, but ultimately we failed. One of my biggest frustrations was that I could not contribute to the product. At that time, I could not code and knew nothing about software development. I didn’t even know the terminology in order to communicate what I wanted. I had a grand vision of how technology could improve an antiquated grant making process and, in doing so, would really help a lot of people… but I couldn’t build it and failed at trying. From this experience, I knew I wanted to learn a little about software development so I could understand the basics and speak the language, and I figured I would learn in my spare time. But first, I needed to find a job.

In the fall of 2011, I was in the middle of my job hunt and came across Marc Andreessen’s article “Why Software is Eating the World”. This was a game changer! In his essay, I saw the text version of what I was trying to do in the nonprofit world and what was happening in every industry. I saw the professional world being split into two sides:

1. People who can tell computers what to do
2. People who are told what to do by computers

I knew I wanted to be in the first group… then I accepted a job in sports that had nothing to do with coding — because I’m very logical.

I signed a two-year contract to work in basketball operations for the Oklahoma City Thunder and it was amazing! I love basketball and this would give me an opportunity to witness first hand how an NBA operated. I packed my bags and left Harlem for Oklahoma. Then I arrived and realized… I live in Oklahoma. It was a complete culture shock. There is no need for me to compare the social scene of NYC to OKC, but let’s just say OKC is lacking. So, I threw myself into my new job and did some online tech learning on the side when I had downtime. I watched YouTube videos and took Udemy classes to learn how to make websites. And you know what…I liked it! Even boring old HTML and CSS. I found it rewarding to write a line of code and have something change on the screen. I say it to this day, but back then I found it to be true as well — the best thing about coding is creating. I feel good about myself when I have an idea and I can make something out of nothing. With that being said, if OKC had a nightlife I may not have discovered the joy of creating through coding, and may not be writing this blog post.

The second wave started for me the summer of 2013. I found out my OKC contract would not be renewed. At this time, I had been a professional for 6 years and had a much better sense of what I wanted and what I did not want (arguably more important) in a career. I knew I liked coding, but that was in small bits every now and then, and as any real software engineer will tell you, making websites in Adobe Dreamweaver is not programming. I had to determine what career path to take…. time to research.

By 2013, I had given up on the mantra of “follow your passion”. I am a dynamic person, and I have many passions and they evolve as I age. I think that job advice only works if you have static passions/dreams (just an observation, not a negative), but just doesn’t work for me. I’m OK with that. At that time, I was comfortable pursuing a job that I was interested in and then pursuing my various passions outside of my main job. I saw my main job not as my passion, but as a way to fund a lifestyle of passionate pursuits. In order to answer the question of what job path to pursue I had to first answer the question of what lifestyle did I want and what did I need to make the lifestyle a reality?

I love to travel so I knew I needed a position that I could take time off to travel. I also knew I wanted a career where I would be well compensated. This means I need money and flexibility.

• Software developers can make a nice living
• Developers can work from anywhere as long as they have the internet
• Thinking back to the Andreessen article I agree that software is creeping into everything and had two more years to see Andreessen’s predictions were true
• I interpreted this as job security. There will always be a need for someone who can tell computers what to do
• I enjoyed the creation process of writing software. I saw mobile as a hot, lasting market, and I owned an iPhone

I decided to really pursue a career as a iOS software developer. Luckily, I was in a position where I had built up a nest egg and had awesome family support so I could pursue this career change full-time. In the fall of 2013, I began taking iOS development classes at Mobile Makers Academy in Chicago. I spent all day learning the software development process, and at night I crashed on the kitchen floor of my sister’s one-bedroom apartment. It was one of the best autumns of my life!

It’s been three years since I first enrolled into Mobile Makers and I am so happy I made that decision. I find Andreessen’s essay to be even more relevant today because the concept of “software eating the world” can no longer be challenged as an if, it’s a when. The deeper you get into your developer career, the more you want to build and create. I recently expanded my skill set to include Android development by completing a CodePath course, and in addition to my main job I make mobile apps on the side with a group of developer friends through Soothsayer Labs. To end, I hope sharing my story was helpful. Thanks for reading.

John Andrews is a Software Engineer at Disney ABC Television Group. John is a former D-1 basketball player and fan of all things Michigan.

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