Just keep coding

As summer break comes, I yet again sit at home bored. Luckily, a video is recommended to me on Youtube. In it Mark Zuckerberg promotes a little known website called Code Academy, that teaches beginners how to program. I always wanted to make my own app, but never knew how.

I follow the link to the site. In a matter of minutes I manage to salvage my first few lines of code. As I expected, the code fails to run. After several minutes spent struggling, I finally get the code to work. Like that, I am off to the next lesson.

As time went on, I managed to complete more lessons. Two lessons completed. Then five. Then ten. I read and complete several books on programming. But as the novelty of programming wore off, and the demands of school grew my interest started to flame out.

But the goal of making my own app stayed with me. I forced myself to code a little bit everyday until I finally finish my app. Little by little I improved my skills. Some days I wanted to scream and punch a desk, while other days coding felt effortless. In the end the work I put in paid off. I made a simple web browser. I showed it to my parents, got a nod and that was it.

For some people diamonds bring them joy. For others it is a well cooked meal at restaurant. But for me it is coding. I don’t know whether or not it will be something I do in the future, or if will ever make a living out of it. But I will always remember the fun, and headaches, it brought me. If I could, I would do it all over again.