Programming and income

I’ve been programming professionally since 1992.   I’ve worked (professionally) in a lot of languages – C, C++, C#, Java, Fortran, Objective C, Visual Basic, HP-Basic and various different database and SQL languages.      For most years I haven’t been paid for a lot of things – I worked on open source projects for a bit for instance.   I’ve done a lot of other work during the day.    I always program – I love it and want to do more.

For day work, I’ve learnt a lot about how to identify professionals.    I’m not a professional in any field outside of computers – I can do construction, drive a forklift or palette cart and do a lot of house maintenance – but it’s not the same.   Ok, I’m quite good at driving forklift – it’s a visualization thing.   These are not my jobs though.   I have the highest respect for a professional in any of these fields – they all have a complexity of skills that I can only see the edge of.  There’s an incredible amount of information to track in – for instance – working on a car engine.     (while I was trying to get into my first work programming, I worked for a while as a janitor.   I could say I’m professional there, but it’s not a field I can return to – I’m allergic to some of the cleaning equipment).

I have hobbies – computer programming isn’t that.   It’s what I love and given half a chance, need to do more of.   Hobbies are fun – a person definitely needs some.   I like handcrafts – metalwork, woodwork, gem-carving and the like.   It’s all good – as is going out and doing things like hiking, boating or camping.

Code is an outward expression of how I think.  When I work with mathematics, I think of different algorithmic approaches.  When I see maps, I think of coordinate systems, database cross-references and ways to store and reproduce the data.   Patterns show up everywhere – and I find code a good way to express them.   I look forward to working more and learning more of the language of patterns – computer science.

As blog posts go, this isn’t really that useful – but I’d love feedback and refinement.  Thank you.

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