I had a couple of conversations last week with some students that went something like this .. “Sir, I’m currently learning DSA but I’m stuck and don’t know how to progress” So I asked these students, “why do you want to learn DSA? why do you want to code?”
Sir, thank you for your article. In one of your earlier posts, one thing stood out while I was reading this post: "Like most of you, I never had a strong desire to build a career in the tech industry." Here you mention "The most happy and successful employees I have seen, just seem to glide through their work every day. It is almost as if they are not working, but playing!"
I'm sure you're successful in your craft. What motivated you enough for so many years to keep upskilling even with the explicit intention of not further building your career in this industry? Surely it can't just be the monetary aspect, one would only burn out in time. Would love to hear from you.
I actually wanted to create video games from a young age. They had a very strong influence on me when I was a teenager. I didn't care about industry, jobs or anything else - I just wanted to make my own games and show it to the world. It was my way of expressing myself.
I probably tried tinkering with video game files when I was in 5th or 6th grade, but soon realised that didn't work! I started learning to code in 9th grade, when it wasn't even something discussed at school.
In 11th grade when we actually had a formal coding class, I was miles ahead of the rest. I created my first bunch of 2D games around this time. Although few students played them, it made me really popular.
The same continued in college. I was ahead of my batch when it came to coding, made some interesting projects, and was popularly known for that skill.
And then placements happened. I got placed early thanks to my coding skills, but in a company that I wasn't really excited about. I think my 4th year was the year I probably upskilled the least. I guess internally I gave up on my dream, and lost some motivation to code that year.
But when I joined work, I again felt I was ahead of most of my peers. I could hear it in the feedback I got as well. This combined with a team that gave me good challenges, motivated me to learn more.
After a decade of working, the challenge of entrepreneurship was too hard to resist. So I quit two and half years ago and have been in learning mode ever since.
When I say I didn't have a strong desire to build a career in the industry, I meant that in the traditional sense (joining a popular tech company, climbing the corporate ladder, etc.). Even today I don't internally feel like I'm building a career in any industry, or doing something that is prescribed to me by someone else. I just do what I enjoy doing!
When I look back, I can see some common threads throughout my journey whenever I have been successful:
- I upskilled before my peers, because I had a personal mission to achieve; this mission was something personal and unique to me, not what others were doing
- My expertise was popular; or I managed to find the people who valued it
- I showcased my talent and received strong positive feedback; everytime this happened, it gave me a huge confidence boost to keep going
Perhaps these are some essential ingredients for any successful 'career'?
Sir, thank you for your article. In one of your earlier posts, one thing stood out while I was reading this post: "Like most of you, I never had a strong desire to build a career in the tech industry." Here you mention "The most happy and successful employees I have seen, just seem to glide through their work every day. It is almost as if they are not working, but playing!"
I'm sure you're successful in your craft. What motivated you enough for so many years to keep upskilling even with the explicit intention of not further building your career in this industry? Surely it can't just be the monetary aspect, one would only burn out in time. Would love to hear from you.
I actually wanted to create video games from a young age. They had a very strong influence on me when I was a teenager. I didn't care about industry, jobs or anything else - I just wanted to make my own games and show it to the world. It was my way of expressing myself.
I probably tried tinkering with video game files when I was in 5th or 6th grade, but soon realised that didn't work! I started learning to code in 9th grade, when it wasn't even something discussed at school.
In 11th grade when we actually had a formal coding class, I was miles ahead of the rest. I created my first bunch of 2D games around this time. Although few students played them, it made me really popular.
The same continued in college. I was ahead of my batch when it came to coding, made some interesting projects, and was popularly known for that skill.
And then placements happened. I got placed early thanks to my coding skills, but in a company that I wasn't really excited about. I think my 4th year was the year I probably upskilled the least. I guess internally I gave up on my dream, and lost some motivation to code that year.
But when I joined work, I again felt I was ahead of most of my peers. I could hear it in the feedback I got as well. This combined with a team that gave me good challenges, motivated me to learn more.
After a decade of working, the challenge of entrepreneurship was too hard to resist. So I quit two and half years ago and have been in learning mode ever since.
When I say I didn't have a strong desire to build a career in the industry, I meant that in the traditional sense (joining a popular tech company, climbing the corporate ladder, etc.). Even today I don't internally feel like I'm building a career in any industry, or doing something that is prescribed to me by someone else. I just do what I enjoy doing!
When I look back, I can see some common threads throughout my journey whenever I have been successful:
- I upskilled before my peers, because I had a personal mission to achieve; this mission was something personal and unique to me, not what others were doing
- My expertise was popular; or I managed to find the people who valued it
- I showcased my talent and received strong positive feedback; everytime this happened, it gave me a huge confidence boost to keep going
Perhaps these are some essential ingredients for any successful 'career'?