It’s been a while since the last post, and I haven’t been really writing any updates towards Icy Fire or the blog. But fear not - I have been boosting my knowledge.
Over the past two months, I have been trying to attempt reading books, something I actually did not do that often. I found the motivation to do so because of all of the time I started spending on the subway all the way to work (all hail the S-Bahn!). So it came over me: Instead of wasting these 30 minutes of my life everyday, twice a day, I should read some books. And so it was.
One of the books I - finally - finished was the Passionate Programmer. This book rekindled many of the things I felt were forgotten over the course of years, more specifically as I tried to go through University without even thinking of much. Above all, it allowed me to look at what I do, my life objectives and the nature of my craft on a perspective other than a regular Engineer: I started seeing things as a human being, and how my emotions, choices and lifestyle influence everything around my professional career.
Looking away from the emotional perspective, I was able to grasp some of the sense of my craft: Majority of the steps we take in our careers revolve around the decisions we take, and the will power we allow ourselves to give towards those very same decisions. Without the will present, you might as well try to find something you love, enjoy and have fun doing. Without enjoying your craft, you will never be able to find the right way, nor understand what you want to pursue. A grand objective for my professional career, something I actually thought about before coming to work to Berlin, was to achieve a state where I feel like my skills and knowledge are at the limit of my capabilities. By now, I know that will never happen, since we are people who are constantly learning, and trying to break our everyday limits.
But Software Craftsmanship isn’t what this whole book is about. Sure, it also reflects Software as our main focus, but it also relates it to other areas, and other fields of expertise. The author of the book cliamed to be a Musician before becoming a Software Developer - this gave him a greater insight to compare both fields, and it turns out the differences weren’t that big. Most of the techniques you can use for other fields can also be applied to Software Craftsmanship. The greatest approach to improve your career, and the one that dazzled me completely, was the social affirmation aspect. Personally, that was something that I never thought of doing, since I always considered Social Contact to be my weakest point as a person - seems like it still is! The motivation behind this blog was exactly that very same one, trying to show who I am to the world, show people what I am capable of doing within the context of my expertise. Since my hopes and motivation are high in the clouds at the moment, I am safe to quote a portuguese expression:
Quem não arrisca, não petisca.
Without the social aspect, and your own personal projection, you won’t be able to show what you’re capable of doing. In other words, after reading this book, my career’s objective passed from not only trying to excel at Software Development, but as well as becoming an expert on how to sell my skills and capabilities, by the means of Marketing. Marketing is still a fuzzy area for me, but it will slowly get there.
I’m safe to say that I gladly recommend the Passionate Programmer to everyone out there. Don’t ever refrain on what makes you better at your craft, just give things a try. It won’t hurt that much, and reading stuff about itmight just be our first step, and the motivation boost you need. As for Icy Fire, fear not! Updates are coming very very soon, I haven’t forgotten about it!
Nel is over and out, returning 0!