Inspired to code

I’ve been working in online environments since 1997, when I started getting into active server pages and doing some basic corporate brochure sites. Then I did production work at Disney Internet Group – lots of tables and transparent gif spacers back then. I moved into online campaigns and optimization for Microsoft’s online division and eventually into leading product management at BigDoor.

So I’ve been around online projects throughout my career, and have messed around with php, javascript, python, etc. enough to prototype ideas and communicate with dev teams. I tend to enjoy debugging too just because I like solving problems. I’ve enjoyed success in marketing and product management because of this ability to be in the middle of business needs and technical solutions.

But I’ve never been a developer. I can make simple tools that help keep things moving when there isn’t bandwidth for others to do so, but I know that it’s all just random things smashed together and not constructed in the right way.

Being around The Iron Yard Academy has made me feel that I’m completely stupid for not taking advantage of this background. I heard a student talking about Ember yesterday and showing off some new tools. Many of these people are new to programming and now they are totally schooling me. I felt compelled to do the TodoMVC demo lesson to go through the basics and better understand Ember. Amazing – they are all so way ahead of me. They now have a foundation I never had. And that’s when I took it personally.

In a way, I forgot that I’m not too far behind to build out my own ideas rather than rely on others. I let myself get old and lazy. Seeing these students change their lives by taking control and working to become professional web developers has inspired me to be more active in that pursuit. I have MANY bad habits and concepts to unlearn – but they inspire me to do more. I owe it to them to push myself too. I want to be the best resource I can be for them professionally, and that means that I need to stick with it just as much as they do every day.

Keep building!