As long as I can remember, I’ve always felt a little bit restless after reaching a goal. No matter the size of the milestone I’ve reached or the impact level of the item I’ve crossed off the bucket list, I’ve always felt that I could “get better,” “go farther,” “know more,” or make a “bigger impact.” After the self-satisfactory high from crossing a finish line wears off a little, I always find myself wondering, “What’s next?”
This restlessness is sourced by my insatiable curiosity, my love of learning, my desire to create, my awareness of the endless amount of new things to discover and experience in the world and the increasingly limited time I have to discover them. And, admittedly, sometimes it can be attributed to a feeling of inadequacy, a belief that if I only knew more or went farther I would be a better human and could possibly make the world a little better, too.
Programming feeds this restlessness and frequently satiates it with the the victories (small and large) that come from solving a coding challenge, and the seemingly endless variety and amount of knowledge required to do it well. I also enjoy the creative nature of it - the potential for solving problems in a unique and elegant way.
The art and practice of programming metaphorically has no “finish line,” which I find both exhiliarating and potentially exhausting. During this program I will need to savor the victories when they come, and know that wherever my personal “finish line” may be, it will be enough.