A long time ago I started learning ActionScript and Flash so that I could create interactive websites.
After that, I found a no-code game engine called Construct 2. This is actually where much of my foundational programming knowledge came from. Understanding loops and conditions and variables - it all came from a no-code tool that abstracted these concepts to drag & drop blocks.
I found that once I moved into "real" code, the understanding of these fundamental concepts was invaluable.
It reminds me a lot of learning a second musical instrument. There are many common fundamentals, and once you know once, it's much easier to pick up another - even if they're nothing alike on the surface.
Ever since my ActionScript days, I've created games and programs because I enjoy it. I love problem solving that yields fairly immediate results, and programming small projects really scratches that itch.
I've also found that after each throw-away project I finish, I come away better, having learned something or improved a mental model that was previously weak.
As I grow, I find problem solving in general to scratch the "fun" itch. I think that's why I'm drawn to things like designing physical games, managing projects, launching new endeavors, and programming.
The compulsion to create is the driving force behind this. As long as something is being created and problems are being solved, I feel fulfilled.
But lately that fulfillment is waning.
What I'm craving now is doing good in the world.
Where can my passions - problem solving, creativity - overlap with that goal?
Web accessibility seems to be one area where I can accomplish a bit of both. Since my dad is mostly blind and uses the internet a lot, I can see how bad poor accessibility impacts his ability to perform basic human functions. If I can make things a bit easier for people like him, I think that counts as doing good.
After that, I found a no-code game engine called Construct 2. This is actually where much of my foundational programming knowledge came from. Understanding loops and conditions and variables - it all came from a no-code tool that abstracted these concepts to drag & drop blocks.
I found that once I moved into "real" code, the understanding of these fundamental concepts was invaluable.
It reminds me a lot of learning a second musical instrument. There are many common fundamentals, and once you know once, it's much easier to pick up another - even if they're nothing alike on the surface.
Ever since my ActionScript days, I've created games and programs because I enjoy it. I love problem solving that yields fairly immediate results, and programming small projects really scratches that itch.
I've also found that after each throw-away project I finish, I come away better, having learned something or improved a mental model that was previously weak.
As I grow, I find problem solving in general to scratch the "fun" itch. I think that's why I'm drawn to things like designing physical games, managing projects, launching new endeavors, and programming.
The compulsion to create is the driving force behind this. As long as something is being created and problems are being solved, I feel fulfilled.
But lately that fulfillment is waning.
What I'm craving now is doing good in the world.
Where can my passions - problem solving, creativity - overlap with that goal?
Web accessibility seems to be one area where I can accomplish a bit of both. Since my dad is mostly blind and uses the internet a lot, I can see how bad poor accessibility impacts his ability to perform basic human functions. If I can make things a bit easier for people like him, I think that counts as doing good.