Writing code isn't as glamorous as it seems.
Yes, people who go into this industry make the big bucks. If you get to work at a FAANG company, you get many extra perks. And since COVID, there are more remote roles available.
However, in the long run, if you don't really enjoy the work, which most of the time it's you being in front of a computer, then it starts to suck your soul. You become a slave to your computer. And if money is your sole motivator to get into this career, then I would rethink your options. Because no amount of money is enough for what you go through.
If you aren't resilient and good at problem-solving, you won't last long. I usually tell people, when learning how to code you gain a whole new way of thinking. It challenges you to see things in ways that you normally wouldn't.
I believe FAILING IS A REQUIREMENT when coding. If you are not okay with constant failure, like I said before, coding is not for you.
You are continuously falling off the horse and getting back up again. You might be on the ground for a few days or a few weeks trying to solve a bug. But eventually, you get back up when you miraculously find your solution on StackOverflow.
My frustration with boot camps and courses is that they make grandiose statements that “You'll learn everything you need to know about software in a matter of weeks”. That's BS. It baffles me what lengths people will do to get your money. I've heard so many stories of people and family members taking courses and then giving up early on because it's not what they thought it'd be.
I got into computer science when I was in high school and instantly fell in love with it. It felt natural. Everything was logical. If you do this, then that will happen, otherwise, this will happen. I quickly saw that my problem-solving skills came in handy.
Then when entering college I decided to major in Computer Engineering, because I wanted to understand both how the hardware and software worked together. Graduated and worked at a few places for a few years. But the days started to feel long. I'd be staring at a computer screen 40 hours a week. I started to question if the work I'm doing was meaningful? Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?
I wonder what the psychological effects are of new occupations that have been created since the rise of technology.
Because I feel that coding really isolates you. And sometimes that isolation is necessary to get your work done. Maybe AI will make the process of coding less time-consuming. And all programmers would need to do is verify the code's functionality, until AI gets to the point where it can do that.
But back to the soul-sucking part of it. I feel that software has detached us from genuine human connection. And when I say software I'm referring to software addiction.
Even the creators of these technologies don't let their own children use them because they are afraid of what it'll do to their psyche. There isn't much research, that I'm aware of, on the side effects of tech usage.
But besides the point. My relationship with software is a complex one. I love the highs that it brings but I am aware of the lows too. I guess it's all a balancing act, like with anything else. Moderation and discipline are key.