Balanced
This is a response of sorts to this thoughtful post: https://medium.com/@sabmalik/turning-the-page-32913f07e818
Here is a short summary of the post:
The author spent many years as a programmer. It was difficult to balance life and work. He was always running to the next engagement. Stuck in the learning rat race of software engineering. His job consumed him. He didn’t have time for anything except the job. To find balance, he pivoted his career into a less demanding field and achieved balance between his job and his life.
I understand his pain. Much of my energy is devoted to learning. New technologies are getting more diverse and breeding innovation, which means even more learning.
One can easily get consumed by programming. In many ways it’s crack for the brain.
Your are in a perpetual state of sharpening your sword. The programmer who stops is relegated to obsolescent in a short few years. In extreme situations, they will find themselves unemployable.
So why do I program? Because I love to do it, I get paid to do what I love. Like the author in the post, I’ve had to learn balance between my career and my personal time.
Some will disagree, but for me programming is an art. There is no limit to how skilled I can become. Applications are my canvas, programming is the medium I use to express myself. It’s how I create.