Three life lessons I learned from coding

I worked as a software developer for almost 10 years. Now looking back at those years, I realize that it taught me a lot of lessons. And I'm not just talking about work-related lessons, but life lessons that I still use today. Programming is more than just writing lines of code. It's more than just a technical skill; it’s a mindset, a lifestyle that shapes how you approach things. So in this blog post I want to share three life lessons I learned as a software developer.

1. PERSISTENCE

Now I'm not talking about data persistence. I'm talking about the personal trait of persistence. This trait is crucial in programming. When you start with programming you're bombarded with all these terms and concepts that you must understand. Even when you grasp most of these terms and concepts, you still encounter difficult errors. You will encounter new terms, new concepts, new technologies and perhaps even new programming languages. Programming is a journey of continuous learning and it's filled with twists and setbacks. You can feel like a superhero at one project and a complete noob at another. This is simple because there is so much stuff to learn, it's endless.

Now I bet most of us have shut our laptops in frustration at least once, because we got stuck and couldn't find a solution. But the next day, we're back at it again, and ready to tackle the same problem with a new mindset.

As programmers we don't quit, we may complain, we may feel frustrated, but we keep going even when things get though. That's what I mean with persistence. It's the same in life. Life throws challenges at you that can seem impossible. But in a world where everyone wants fast results, coding has taught me to be patient, to not give up and try to become a better version of myself every day.

2. PROBLEM SOLVING

As a programmer, you write code to solve problems. Essentially, you're a professional problem solver. These problems can vary in size, you can have small problems and big problems. But one thing is certain: as a programmer, you encounter problems every single day. Now the good news, over time, you become pretty good at tackling problems. You've basically trained your brain to think deeply, to identify and truly understand a problem, and to break these problems down into manageable pieces. Now while some may become overwhelmed and lose sight of the big picture, we as programmers are trained to not lose sight of it and to remain in control.

Programming has taught me to approach problem-solving more methodically. It has taught me to break down large problems into smaller subproblems. And by solving each subproblem, you can solve the larger problem. This is a skill that I use in my daily life as well.

3. NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL

As a programmer, you find out that in a lot of situations, there are multiple ways to accomplish the same thing. Most of the time, each solution has its own strengths and weaknesses. This is the same in life. There usually is not one way to accomplish something. There are multiple ways, and it doesn't always mean that one way is better than the other. Programming taught me that everyone's journey in life is different and each journey has its pros and cons.

Cheers.

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